Hold on to your butts as we get a hot and heavy case of the meat sweats!
I decided to go all out! I am trying 5 restaurants, multiple burgers at each spot. Burg Awards at the end!
1) East Coast Bistro
As always ECB offers classic flavours, elevated. Burger week offerings included a spin on a Big Mac and a buffalo chicken sandwich. Both were delicious. The Big Mac stand-in was juicy with an almost perfect replica of the big mac sauce. The chicken was crispy/crunchy, and the buffalo sauce was had a subtle kick and full flavour.
If you like great, classic food then ECB is your stop for burger week. This isn't earth-shattering creativity though. BUT! ECB offers a dessert burger every year and it always sets them apart. A chocolate patty, white chocolate "cheese", kiwi pickles, strawberry "ketchup", mango "mustard", and kiwi pickles.
Drinks: ECB offers beer pairings for each of their burgers. However, I think beer tastes like butts so we had a Bourbon Sweet Tea and an Aperol Spritz 2) Cask and Kettle
I was excited when I saw that C&K was offering 6 burgers. However, 4 of them were from the regular menu so I settled for the Like Skywhopper and the El Nacho Libre.
The Skywhopper included swiss cheese, back bacon, crispy wontons, sweet Thai chilli sauce, and whatever Endor Aioli is. This was good, but mainly just tasted like a regular burger, done very well. The crunch of the wontons was nice. The subtle sweetness of the chilli sauce was interesting. This was ok The El Nacho Libre was the star The chorizo patty was lightly spicy and juicy, and the cheese sauce was an excellent change from the standard melted cheese slices. Definitely a strong contender. Italian by Night
Leading up to Friday the Oozy Boozy Cheese Burger (Angus ground beef, pretzel bun, cheddar, IBN bourbon bacon marmalade, IBN onion Frites, Dijon aioli, butter lettuce served with crispy fries and IBN ketchup) was getting a lot of love online. It was very good. it was all the classic burger flavours done right. Then I tried the lamb burger.
The Ultimate Lamb Burger had Local Ground Lamb, Brioche Bun, Creamy Chevre Spread, IbN Green Tomato Relish, Crispy Bacon, Grilled Red Onion, and Butter Lettuce. The chevre is what really made this pop. The tang of the spread really cut through the richness of everything else. well balanced, and fun while still being everything you expect from a burger.
Bonus: best fries of the week!
Decimal 81
1) The cheese Burger: At first bite, this was tasting like a very good classic burger, like many from burger week have been. Then I took a second bite. This was my first mouthful of the truffle aioli that this was slathered in. Truffle is one of my favourite flavours, its earthy, and deep, and overpowering in the best way. This may not have been the best burg of the week, but it was definitely the best sauce. 2) The chipotle buttermilk chicken burger: Crispy and juicy with a little heat. It was interesting to compare this to ECBs chicken burger. They were very similar but the differences between the batter were fun. Where ECB had a full-bodied crunch Decimal81 was more tender. Good burg
Bonus: They let us upgrade our sides! I am not a fan of fries so the beet salad and french onion soup were a welcome change. Both were also delicious in their own right, especially the soup.
Port City Royal
1) Korean Chicken Burg: Another crunchy chicken burg, this time it was tossed in a decadent sweet and spicy Korean sauce it is hard to describe beyond that. It was exactly as advertised and the heat was subtle.
2) Cheeseburger Ramen: OOOOOOOOOH BABY. I love ramen. I love burgers. I love cheese sauce. I love chicken fried crunchiness. This was superb, splendid, sublime. As a former student of mine would say "It was scrumdiddly". I wanted it in and around my mouth for hours... but it did not last long. A chicken-fried beef patty submerged with noodles in an american cheese broth, cured egg and burger fixin's made in house. Of all the items from his week, this one deserves to be on a regular menu.
3) Pho Burger: If you like cilantro and occasional kicks of heat from chillis then this would have been your jam. I will be honest, I am not a cilantro fan so my opinion is not trustworthy here. Patty was juicy, the spices were tasty. The bean sprouts crisp.
4) Marjories Brunch Burger: Another strong contender! Peameal crusted pork tenderloin and a fried egg! The kicked was the hollandaise, it was a mustard hollandaise. I would drink mustard with dinner.
Awards
Best Classic Beef Burg: I have to give this one to Decimal 81s Cheeseburger. The truffle Aioli was the difference maker
Most Creative: Port City Royals Cheeseburger Ramen. Nothing came close. Technically not a burger though, which some of you nerds may care about.
Best non-beef Burg: This was by far the hardest category because the best burgs were here. I give this one a two-way tie. Italian by Nights Lamb Burger was unreal, and the mustard hollandaise on Port City Royals Brunch Burger was to die for.
Best Fries: Italian by Night and it wasn't even close
Best non-fry side: Decimal 81s French Onion Soup. (this is probably unfair since it was from the regular menu and we chose it) Best Full Meal: Another Tie. East Coast Bistro offered drink pairings with each burger, and they had a dessert burger which was fun and delicious. Port City royal had many unique options and offered a dessert drink, a sherry mudslide, that was decadent and amazing. I can not wait for the next UptownSJ food event!
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