The Boogie Monster at Boogie Burger (#Super46)

I’m always up for a challenge. At least a sandwich challenge. So when Mark and Erin Radford of Boogie Burger invited me and Jeremy Williams to see if we could tackle the Boogie Monster, we were totally up for it.

Boogie Burger is, as far as I’m concerned, one of the top three burger restaurants in all of Indianapolis, and totally deserving of being on the Super 46 Sandwiches list. I’ve been a frequent visitor of the Broad Ripple mainstay for the last four years, but I had never had the chance to try the Boogie Monster.

My typical favorite is the Rise and Shine, which includes a fried egg (over easy), and bacon. The Boogie Monster has all that, plus two 1/3 pound patties, onion rings, grilled pastrami, and 2 slices of cheddar cheese. It combines the Rise and Shine with the Wild West (minus the barbecue sauce, although they’d add it if you asked) and the New York, New York.

Jeremy and I actually had a chance to watch Mark and his crew make two of these things, which they generously provided for our little culinary adventure. At first I thought it was a little overkill to have three guys making a hamburger — “how many guys does it take to make a Boogie Monster?” — but when it’s something this huge, it’s not too many. Plus, it made us feel like big shots getting VIP treatment, so that’s always nice too.

Biting into this burger was a little difficult, because it was so freaking huge. Even mashing it down — which helps combine the flavors, even if it destroys the artistic vision of the sandwich — did little to help me actually get a solid bite of it. But I managed, slowly but surely.

One of the things I love about a Boogie Burger is that there is a definitive taste to the meat. It’s not just “beef flavored.” There is a huge difference between Boogie Burger and most other hamburgers in the quality of meat. That definitely came into play with the Boogie Monster. And the other ingredients — the egg, bacon, and pastrami — all added to the flavor of the burger, rather than mask it. To me, spices and ingredients should enhance the flavor of food, not hide it. And while it seems pretentious to elevate a hamburger to gourmet status, I think this is something that Mark and Erin and the Boogie Burger crew have managed to do.

You can keep your $15 Kobe beef gourmet burgers that are barely as big as their hand-made, stone ground organic buns. And you can keep your “a burger is a burger” attitude. For my money, the Boogie Monster is going to be one of the best hamburgers you’re going to stick in your mouth in years.

Boogie Burger is at 1904 E. Broad Ripple, Indianapolis, IN 46220.

Check out the video below (or click here if you’re reading this on a mobile device or in a feed reader) to see a short video of the Boogie Burger and watch Jeremy attempt the Boogie Monster.

Have you tried out the Boogie Burger at Boogie Monster? Is it one of your favorites? If so, vote for it in our Super 46 Sandwiches Playoffs. You can find out more about the Boogie Monster or the other 45 sandwiches at Super46.com.

Find out more information about Super 46 Sandwiches, including pictures of each sandwich and details about each of the restaurants at Super46.com. Super 46 Sandwiches is brought to you by the Indiana Office of Tourism Development and the Publishers of Indianapolis Monthly Magazine.