<<< SUNDAY, MARCH 23 GAMES ARE CLOSED >>>

Sixty-four South Sound burger joints were selected and seeded by readers throughout February for the Tournament of Burgers, which is now four days into the competition. Brackets don refrigerators, break rooms, restaurant hallways and birdcages. Birthday parties have been moved to burger restaurants. Everyone is discussing patty thickness and lettuce varieties. It's crazy fun.

Yesterday's Results

Game 1: DeLong's Deluxe vs. Blazing Onion

Lakewood burger house DeLong's Deluxe sticks to a formula: good seasoning, perfect cooking and good meat. Delong's burgers are fundamentally simple and textbook perfect, whether it's a Fair Burger, Old Fashioned or DeLong's Cowboy Burger. It's just like what you could make at home, only much, much better. Lakewood doesn't mind standing outside, listening to amplified tunes while waiting for DeLong's Deliciousness. Blazing Onion came out blazing with its gourmet burgers, but at the buzzer, lost by 45 votes. DeLong's Deluxe moves into the Second Round to face Maxwell's March 29.

Game 2: Maxwell's Restaurant & Lounge vs. Famous Dave's

Maxwell's Restaurant and Lounge grabbed 86 percent of the votes over Famous Dave's. Maxwell's take on this classic tops the burger charts with an unconventional potato bun, grilled onion aioli and a patty that stays plenty juicy - a boon for both the sweetness and sturdiness of those buns and the sharpness of white cheddar. High quality arugula and tomato come standard if you swing that way, but the aioli alone does a great job of highlighting the meat. Famous Dave's might have antlers on the wall and fast take-out, but it apparently doesn't have a burger that can compete with Maxwell's A game.

Game 3: Asado vs. O'Malleys Irish Pub

Argentine-inspired steaks, seafood and an in-house ground sirloin and chorizo burger with fried provolone and Serrano ham surrounded by sunset colors, an open kitchen and toasty fireplace. That's a winning combination, at least according to the vote totals in the Tournament of Burgers. Asado put the hurt on O'Malley's Irish Pub with 71 percent of the votes. Number one seed Asado moves into the Second Round to battle with Marrow March 29. No hocus pocus, just focus on Sixth Avenue that day.

Game 4: Marrow Kitchen + Bar vs. King Solomon's Reef

Finally, in yesterday's closest battle, Marrow edged out Olympia's King Solomon's Reef with 53 percent of the votes. This one was surprisingly close. Dubbed "The Best Diner in the Galaxy," The Reef has a solid lineup of burgers, including the popular double meet, double cheese Liberty Burger. Holding the day's trend, fancy won again. Marrow's artisan cheese Beecher's Marco Polo probably sealed the deal. Marco! Polo!

Let's weed through the condiments. The following are advancing to the Second Round:

• Delong's Deluxe
• Maxwell's restaurant
• Asado
• Marrow Kitchen + Bar

The daily burger battles on Walkie Talkie are sponsored by Ricky J's Restaurant and Lounge in Puyallup.

OK, let's dive into today's First Round burger battles. Vote for one burger joint per game. Voting for today's burger battles ends at 11:45 p.m.