Burger Bash New York 2012

The burger: White Label Burger

The situation: A miniburger with a well-proportioned puck of beef, topped with Nueske's bacon, white American cheese, McClure's pickles, and mustard on a firm brioche-like bun.

Execution score: 9. "Having the White Label Burger is like having sirloin steak all your life — and then suddenly trying a filet mignon," Assistant Editor Anna Monette Roberts declared. It was so rich in flavor that it was almost as though the burger contained duck fat. Those amazing pommes dauphines topping off the slider didn't hurt, either.

Photo: Anna Monette Roberts