The golf courses have it! Hamburgers at Arroyo Grille and Silver Spur Grill tied for first among readers.
Readers thought Merry Grace's photo of a military homecoming was the best of 2015.
Readers thought Merry Grace’s photo of a military homecoming was the best of 2015.

Two military service members sharing a homecoming kiss at The Lakes at Rancho El Dorado drew the most votes from our online readers in our Best InMaricopa contest for the best photo in Maricopa in 2015. There was also a tie for first in the best burger contest.

Merry Grace was the winning photographer, capturing the couple on the lakeshore near the Global Water offices. One was home on leave while the other was heading off to training.

“This was their moment to capture, and she wanted photos,” Grace said. “So we took quite a few photos, and that just happened to be my favorite one.”

Many Maricopa restaurants serve up great burgers, and InMaricopa’s contest got heated in the final days and came down to a faceoff. In the end, two burgers tied for first place. By coincidence, both are grilled at golf courses.

The Arroyo Burger at the Arroyo Grille at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes scored the same number of votes as the burger at the Silver Spur Grill at The Duke at Rancho El Dorado.

“The Arroyo Burger is one of our signature burgers here at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes,” Chef Neil Magbanua said. “We wanted to come up with a burger that ties us to the Ak-Chin community and showcased our signature fresh-never-frozen Angus burger patty, using the combination of fresh shredded iceberg lettuce, avocado, tomato, and our green chili aioli while using a frybread bun. Therefore the Arroyo burger was born.”

Susan Miller, who manages Silver Spur, said it feels good to have public acknowledgement of their burgers.

“My kitchen manager would say it’s because they’re made with love,” she said. “We use really high-quality beef on a fresh bun or ciabatta bread.”

For Maricopa, March means salsa. The Salsa Festival is March 19, but you can vote now for the local restaurant with the best salsa. Visit InMaricopa.com/Contests and pick your favorite by March 28. You can also nominate the eatery that serves the best shake in town.

This article ran in the March issue of InMaricopa News.

 

 

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