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We managed to survive our week in Vegas, though it was not without a struggle. While we successfully made it back to D.C. with our shirts (and livers) still in tact --barely-- we didn't hit up nearly as many burgers as we over-zealously set out to. Damn those bars, tables and strip clubs for getting in our way. We did find our way to four (and a half) burgers during our run through Sin City, and, after sifting through out hazy memories clouded by a few too many shots of Jager, Cuervo and whatever else we tossed down the hatch, we were able to pull out the following:

Burger #1 - Grilled Prime Burger at Postrio

We initially tried to hit up Delmonico for a burger on our first night in Vegas, but they quickly shat on that plan when they told us that no burger was available on the dinner menu. Weak, Emeril. Weak. Fortunately, Postrio, just down the way inside The Venetian, did have a burger on the dinner menu and, Lordy, was it good. The Grilled Prime Burger included Vermont cheddar, red onion marmalade, garlic aioli and was served on a poppy and sesame-seeded bun.  The order went in rare and come out beautifully rare-- pink and juicy, with juice just oozing out and deliciously running over the side of the bun. Just ogle that quality burger money-shot right there. While the beef was just straight-up delicious, what really set us off was the onion marmalade-- pure goodness. It's was very much like the bacon jam which we've had the delight to have on several occasions– just without the pork. And we didn't even miss it. The marmalade had a sharp, sweet and smoky taste and rocked our mouths. In fact, the flavor was so bold, it totally masked the garlic aioli. We didn't even taste it. Also of note was the bun. Usually when we’re confronted with similar-seeded buns, we don’t even notice the seeds. Not so here– they added a strong, distinct taste to the beginning of each burger bite before being taken over by the marmalade. A very nice addition. The Postrio burger was by far the best of our Vegas trip, which is a shame 'cause it was the first, but we did catch a few others of quality too. Wolfgang Puck's Postrio Bar & Grill | 3377 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas | 702-796-1110  

Burger #2 - Kobe Burger at TAO Beach

Ok, we were unprepared for this one. In fact, we had no intention of ordering a burger while poolside in our cabana at TAO Beach, but when our smokin', bikini-clad attendant brought us one instead of the quesadilla we ordered, we took it as a sign. We were already several buckets of beer –not to mention shots– deep when the burger arrived, so our palates were not quite as refined as they're known to be. And while we usually take time to savor the beefy goodness, the burger was gone in less than five minutes. We can't comment on the finer aspects of it, but we're pretty sure it prevented us from passing out poolside. So take that as you will. While the photo we managed to snap is a bit shitty, rest assured, we have plenty more from the day that are far less shitty, but if we post them, we'd have to put an "18 & Over" warning on the site. Instead, we'll leave you with the photo on the right and from there you can use your imagination.  

Burger #3 - Double-Double at In-N-Out Burger

Ahh, the morning after burger. After a Thursday that was blurry from beginning to end with moments of somewhat-sharper haze sprinkled throughout, we stumbled out of bed just before noon on Friday to set off to our next burger destination: In-N-Out. We hit up the spot on Dean Martin Blvd which happens to have one of the only two In-N-Out company stores so we also hooked it up with some fresh burger threads. You known we're strutting in style-- don’t be jealous of our swag. On the grub front, since we were still fighting off the effects from our Thursday bender, we came at it full force with the grease and carbs and went Double-Double, Animal Style with the fries and topped it off with a vanilla shake. The food was good, greasy and a much-welcome addition to our alcohol-riddled bodies and provided the fuel needed to power us through those first early hours of our day. And talk about cheap, for the price we paid for our TAO Beach burger the day before, we could of had six Double-Doubles and two orders of fries.  But we gotta admit, the view was better poolside. Though, I will say, as much love as In-N-Out gets –and don't get me wrong, I really like it– I gotta give the nod to the local boys. Yea, I like Five Guys better. You can come at me with all the "fresh this" and "fresh that" you want, but in the end it's about taste and Five Guys burgers are bigger and tastier. Booya. In-N-Out Burger | 4888 Dean Martin Dr, Las Vegas | www.in-n-out.com

Burger #4 - Mini Hamburger "Sliders" at Postrio

First, a confession. While we'd like to say our Vegas trip was all about burgers, it was, in fact, for a wedding. But, when a member of the Burger Day crew gets married, you know he's gonna hook it up at dinner as well. Enter the Mini Hamburger "Sliders." This is the one that may qualify as our "half-burger," but we ate enough of them, so we're giving it "whole" status. The reception was held at the same spot as our first Vegas burger, Postrio, but this time they came with the mini. The tiny burgers were served open-faced and dressed up with Applewood smoked bacon, aged cheddar, garlic aioli a cherry tomato and bit of a gherkin. They were phenomenal. A very mini-version of the delectable burger we had earlier this week, we popped these suckers like Tic-Tacs. It was glorious. And while they lacked the onion marmalade like the big one, the addition of bacon and the fact we could now taste the galic aioli made them just as excellent. While these were technically passed appetizers, the waiter left a whole tray of these bad-boys at our table and they didn't last long. Not. At. All. Wolfgang Puck's Postrio Bar & Grill | 3377 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Las Vegas | 702-796-1110  

Burger #5 - Cobb Burger & The Cheddar Cheeseburger at Kerry's Gourmet Burgers

Our last burgers came on our last day in Vegas. It was a sad occasion as we looked over our list and realized just how many we hadn't gotten to. For our beefy send-off to Sin City, we hit up Kerry's Gourmet Burgers or KGB in Harrah's, a Cold War-CCCP-themed joint from Kerry Simon. (He topped Cat Cora in Iron Chef's Battle Hamburger). The place is all decked out in old Russian propaganda posters but the Soviet-theme doesn't carry over to the menu as everything on it is pretty straight forward. When it comes to the burgers, you can grab one of Simon's creations or build your own. We went for the Cobb burger with blue cheese, avocado, tomato salsa, red pepper mayo and bacon and the Cheddar Cheeseburger and added bacon and caramelized onions. The first thing we noticed, is the sheer size of the burgers. They're massive. And they were cooked spot-on too-- with orders of rare and medium-rare, each burger was leaking beautiful beef juice. Unfortunately, however, we were split on the two creations. The KGB Cobb's flavors were too muddled. And since it was imitating a Cobb salad, instead of getting strips of the bacon, it was chopped up and mixed in with the salsa, avocado and mayo. The result was an off-putting crunchiness to each bite and we couldn't even taste the bacon. And we all know, bacon is a terrible, terrible thing to waste. On the other hand, the cheeseburger was excellent. The bacon was there in all its whole, complete flavorful glory and the addition of the caramelized onions added a sweet burst of flavor to every bite. The cheddar, all four pieces worth, was melted, but alternated between gooey and crispy pieces and reminded us a bit of the cheese edges from our burgers at Shady Glen in Connecticut. Kick-ass.

We have to mention our appetizer order, KGB's Mac & Cheese bites. They were recommended to us by our waiter and were unbelievable. The thick, deep-fried bars of melty and gooey mac and cheese were served along with a white cheddar dipping sauce and, honestly, they outshone both of the burgers. These are a must order.

KGB: Kerry's Gourmet Burgers | 3475 Las Vegas Blvd S, Las Vegas | 800-214-9110   We're declaring our Vegas trip a success, not because of the amount of burgers we ate, but because we made it back in one piece. And, since the crew left a lot of burgers undiscovered, it just means we'll have to go back. Four down, 20 burgers to go? At this rate, it'll only take five more trips. Nah, we don't have a problem with that.