PDX burgers: Killer Burger

i haven't been slacking on going out to eat, but somehow my eating adventures haven't led me by way of burgers recently. i finally was able to check one of the old list @ Killer Burger this past weekend. against all instincts i went with the peanut butter/bacon/pickle burger after hearing killer reviews about it. and it was exactly as described...something that shouldn't taste good, but tastes shockingly delicious. the PB & bacon were a perfect sweet pairing (who knew?), and the pickle was the perfect counter balance to that. 

K & I split that and the Jose Mendoza, which was bacon, roasted green chilies, monte jack, smokey house sauce, grilled onion, and pickle. this was also divine, although toward the end it tasted a little bit yellow mustardy to me (not sure if it was just the pickle or the sauce) so i didn't finish it. that's no knock on the burger though, just a personal preference against evil, evil yellow mustard.


all in all, the burgers were great, but definitely more of a toppings place than a "purist" place... burgers are not cooked to order, rolls are not homemade, but it's still all good. if you're in the mood for a mouth party burger, this is a solid go-to. 

PDX burgers: Grain & Gristle

my most recent burger in the PDX burger collection. i had Grain & Gristle on my (too long) must-try hit list, and was in the area during what was a 30-ish mile bike ride, so needless to say i was beyond hangry by the time i got there. this burger was like an angel fell down from heaven and right into my face. i honestly ate it too quickly to pay attention to what made it SO great, i just know it was juicy and  salty and the bacon was perfectly sweet, and the cheddar cheese was shockingly gooey and drippy and one of the best melty-cheddars i've had on a burger. it was PERFECT for what i needed. 

PDX burgers: Slow Bar

i had to make the difficult decision last week of where my birthday burger would be -- there are 1000 PDX burgers on my hit list, but Slow Bar took the cake. i've had way too many people recommend it, and seen it pop up on so many burger best-of lists here, so it seemed inappropriate to live in Portland over a year and not try it. 

the burger was a 1/2 pound beast -- columbia river reserve beef, gruyere, onion rings, butter lettuce (mmm the best burger lettuce), pickle relish and aioli. i had to take an onion ring off cuz the burger was so dang tall i could barely eat it. it was nicely seasoned and insanely juicy -- i tilted the burger vertically the entire time i ate i so it held all the juice in, kind of like a little burger cup. that sounds gross, but it might be one of the better burger tricks i've learned in some time. each bite turned into a juicy burgery mouth party, and i saved a bit of the bun from becoming overrun with dat meat juice.

the pickle relish was a little bit of a distraction at times (i'm not a big pickle-person), and that was really the only mild flaw i could find (which isn't even so much of a flaw as it just is a personal preference). that said, overall all of the flavors in the toppings were really, really well balanced. the onion rings and fries were perfectly crisp and light even though i know they were unhealthy as hell. i ended up eating 4893840238003 fries more than i should have because they, as well as the aioli, were just so damn tasty. Slow Bar, i get it. i will be going back. 8/10. 

and - bonus - the cocktail list is amazing, and delightful as well! 

PDX Burgers: Dick's Kitchen & All-Way Burgers

belated burger postings -- Dick's Kitchen i had walked past a bazillion times, not knowing that it was one of the better-recommended burger joints in our hood. they have a fair amount of burgers on the menu, with a weekly rotation of guest specialty or game burgers. we split a classic bacon cheese burger and a french onion cheese burger - thinly slicked onions smashed into the patty and topped with melted swiss. juicy, well seasoned, good toppings, great fries, all in all a will-go-back review.

All-Way Burgers i hadn't heard of until my hubby surprised me with a random burger night out. it's resembles an old-timely diner, tucked in an upstairs space, and sticks to most of the classics - burgers, fries, onion rings, shakes. i ordered a classic bacon  cheeseburger as my first test... and damn. the burgers are fast-food style thin, but somehow offer a ton of flavor, with super-creamy american cheese, thick bacon, and a superbly-soft bun. many reviews are comparing All-Way to  In-N-Out, but outside of the premise of sticking to fresh, stand-out quality ingredients on fast-food style burgers, the overall character and flavor stands out a hell of a lot more with the All-Way burgers IMO.

