The last time I went to Rio, my friends told me about a new place specializing in hamburgers. Well, because I live in the United States, I didn’t pay much attention to it. Then I went out for dinner on an early Sunday evening, and guess where my friends suggested we go?
Yep. And so I tasted the TT Burger, Thomas Troisgros imported version of the most iconic American food. I thought to my self: wait a moment, this is serious burger business here, worthy of our adulation. I see Danny Meyer’s Shake Shack as a source of inspiration for Thomas’s motivation.
You can see the simplicity of the menu, the inspiration in the concept, and the beauty of a very successful business.
If it works in the US, why not in Brazil?
Thomas Troisgros, son of legendary chef Claude Troisgros founded his first TT burger at Arpoador, a neighborhood that links Ipanema and Leblon, in partnership with the Reserva group. In just a few months, the place is already a gastronomic reference in the city.
Every where else in Rio the burger is in disarray. But at TT Burger, I have experienced novelty. Thomas has captured every element of the hamburger capability and adapted into his own taste, with a few Brazilian twists, of course.
The meat. The cheese (he uses queijo meia cura). The toppings. The ketchup (is really a guava bbq sauce), even the bun. Yes, at TT burger the bun is made from potatoes and comes directly from favela Complexo do Alemão.
The presentation is fun and whimsical. Where else can you find a paper bag that says “Guardador de Hamburgers” or “Burger keeper”?
Let’s talk some more about that guava BBQ sauce, because it puts to shame the other “secret sauces”, which tend to be more like orange goo. This umami sauce tastes like a purer, fresher, tangier version of the tradition ketchup, and it feels like it was created just to marry a burger. It really is a perfect match! Though you can buy it, and find many different ways of using it. It’s one of those recipes with such great potential for industrial commercialization.
Your fries may come in strings or chips.
You may also try the milk shake in flavors of nutella, guava and dulce de leche with sea salt.
The chain is growing fast, and here the focus is on flavor. It’s clear that he has looked into the heart of the burger and is bringing the best of America folklore cuisine to Rio, with a touch of Brazil, and a lot of creativity in the process. I can’t wait to see and celebrate the path it takes: this place is set for success.
