Tasting the Stores' Selections

New twists on the classic American burger are turning up in the meat cases of some upscale supermarkets. We wondered how the popular time savers compare, so we called in experts from Clyde's Restaurant Group, which has been turning out burgers in the Washington area for more than 40 years. Our tasting panel -- Tom Meyer, executive vice president; John Guattery, corporate chef; and J. Scott Webster, executive chef at Clyde's in Tysons Corner, where the tasting took place -- found that even burgers with the same fillings don't necessarily taste alike. The burgers we tested ranged from 5 1/3 to 8 ounces each, and all were cooked on the griddle. Unless stated otherwise, the burgers were made of beef.

Store and type of burger // Cost per pound // Comments

TASTY

Balducci's Cheddar Bacon // $6.99 // Flavorful. Good texture. Cheddar squirts out of it. Best part: Bacon is smoky.

Balducci's Blue Cheese // 6.99 // "Best of the blues." Parsley adds freshness.

Wegmans Bacon and Cheddar // 3.99 // Great flavor. Bacon and cheddar are distinct. Cheddar gets crusty on griddle.

NEXT BEST

Balducci's Mushroom Swiss // 6.99 // Swiss forms a crust. Could use more mushrooms.

Wegmans Greek Poultry Patty (turkey and chicken) // 3.99 // Unusual. Less a burger than a gyro. Put it on pita bread with yogurt sauce and tomato.

Whole Foods Cheddar Horseradish // 5.99 // Just the right amount of horseradish. "Mustard would take it over the top."

FAIR

Wegmans Blue Cheese // 3.99 // Beef holds up to blue cheese.