PDX burgers: Deschutes Brewery

we stopped into Deschutes last week for din - i hadn't been since my apartment-hunting trip out here last year where i had some legit thai spiced wings, so it was about time for a 2nd visit. 

i ordered the elk burger since that was one varietal of animal i have yet to have in patty form -- Durham Ranch elk, gruyere, roasted shallot & thyme mayo, and field greens on a brioche bun. for being a VERY lean/dense type of meat, it still had a fair amount of juice to it, although it seemed to be under seasoned - the meat itself had a good taste to it, but could definitely use a little salt/pepper to make it pop - it was meat and meat alone that you could taste. the toppings were good but also mild, so nothing in it screamed out at me. grade "OK", but with room for improvement (if i can be an uber-picky biatch).  

the wings were spicy, sweet, and lovely, and the curry fries with yogurt sauce dip-dip were on point. just one lil miss in an otherwise good visit. 

PDX burgers: Lardo & Davis Street Tavern

last night we decided to check a burger off the list and finally check out Lardo. since we were heading into a movie and didn't want to be over-stuffed we split one burger (double burger, but eeh we tried). i was served on an everything roll (yay!), made with cascade natural beef, porkstrami (i still don't know what this is, but it looked and tasted like bacon and i just know i loved it), cheddar, shredded lettuce, and lardo sauce. the patties were very loosely packed -- i felt like the burgers would be on the verge of falling apart if you manhandled them too much. they just kind of swam around in a sea of delicious burger juice, with a boat of bacony porkstrami and and intensely buttery/creamy combination of cheddar and lardo sauce (whatever that might be) all up on it.

this was one of those burgers that pleasantly surprised me in that, even though i've eaten 12083098023 burgers in my day, it tasted like none of the burgers that i've had before. and i couldn't place why. there was a buttery flavor to the burger i couldn't place (maybe in the sauce? maybe the bun), and other flavors just popping out of the ying yang - even the sesame/poppy seeds were chiming in. it's exactly what i love about burgering - they are SO incredibly simple in theory, but SO hard to pull off well, and can still just knock off your socks with new flavors - even when you're still dealing with the same 5 core ingredients (beef, cheese, bun, lettuce/tomato, sauce). i think i'm still on my Lardo burger high from this! (also - the jalapeno hush puppies with honey butter are a DOPE side) 9/10.

Maui eats

Maui. fish tacos. pineapples. spam. kalua pork. fish. tacos. mas pork. while our first Sunday in paradise was spent watching football (boo team), i dotted up our map with every single taco/burger/shave ice/delish whatever location i had on my little HI hit list, including the recommended meal from each. since we ended up stomping all over the island, it was pretty clutch whenever we needed to make a little food break. when we're traveling, i usually end up missing half of the places i want to try since i don't realize i'm in the area until it's way too late - HOW i have never made a foodie map before now is beyond me. definitely no going back. 

Cool Cat Cafe, voted best burger in Maui 11 years running, and the location of where we celebrated National Cheeseburger Day. the September "burger of the month" was glazed ith homemade teriyaki sauce, topped with grilled onion & pineapple, melted cheddar jack cheese, shredded cabbage and kimchi, a lil of mayo all on a locally baked potato bun. i felt like fat rolly polly after this, but my god it was so much fun to take this messy beast. 

Stillwell's Bakery & Cafe - Spam, egg, cheese, tomato, touch of hot sauce on a fresh made croissant. so simple, so delish. after experiencing this delight we were so impressed by the wonders of the wonder meat we bought a can of Spam to grill up with breakfast for the rest of the week. day 1 Spam, delicious, day 2 & 3... not as good. but it's memory lives on through our memory of this beloved breakfast sandwich. 

Aloha Mixed Plate - why would we come here and NOT order the mixed plate from the menu. shoyu chicken, fresh fish, teriyaki beef, rice, macaroni salad. i don't usually eat macaroni salad (not a fan or cold pasta or macaroni salads really), but something in the slight vinegar sweetness just worked for me here. it was very simple, instead of what usually looks like a giant pile of macaroni mayo mush.






we split the mixed plate with coconut prawns which were actually of my favorite things we ate on the whole trip...and says a lot considering i don't really enjoy prawns or coconut a whole lot. sweet, toasty, crunchy delights. yum.





Hula Barefoot Grill - beer-battered mahi mahi (no pic), with kalua pig & maui onion pot stickers. 

