The aroma of grilled meat wafted through Miami Beach last evening as thousands took to the sand for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival's Burger Bash — the annual feast that celebrates America's favorite sandwich.
Judges Zac Posen, Jonathan Cheban, Lele Pons, Andy Cohen, and Marc Murphy joined host Guy Fieri in the quest for the "Very Best Burger." The most important of three accolades for the evening was the Heineken Light People's Choice Award.
Restaurants from across the nation competed. Miami participants included Pincho Factory, Cheeseburger Baby, and Kush.
Two South Florida restaurants were crowned winners. Swine Southern Table & Bar took the People's Choice Award and a check for $5,000. Barley was named Red Robin's Best of the Bash and received a big red check for $10,000.
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, who joked earlier in the evening that she would take a selfie with any fan who dropped a voting chip into her restaurant's ballot box, won the Very Best Burger Award for her NYC restaurant Butter's creation. The winning "2 Mikes Burger" was a blackened all-beef cheeseburger with applewood bacon jam, jalapeño, and sunchoke relish.