By Rachel Galvin

Sanborn Square Park was packed for this year’s Boca Burger Battle on July 14. More people than ever found their way to vendor after vendor and stuffed themselves with taste after taste of delicious burgers, as well as craft beer, wine and other spirits. The night was made complete with well-placed mood lighting strung up high on the tall palm trees by Jan Van Der Baan (also of Birthday Comp.) and the musical stylings of the Gypsy Lights. They even had cornhole to play.

“This is my first time attending,” said Peter Wein (of WEI Network.) “I am amazed at how many incredible burgers we have to choose from. Unfortunately, only one is going to get an award.”

Each of the chefs was battling it out to win, judged by a long line of judges. In the end, the Best Grill Master was Funky Buddha Brewery. 2nd place was Tucker Duke’s and 3rd, Cheffrey Eats. People’s Choice for Best Battle Burger went to ROK: BRGR for the 2nd year in a row.

Burton’s Grill & Bar served up a Mediterranean stuffed burger slider, with feta and herb alouette, grilled zucchini, tzadeki and charred tomato ketchup.

“October will be our one year anniversary. This is our first time here,” said Stephanie Hammer, who marveled at how they had not slowed down the entire event. “Our Boca restaurant is the first in Florida… We are from New England.”

“I love it. This is our first year. We are having an amazing time,” said Ting Shen, director of training of Batch Gastropub, which is located in the Delray Marketplace.

Barrel of Monks Brewery owner Kevin Abbott said, “This event just makes sense for us. It is a Boca event and we are a Boca brewery,” saying he works with most of the restaurants in attendance. “We have been here [in Boca] for 3 ½ years. We have Belgian style ales, tours, food and beer pairings … We like to educate people that beer is just as complex as wine.”

The Voss,’ who seem to be at every event, participated here for the first time, bringing their coconut tool and fresh honey, along with their bees.

“It has been pretty good. The people are really friendly…” they said.

Flair for Fudge, which also seems to always be here yearly, created a fudge just for the event — Pecan BBQ Bourbon. But they have so many other flavors, including salted black truffle and Tropical Temptaton, made with coconut, pineapple, banana, and mango in dark chocolate. [This reporter really liked the chocolate peanut butter]. They also had samples of key lime pie and others…

“We ship all over the US. We customize products for corporate, gifts for holidays, realtors, financial advisors, etc.,” said Hilary Saporta, who runs the company with Bernie Diaz. You can find out more and order at www.aflairforfudge.com.

“We come every year. It has gotten bigger. Every year, there are more vendors. There are a lot more breweries,” said Natalie Batmasian, who attended with her husband, Jimmy.

This event may be over, but Russell Spadaccini, who runs the event, will have no time to rest. He is already gearing up for his next soiree, the Boca Wine & Food Festival, which will take place Nov. 10. Find out all the info., at www.bocaratonwineandfoodfestival.com.

By Becki Coffy

Hungry for a great burger? Have a hankering for a hot dog? Then be sure to stop by Gimme A Burger restaurant at 1200 E. Hillsboro Blvd. in Deerfield Beach. The easy access and ample parking make it a breeze to enjoy this restaurant. The first thing you notice when you enter is the bright white and orange (a nod to Syracuse) decor and how sparkling clean and neat everything is. Owners Yasmin and Serhad Oktay chose the color scheme, designed the interior and the menu and their daughter suggested the hungry wolf logo.

This family business offers more than just burgers. There is something for everyone. Of course the most popular item is the Hungry Wolf Burger, made with your choice of 12 free toppings or, for a small fee, you may select other toppings, such as caramelized onions, bacon, wasabi mayo, Tahini sauce and fried egg, to mention a few.

Gimme A Burger has delicious hand-cut french fries, sweet potato waffle fries and onion rings. I hate to admit it, but we tried all three and they were wonderful. The onion rings were light and crispy with real onion inside. French fries were served with the skin on – my favorite.

The menu offers burgers, hot dogs, chili dogs, chicken, soups, salads, fish and falafel. We decided to break from tradition and started with their soups. My husband chose the chili that was made with just a hint of heat as the spoonful of thick, hearty soup slipped to the back of your throat. I chose their signature cheese burger soup, which was rich and creamy, filled with meat and topped with shredded lettuce and chopped tomatoes. It was not what I was expecting and a wonderful surprise. Both soups are made fresh in-house. We moved to course No.2 and my husband chose the most popular item on the menu: the Hungry Wolf Burger. So much for breaking from tradition! The burger was big, very juicy and full of flavor. All burgers are made from 100 percent certified prime black angus beef.

To shake things up a bit, they offer four other burger types. The Buffalo Burger is made from ground bison meat, the Wow Burger is primeblack angus beef mixed with spicy dried Turkish sausage, the Gobbler is a fresh ground turkey patty served with cranberry mayo and the Mediterranean Burger is fresh ground beef infused with onions, garlic parsley, herbs and spices.

I decided to take Yasmin’s recommendation and ordered her favorite, the ‘Wazzup Grilled Fish Sandwich.’ It was marinated in a blend of special herbs and spices to punch up the flavor of this flakey white fish, topped with lettuce and tomato and finished with a wasabi mayo to add just a little kick to the sandwich.

Also on the menu are hot dogs and chili dogs served on a grilled bun. There are crispy chicken tenders, a ground beef quesadilla, a grilled chicken sandwich and for the vegetarian they offer a ‘red, red vegan’ stuffed pita sandwich and falafel in a pita with tahini sauce.

Their signature salad comes with mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, dried cranberries, walnuts, chick peas and greek olives. Garden salads are also available. Chicken, a burger patty, falafel or grilled fish may be added.

For dessert, try the cinnamon sugar puffs. Add a scoop of ice cream if you wish or order one of their homemade milk shakes.

Gimme a Burger also serves breakfast from 7 to 11a.m. The ‘Cluck and Moo’ sandwich is an egg and cheese muffin served panini style. The ‘Howling Gobbler’ is made with an egg, cheese and turkey sausage. The Timber- Wolf, a sandwich made with a burger, American cheese, hash browns and a fried egg, will keep you full until dinner.

As for me, I’ll be trying the Snow Wolf Bizkitz on my next trip. These fried biscuits are served warm with powdered sugar and a side of cream cheese or mixed berry jam. Could that sound any more delicious?

Indoor and outdoor seating is offered and online ordering will be available soon. Menu available at www.gimmeaburger.com or call 954-708-2553 to place order in advance. Easy access, plenty of parking, great menu choices and friendly service make Gimme A Burger the new place to try. Stop by the next time you are out. Until we eat again..