Each year, the Washington Post polls readers, industry insiders and fellow Washington Post staffers to find the area’s most essential dishes, to be featured in their annual 40 Eats issue. To land a spot on the list, each nomination has to pass a taste test. Then it is pitted against other contenders as they curate a selection that could cater to meat-eaters and vegetarians, sweets lovers and fried-food fans, suburban dwellers and urbanites without cars.
This year, Melt Gourmet Cheeseburger made the list for the most essential Cheeseburger in the D.C. area! The Washington Post writes:
“Is there such a thing as a destination hamburger? If so, it’s found at Melt Gourmet Cheeseburger in Leesburg, a solid hour’s drive northwest of Washington. The standard cheeseburger here is a statuesque beauty, a half-pound patty formed with an Angus blend of short rib, brisket, chuck and other trimmings. Tucked inside a house-made sourdough bun, the patty comes draped with a melted, semi-translucent blanket of American cheese, as surreal as a Dalí painting. One bite, and the burger drips its juices all over the place, suggesting that Melt not only knows how to buy and hand-form good ground beef, but also how to grill it.”