P-D-X! BURGERS

so finding the perfect burger in Albany, NY was a big quest, but one i felt i could reasonably conquer - there were a ton of restaurants we wanted to try, but, they were (for the most part) all achievable in the 5-6 years we were going to be staying there. i had a few left on my list when we moved away, but i felt good - damn good, that i have had albany's finest, and crushed all its burger scene had to offer.

then came the move to Portland. love the city, excited about the city, but SO MANY FOOD OPTIONS that it is/was damn near overwhelming. within a few block radius there are probably 5-10 restaurants/trucks i'd really want to try - throw a stone, pop into a place, odds are you're probably going to leave happy.  with that, i regret to say it took me this long, all of 9 months, to finally pull together my consolidated burger recommendation hit list / research. no more!

as of 9/28/14, i'm starting my list. i have no doubt the list will be ever-evolving since places are constantly popping up, but you've gotta start somewhere, gotta burger somehow. 

all the places with a star are the places i've tried; places in bold are my next targets, for personal reference : ) 

Acropolis (NSFW) - SE Portland 
*All-Way Burgers - SW Portland (8 / 10)
The Angry Unicorn - SE Portland
Ate-Oh-Ate - NE Portland
Bamboo Sushi - NW Portland 
Bar Bar - NE Portland
Biwa - SE Portland
*Boise Fry Company - NW Portland (6.5 / 10)
*Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries - Jantzen Beach Portland (6 / 10) 
Brunchbox - NW Portland 
*Burgerville - NE Portland (7 / 10)
*The Canyon Grill - Beaverton (6 / 10) 
*Carl's Jr - Literally Everywhere, OR (3 / 10) 
Clarklewis - Central Eastside Portland
*Davis Street Tavern - NW Portland (7 / 10)
*Deschutes Brewery - NW Portland (5.5/10)
*Dick's Kitchen - NW Portland (7.5 / 10)
*Doug Fir Lounge - NE Portland (7 / 10)
Ecliptic Brewing - North Portland 
Foster Burger - SE Portland
*Grain and Gristle - NE Portland (7.75 / 10)
*Gruner - NW Portland (9.5 / 10) 
Helvetia Tavern - Hillsboro
Humdinger Drive In - SW Portland
*Joe's Burgers - NW Portland (6.5 / 10) 
*Killer Burger - NW Portland (7 / 10) 
*Lardo - NW Portland (9 / 10)
*Little Big Burger - NW Portland (10 / 10) 
The Local Cow - Gresham, OR
*Lumberyard Rotisserie & Grill- Cannon Beach, OR (6.5 / 10)
The Old Gold - NE Portland
The Original - NW Portland 
The Original Wow! Burger - NE Portland 
Paley's Place - NW Portland
PDX Sliders - SE Portland/Sellwood 
Red Star Tavern - NW Portland
Rock House Grill - Cartlandia, SE Portland
Skyline Restaurant - NW Portland
*Slow Bar- NE Portland (8 / 10)
Slowburger - NE Portland
Stanich's - NE Portland
Tabor Tavern - East Portland
*Tasty and Alder - NW Portland (9.5 / 10) 
*Tilt - NW Portland (9 / 10)
Toro Bravo - NE Portland 
Trifecta Tavern & Bakery - SE Industrial, Portland (Pimento Cheese)
Yakuza - NW Portland

recipe: cheeseburger dumplings

these dumplings are pretty much the best damn thing i have made in my kitchen in... .... ... as long as i can remember. i've been on a big dumpling kick, with bags and bags of em in my freezer. after getting a little inebriated a few weeks back, i was struck with dreams of homemade cheeseburger dumplings, turkey cranberry dumplings, philly cheese, sausage & pepper dumplings, oreo cheesecake dumplings... the list goes on. i literally have a list on my phone of about 15 different dumplings that are haunting my dreams to this day.

first at bat in the kitchen was the cheeseburger variety, since i had a little burger meat in the freezer just begging for a good time. and cuz you know, cheeseburgers. after they were assembled (which was not too bad at all, no where near my scratch-made pierogi fiasco ), i fried a few up and threw the rest in the freezer. they were SO damn good. like amazingly delicious. like i can't wait to make about 50000 more dumplings. like when i open my slider and tini bar, it might just become a slider-dumpling-tini bar because i can't love them any harder. aaah. don't steal my idea. (c) 2014 that's my jam.

we served them with a little diy fry sauce (half ketchup, half mayo, touch of Sriracha), which seemed to be the just-right little fix for this asia-merican fusion delight.

ingredient list: (makes about 36 dumplings)
- 1/3 lb (roughly) lean ground beef
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1/2 cup red onion
- 2 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp Worchestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 green onion
- salt & pepper to taste
- 30 (or so) gyoza / dumpling wrappers
- 3 tbsps vegetable or canola oil, divided
- 1 & 1/2 cups water, divided

misc PDX burgers

i still have yet to make my official hit list of Portland burger targets... one being lack of time, two being the overwhelming amount of good burgers in this city. the perfect burger quest is much larger here than it was in good old Albany. this past week i decided to stop being intimidated, refocus, and get all over it. no more random burgers - i need burgers with a purpose. a few misc randoms from the last month or so:

