Fairly Free Friday's Feast

Friday’s Jack Daniel’s Burger + Jacob’s Creek Shiraz = 5/5

I have to be honest, I was a sucker for Woody, and I’m not talking about oak, I’m talking about TGI Friday’s latest marketing strategy “Woody”. The ploy was, if Woody got over 500,000 Facebook fans by the end of September everyone would receive a coupon for a free Jack Daniel’s burger or chicken sandwich. After seeing the same ad over and over, I thought “What was there to lose?” Finally, this past Friday I received my burger bonus. The only catch, the coupon was only good from October 9th to October 14th, not a lot of time if you ask me. But with some serious soreness from the marathon, a nice greasy patty sandwiched between a sesame bun sounded sublime.

Now originally I thought, burger = beer, as most Americans would. But breaking down the components of a burger I began to reconsider. Just like pizza, a burger is composed of a collaboration of food categories: meat, cheese, vegetables, and carbohydrates. So I thought, a steak craves the structure of red wine, why shouldn’t a burger? We all know about cheese and wine, and the saltiness of fries calls for a little acidity. So with that in mind I took to the web and found some suggestions. From my findings, the possibilities are pretty broad, but mostly red. While a Cabernet Sauvignon has the structure to pair well with a plain hamburger, a Pinot Noir might be a bigger fan of onions and mushrooms, and ketchup goes well with the jammier notes of a Shiraz.

But Rocio, Michael and I were going to Fridays, not Fogo De Chao, and looking at the wine selection, the list included some 4 dollar favorites like Barefoot and Sutter Home. Luckily my burger was free, so one glass of overly priced wine was still well within my budget. Debating between the Mirassou Pinot Noir, a light bodied fruity red, and the Jacob’s Creek Shiraz, a fuller bodied jammy red, I considered the flavor profiles of the burger. The Jack Daniel’s glaze, served on the side, was going to be sweet, the bacon, fatty, and the provolone cheese, well, fatty. (Luckily I ran a marathon, right?) With that in mind, the fuller bodied Shiraz, with a higher tannin level, would provide the structure needed to compete with the greasiness of the grub.

Surprisingly, my burger, ordered medium, came out medium, my sweet potato fries, hot, and my bun, golden yellow from a brushing of butter. The bacon and cheese melted together covering the top of my patty, and when topped with my bun, the whole thing stood about 4 1/2 inches high. Pretty perfect for having no price. A hearty pour of Shiraz sat to the side of my salmon colored plate. Notes of black cherry and blackberry, balanced between a strong oak scent, while the legs of the wine stuck to the side of glass. The first taste yielded a higher acidity and lingering oak flavors, but as soon as the burger brushed my palate the sweetness of the fruit flavors were awakened. I was proud of my pairing, tannin tamed the fattiness, a jamminess of the wine brought depth to the Jack Daniel’s glaze, and no flavor was forgotten or over powered.

Finishing our 4 1/2 inch feasts, a comatose cloud swept over our table. Of course the waitress came over and offered dessert, and while a brownie sundae flyer had been staring me in the eye the entire meal, I could not justify jamming any more junk into my already stuffed stomach. Having had a couple of bad Friday’s experiences in the past, this visit did not follow suit. Rocio and Michael agreed, when it comes to a chain restaurant a burger is a safe bet, and while some may be skeptical of a free meal, I do have to say Friday’s came through on this one. It just goes to show you, sometimes things ARE exactly as they seem, and when you see a possibility for a perfect pair, take it.