Bobby Flay, Top Chef and host of five currently-running Food Network shows, recently opened wide his entrepreneurial embrace to claim not only a new restaurant on 40th and Walnut, but most of the surrounding sidewalk space. As lines stretched down the block outside Bobby’s Burger Palace, Flay cordially greeted new guests before slipping away to sample the competition. Was Flay planning yet another throw down, or just a hungry man following his stomach?

In either case, he couldn’t have chosen a better spot to try. The Philadelphia Insider spotted him munching at 500º, the new 15th and Sansom Street home of the Rouge burger. Rouge, a French-Asian style bistro on Rittenhouse, boasts a burger following almost as large as the square itself. During last spring’s Rittenhouse Row Festival it became clear to Rouge owners, Rob and Maggie Wasserman, that this burger deserved a menu of its own.

At the festival, Rouge offered miniature gourmet burgers, and a lot of them. Four hundred burgers were passed out the booth window by the end of the day and plans for a new burger-focused location flew back and forth into the night. Plans that fully materialized March 23rd when a joint named after the ideal cooking temperature for a burger opened to showcase the mini Rouge.

With all of the hype concerning both 500º and Bobby’s Burger Palace, I set out to discover what people were talking about. In a blind effort to skirt crowds, I chose to sample each place’s burger in the late afternoon. Upon entering 500º I stepped right up to the counter; I had a 10-minute wait at BBP.

Both the menu at 500º and BBP acknowledge the requisite fries and a shake to complete the ideal burger experience. Menu similarities, however, stopped there. With four times the seating space and menu size of 500º, BBP offers 10 burger options (all available in ground beef, turkey, or chicken breast patties) and 13 shakes, three of which were spiked! The options do not stop there.

Flay’s joint also offers non-burger goodies such as salads and grilled cheese sandwiches, and beverages include wines, beer (plus non-alchoholic Buckler), innumerable sodas, and a frozen cactus pear margarita.

500º offered a mere three Basset’s shakes, six sodas, and iced tea. While BBP tables were laden with seven delectable sauces, 500º had two. 500ª pulled ahead in efficiency and a clever menu designed with combo options; Flay scored family points in offering a kiddie burger meal.

Truly, Bobby dwarfed 500º, but that is expected when dealing with a chain, even one founded by a celebrity Chef. But with such a culinary pedigree, we should be able to expect quality and quantity out of Mr. Flay, right?

Not always. The Topless Salad was over-salted, making it impossible to appreciate the delicate baby greens. The onion rings also disappointed – though the beer-battered rings were huge and outwardly appeasing, they were inwardly undercooked; not worth the $3 plunge.

Where Flay did remind of his genius was in conscious plate presentation. The burger arrived with the soft Martin sesame bun consciously angled between the plate and top of the sandwich. The forty-five degree angle advertised 80/20 mix of sirloin and chuck and my L.A. Burger toppings: avocado relish, watercress, cheddar cheese and tomato. The attractive arrangement, however, could not make up for a medium burger when medium rare was ordered.

In the end, Flay’s presentation was tied with that of 500º’s 500º burger. A thick five and a half ounce beef patty cooked at 500º and served, not squashed (along with lettuce, sliced tomato, melted cheddar, and bacon), on a Wild Flour Bakery Challah roll. The resulting taste was succulent — a solid, juicy, iconic winner.

Where Flay genuinely stepped ahead was with those spiked shakes, worth the $7.50, and the perfect accompanying seven sauces that made my world go round: Chipotle Catsup, Jalapeno Hot Sauce, a Kick A** Burger Sauce, and the Fries sauce options (Chipotle and Roasted Red Pepper, and a Horseradish Honey Mustard).

So what place wins over the culinary heart? Well 500º feels gourmet. The small location and concentrated menu reflects the small but flavor-packed burger. Their Truffle Fries ($2.50 for a divinely huge bag) helps underpin that image. Flay, on the other hand, offers many creative options, but is it worth sacrificing high standards? If forced to choose between quantity and quality this humble foodie always sides with quality. Way to go, 500º.

Just returned from studies in Crete, Erica Hope is a Drexel University student and aspiring food writer. Her work has also appeared in The Triangle.

Article photograph from restaurant websites, "Eat Drink Philly" photograph from suvodeb, via Flickr (Creative Commons), "Philly" photograph from camardella, via Flickr (Creative Commons).