MVB: New Orleans’ Newest Burger

What do you get when you put two food writers, a restaurateur and a couple of chefs into a room? New Orleans’ newest burger place and pop-up restaurant, MVB or Most Valuable Burger. Recognizing that the city was short on burgers that weren’t pushed out of smoky bars or wouldn’t cost you a pretty penny, these guys decided to stop bitching and start a (burger) revolution. Starting on Sunday, October 17th at 5:00 pm the revolution begins in Slim Goodie’s.

To understand why the revolution begins in Slim Goodie’s, one must understand what a pop-up restaurant is. Pop-ups are restaurants that ‘pop-up’ in an existing restaurant’s kitchen or rove from location to location. These tactics help inspired chefs try out revolutionary concepts without the expense and commitment of a full-scale restaurant. This means you and I can be eating the next great food concept tomorrow (or Sunday) and not six months to a year from now. Better yet, we can do so without paying for the Elephant Ear (an extra-expensive way of saying gray) colored paint on the wall or the specialty light switch in the utility closet. Pop-ups mean more food options, faster, all at a cheaper price. In other words, pop-ups are the American dream.

MVB is the brainchild of Restaurateur Joel Dondis, Evan Benson (Executive Chef for Joel’s Catering), Larkin Selman of Sucre, and the “idiots behind Blackened Out.” The menu promises to start out straight-forward and easy on the pocket-book: Burger (with or without cheese both $6), fries ($3), and milkshakes (chocolate or vanilla $5-16 oz.). That’s right, the whole menu for less than a ticket to the movies and no sticking you with some extra charge for cheese–because doing so “seems unfair to us.” Sounds like a pretty darn good operating philosophy to me.

‘So it’s a burger joint, big whoop’ you say. Well listen to this burger: Potato bun from Maple St. Patisserie, soon-to-be-famous “Larkin sauce,” a blend of iceberg lettuce and arugula, tomato, cheese (if you want), pickles and onion all sitting on a patty of 1/2 brisket and 1/2 chuck ground, seasoned with only salt and pepper. That’s the big whoop. (Psst, before you continue you have a little drool. Nope other side. There you go). As the burger revolution spreads across town, We’ve been promised weekly specialty burgers. Like all revolutions, this is one that knows the power is with the people. Want a specific burger, suggest it. If your burger makes it to the menu, you’re eating free.

True to the pop-up business plan, MVB plans to only be open on Sundays at 5:00 p.m. until the last burger, fry and shake are sold. So be sure to get there early–don’t worry, as the demand for burgers increases, so will the supply.

MVB
In Slim Goodie’s Diner
3322 Magazine Street

Sundays from 5:00 p.m.- til (for now)
Cash only, BYOB

For more fun with food and drink in New Orleans, join us Just Off the Red Streetcar Line.

*All pictures from MVB.

Tagged as: Blackened Out, burgers, evan benson, GoNOLA, joel dondis, Joel's Catering, larkin selman, most valuable burger, MVB, New Orleans, Slim Goodie's, sucre, uptown