I had been eyeing this recipe for a long time. Once I heard that this burger won the Burger Bash at the Food & Wine festival in New York this past month, I had to make it. This "hamburger" has since been part of a controversy- is it really a burger, or just a glorified patty melt? I can honestly say, along with my taste-tester, that we were a little doubtful about it, as well.

After indulging in not one, but TWO of these burgers- I succumb to this conclusion: call it what you want, it doesn't matter. This is an unbelievable, buttery and juicy burger/ sandwich/ patty melt. Who says a burger has to have a bun? I applaud Katie Lee Joel for thinking outside the box. I look forward to reviewing additional recipes from her cookbook, "The Comfort Table."

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of tidbits from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

• You may know the difference between spicy tuna and a hand roll, but do you know how to tell whether your sushi is sustainable or not? Check out this quiz to learn how!
• Looking for a quick recipe for dinner? How about this gorgeous and seasonal Chicken with Pear and Leek Sauce.
• Katie Lee Joel answers back to the critics who say that her Burger Bash winning burger isn't actually a burger at all, but instead is a patty melt.
• Domino's Pizza has recently entered the world of submarine sandwiches. The YumSugar team got their hands on one and took if for a whirl.
• We're used to incorporating grated carrot and zucchini in baked goods, but have you ever thought about stirring in some shredded beet?
• Being a restaurant critic is dangerous business!
• Looking for a spooky/scary Halloween dessert? How about swirl-topped spiderweb cheesecake!

We closely followed Bravo's culinary reality show Top Chef all through its first season earlier this year, and when we heard that Katie Lee Joel would not be back to host the upcoming season, we were quite sad. Just kidding. We couldn't wait to see who they brought in as a replacement.

The new host is Padma Lakshmi, an Indian supermodel, actress and fashion writer, as well as the author of two cookbooks (one is still pending release) and host of a now-defunct show on the Food Network. She has more presence and perhaps more culinary experience than Katie Lee, but hopefully she will prove to be a bit more expressive in her delivery of her lines.

The new season is already filming and it is set in Los Angeles, as opposed to San Francisco. The episodes are scheduled to begin airing in October of this year.

According to the Defamer, Katie Lee Joel (pictured here with husband Billy Joel) will not be returning to host season 2 of Bravo's Top Chef. "According to a well-placed insider, Joel will 'not be returning' to the show. No reason for her departure was cited."

I think that fans of the show can guess as to at least some of the things that contributed to her departure. Sure, she was cute, but her delivery of each of her lines was mechanical, at best. The East End Girl may have had some respectable credentials, but all critics saw was her cocktail dresses, and Katie didn't give viewers many reasons to look beyond her appearance. With such a vibrant group of competitors, a more charasmatic host would have brought a little more to the table.

Since we're already looking forward to seeing the next group of aspiring top chefs compete, who do you want to see hosting it? Should it be a food personality? A chef?

[Thanks for the tip, Erica]