For the opening act of the 4th of July BurgerMonday Meatup at the West End haunt Joe Allen chef Marc Brown decided to wing it.

He pulled the tender meat from braised chicken wings, covered it in a mildly spicy Buffalo chicken sauce cut with some Lea & Perrins for added tang and placed it on a mini-version of his house-baked brioche burger bun. Brown’s Buffalo chicken slider shared plate space not with celery sticks, carrot sticks and bleu cheese dip, the customary Buffalo wings accompaniment, but rather a chopped celery and apple salad in bleu cheese dressing. A sharp presentation, in every respect. I pray Brown puts the slider and salad on Joe Allen’s bar menu.

The main event was the classic Joe Allen bacon cheeseburger made with chuck the restaurant sources from Scotland and coarsely minces in-house. A neat fit for its sweet brioche bun, the burger born at the original Joe Allen in Manhattan’s Theatre Distict never fails to eat bigger than it looks. You get the Broadway juice and excitement without the constant threat of calamity.

[oqeygallery id=19]slideshow photos by Paul Winch-Furness

The next BurgerMonday meatup will be on 15 August. Details will be announced soon. To receive an email alert about all upcoming young&foodish events as well as advance booking privileges join the y&f community or like the Facebook page now.