I've been somewhat dubious of the past winners of the Best Burger in Iowa contest which has been held since 2010 by the Iowa Beef Industry Council. Some of the ones I've tried were, well, not all that good. But others have been great. So, when this year's winner was announced back in May, I was even more skeptical that the Best Burger in Iowa was at a small Brazilian cafe in Ames by the name of Cafe Beaudelaire. On a trip down from the Twin Cities to Des Moines awhile back, I decided to stop in to Ames and give the burger at Cafe Beaudelaire a try.
About 30 years ago, Claudio Gianello came to Ames to visit his brother who was studying for his doctorate in agronomy at Iowa State University. Claudio decided to stick around Ames for awhile and soon he met Kellie Jacobs, an ISU student from the west central Iowa town of Carroll. The two fell in love, and while Claudio waited for Kellie to finish school he decided to open a restaurant in the Campustown area across from the Iowa State campus and featured Brazilian cuisine, but with an American flair. Gianello got the name of the restaurant from a derivative of the name of the French poet Baudelaire as it somewhat translates to "Beauty of the Air".
Even though it was a Brazilian restaurant, Gianello was welcoming of cultures from all over the world. His little cafe soon became a gathering place for students from other countries. And when the World Cup was held in 1994, Claudio put in televisions for foreign students to come in and watch the soccer matches at what locals and students referred to as "Cafe B".
Pictured at right - Claudio Gianello. Photo courtesy Iowa Beef Producers Council.
Of course, burgers were a big item with students at ISU and Claudio knew that the Iowa-raised black angus beef was some of the best in the world. He had burgers on the menu since they first opened, but he was always playing around with ingredients to add to the beef that was ground fresh in house. A few years ago, he ended up coming up with a simple combination of salt, pepper, and ground oregano as a seasoning for his signature burgers.
For three years, Gianello had employed a young Iowa State student by the name of Lexi Romitti as a waitress. Romitti was a student in Iowa State's Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication and she was looking to do a public relations campaign as a special project. Working with a small group of other students, Romitti began a campaign to create more awareness among students about Cafe B. When the Iowa Beef Industry Council announced their Best Burger contest in February, Romitti spearheaded efforts to bring students into Cafe Beaudelaire with "Burger Bashes" where they could vote for the burger as one of the best in Iowa.
The efforts of Romitti and her team paid off as Cafe Beaudelaire was one of the top 10 vote getters in the Best Burger in Iowa contest. Judges from the Iowa Beef Industry Council secretly came in to Cafe B to try the burger and they determined it was the Best Burger in Iowa for 2018. Gianello's restaurant joined 2014 winner Brick City Grill to make Ames the only city in Iowa to have two Best Burger winners.
I was able to find a parking space along Lincoln Way in front of Cafe Beaudelaire, and after some jostling between a tight space and heavy traffic I finally got settled in. (see map) Entering the small restaurant, I was greeted by a young lady by the name of Kayli who said I could sit anywhere. I took a table in the middle of the dining area. A small bar was along one wall with some flat screen televisions on the wall. It was a colorful, funky kind of restaurant that made me feel right at home.
Kayli had dropped off a menu for me to look over. I knew already that I was going to get the burger, but I wanted to see what else they had to offer. Actually, it wasn't that large of a menu. They had variations of American and South American choices - many of the appetizers had a Brazilian flair such as empanadas, yucca fries, and something called Pac de Queijo - fresh bite-sized bread with parmesan and gouda cheese baked into them and served with a marinara sauce. In addition to some burgers, they had a Cuban sandwich, a pita sandwich with a choice of either roast beef or chicken, and a popular Brazilian sandwich called the Bauru - it featured a beef patty and ham slices on fresh baked wheat bread topped with mayo, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, corn, peas, mozzarella cheese and a fried egg. You could also get one with a grilled chicken breast or a spicy black bean patty. Cafe B also had vegetarian options along with soups and salads. They also feature a brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
I got the classic burger with cheddar cheese. A fried egg and bacon strips were also available for toppings, but I didn't want a bunch of stuff on there to mask the taste of the burger. They also had a half-chorizo/half-angus beef burger, a burger topped with Muenster cheese and grilled red and green peppers, as well as a Mexican-style burger topped with guacamole and gouda cheese. A side of Brazilian potatoes came with the burger.
The burger was flat-grilled and smash-pressed with a crispy outer shell. The patty was misshapen from the grilling technique. It was served on what I believe was a potato bun and came with a sliced onion, lettuce and a pickle. The burger was actually too salty for my taste. I don't put a lot of salt on my food and I immediately picked up on the abundance of salt in the patty. There was too much bun, as well. I found myself tearing away chunks of the bun because there was just too much of it.
But other than that - and the burger being too salty - I thought the burger was very good. It had a great beef flavor and it was very juicy. I really wish they hadn't loaded it with so much salt.
The Brazilian potatoes were basically seasoned wedge potatoes. They were good with a crispy outer shell and a nice flaky inner core. Once again, I wasn't all that interested in the potatoes, but for someone who does like steak-style wedge fries they would like these.
I'm now 9 for 9 in trying the Best Burger in Iowa contest winner and I'd have to put the burger at Cafe Beaudelaire somewhere in the middle. While the fresh ground beef was juicy and flavorful, they seasoned it with too much salt. The bun was airy and spongy, but there was too much bun for the size of the burger. The Brazilian fries were basically seasoned potato wedges, but they were perfectly cooked with a good crispiness to the outer shell and a warm flakiness on the inside. I couldn't quibble about the friendly service I received while at Cafe Beaudelaire. While they seemed to have a good beer selection, I ended up just having water with my burger. I'm happy that a place like Cafe B is the winner of the Best Burger in Iowa, but I have to think there were other burgers in the contest that may have been better.
Comments