海角大神

Loved then shunned, mini burgers are returning to national-chain menus. This could be the result of record high beef prices or just of the cyclicality of food trends, but the small sweethearts of 2009-10 are back on national-chain menus.

Burger King pioneered the trend in early 2009 with its Burger Shots. Steak 鈥榥 Shake countered with Steakburger Shots (renamed Shooters after a legal dispute) and Jack in the Box introduced Mini Sirloin Burgers. Johnny Rockets, Farmer Boys and others jumped in before the fad exhausted itself. In 2011, Jack in the Box retired its minis, leaving the menu field open to chains鈥� next big thing: patty melts. Most recently, mini burgers have been disguised as $1 value-menu burgers.

But true mini burgers or sliders are coming back at national brands:

• Casual-dining chain聽Ruby Tuesday聽added mini burgers in 2009 as part of its ill-fated attempt to upscale its brand image. Now four 鈥淢ini Masterpieces鈥� are back, with all the latest flavor clich茅s: Classic Cheese with Bacon; Turkey & Swiss; Philly Cheesesteak; an Buffalo Chicken with Blue Cheese.
• At casual dining鈥檚聽Bar Louie, Beef Brisket Sliders are among the latest limited-time items. These combine sliced beef brisket, peach moonshine barbecue sauce and grilled pear slaw.
• T.G.I. Friday's聽has launched its 鈥淗andcrafted America Tour鈥� promotion, a multi-city tour by two food sampling trucks showcasing the chain鈥檚 latest menu. The trucks serve slider versions of its All-American Burger.
• 聽Even聽Taco Bell聽is embracing mini nostalgia:聽聽reports the chain is testing a $1 Crunchwrap Slider in three styles (Beefy Cheddar, BBQ Chipotle Chicken and BLT).
• 聽PYT, the Philadelphia burger joint that delights in crazy burger builds (you may recall its recent Fried Chicken & Beer Burger, which included fried wontons filled with Pabst Blue聽Ribbon beer) has a mini again. Its Chicken Bacon Eggo Sliders are fried chicken mini burgers with chipotle-maple sauce, applewood-smoked bacon and maple-brushed Mini Eggo toaster waffles as buns.
• 聽DMK Burger Bar, one of Chicago鈥檚 oldest and best burger joints, has added a late-night menu with six mini grass-fed-beef burgers priced at two for $6. One is topped with chorizo, guacamole, Sonoma Jack cheese, chipotle a茂oli, cilantro and onions. Another has chili-rubbed onion stringss, Amish Blue cheese and spicy chipotle ketchup. At just-opened sibling聽DMK Burger & Fish聽in neighboring Evanston, Ill., the Monday special is Crabby Patty Sliders for $4.50.

This isn鈥檛 to say that mini burgers completely went away from some menus. They remain聽 core items for mini burgers鈥� co-founders, White Castle and Krystal. In fact, 82-year-old聽Krystal聽just introduced its biggest minis ever: the double-patty聽. At 93-year-old聽White Castle, coming soon are Sriracha Chicken Sliders.

Minis continue to be found at many small chains and independent burger bars. The New York City-based聽Bareburger聽chain鈥檚 menu offers three sliders for $9.95 and protein choices include beef, turkey, lamb, wild boar, elk or quinoa-veggie.聽Sliderbar, which opened in Palo Alto, Calif, at the height of the craze in early 2010, is still going strong, selling Niman Ranch beef minis for $3.50 and up. At聽Sliders Burgers and Belgian Fries聽in Syracuse, N.Y., another class of 2010 concept, 鈥渂uild your own sliders鈥� start at $2.09.

Farm Burger聽in Atlanta cooks up sliders on weekends at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Last weekend鈥檚 build: grass-fed beef, arugula, grilled strawberries and thyme-basil goat-cheese sauce.

During their exile from dining-room menus, sliders found work on bar menus. Now with the original burger-bar concept evolving into full-bar restaurants, sliders have been rediscovered as great shot accompaniments. 聽At聽Spears Bourbon Burgers Beer, which opened May 13 in Wheeling, Ill., the menu has not only full-size burgers but also a selection of sliders. At the Connecticut-based聽Plan B Burger Bar聽chain, where bourbons have a prominent role, $3 mini burgers (beef, chicken, veggie or turkey) are a happy-hour special.