1 ) Boise Fry Company. This little gem opened down the street, with a focus all on fries, and burgers on the side. contrary to everything i believe in, but i love the concept. they have several different types of potatoes, served unseasoned but with your choice of a ton of different salts and fry sauces. we had the purple potatoes, and i ordered a buffalo burger with lettuce, tomato, red onion gastrique and garlic aioli. it wasn't an uber-juicy drippy meatfest since it was buffalo, but it was still a tasty little nosh. i'd definitely go back again.

 2) Doug Fir Lounge. Portland Burger week. imagine my surprise when i heard of this magnificent week. a slew of great PDX restaurants (20 in total?), all offering their most creative little burgery creation for a mere $5. heaven. we hit up Doug Fir Lounge (which i wanted to try regardless, #burgerfates), which featured a 6oz hand-formed Wagyu patty, candied bacon, mozzarella cheese, smoked and candied jalapeño aioli, shredded iceberg lettuce, all on a Portland French Bakery bun. so good. my only complaint was that the bun was a bit too bready for the burger and drowned it out a bit... i think it was designed for their regular sized burger. picky yes, but i hate when i have more bready edge than i have burger, stresses me out trying to reposition my patty & such. pure drama. net/net: drop the bun down a notch, let the burger & fixins shine, and my gawed great burger. jalapeno artichoke dip and thai spice tots were AMAZING on the side. 

3) Burgerville. we needed something quick, and -thought- that infamous wala wala onion season had kicked off at Burgerville... seemed like a perfect time for some onion rings and to officially hit up their burger. we initially scoffed at "burgerville" since we're ~sorta~ leaning in the burger snob direction unfortunately, and assumed a cliche sounding burger chain just couldn't be good, BUT the more and more good reviews we heard, the more we were intrigued. at that, i had no expectations going in, but was pleasantly surprised with the experience. first by the fact walla walla onion rings didn't start until the following day (booo!), but second by the fact that they offered a mighty respectable burger for a fast food joint. it was very clean - similar to In & Out (which i liked, but do not obsess over my any means) - it's just a straight up burger. it felt healthy, even though i'm sure it was not. burgerville can hold its own - well above Jack in the Box & Carl's Jr., i'd take b-ville over them any day hands down. the day i have to make a decision between b-ville and my BK bacon double cheese burger though... that will be a mighty fight. 

misc PDX burgers II: Boardwalk Fresh Burgers & Fries; Tasty & Alder

another day, another burger. Boardwalk Fresh is a very cute little chain tucked away into a corner of the Jantzen Beach plaza. their menu is simple - burgers, fries, dogs, chicken & shakes. i hadn't checked any reviews prior to popping into the location, but by all appearances i was first struck by the adorableness of my perfectly plated little burger. it was juicy, had very fresh toppings, and a good old time. while it was tasty, the meat didn't pack a TON of meaty, seasoned kick to it. my only complaint was that the bun, albeit fresh, was just too dense and bready for my taste - it was a bit disproportional to the burger. would i have it again? yes. am i just being a picky pants? yes. would i order their fries again? yes yes yes - those stood out from among many a fry - they have that fresh cut thang down to a science. and amazing taste in honey mustard.

Tasty & Alder had been on our hit list for a while - it always

pops up in PDX reviews. they had a fun, varied menu, and i was almost disappointed to see they had a burger - as soon as i see that and i have good faith in a restaurant, it's almost impossible for me NOT to try it. even if i'm craving lamb. or short ribs. their burger is served with Cascade beef, chabut cheese, hazelnut romesco, and a big hunk of perfectly cooked bacon. the meat was cooked perfectly medium rare, juicy, well seasoned; cheese was balanced and thick enough to stand up against the burger & bacon; bacon was sweet, salty and to die for; and the bun was so bakery soft and perfectly proportioned - and substantial enough to catch all the juices from the burger. here is where we're assholes. every part of the burger was just right, pretty much perfect - too perfect. there wasn't one thing that jumped out and smacked us in the face because it was insanely over the top. every element almost cancelled out the rest. and yes we are jerks for turning up our noses in the face of a delicious burger. we remember it as perfect, wouldn't change a thing, but if i were to name my top 5-10 burgers, it may/may not hit the list. does that make sense? no not at all. do they have an amazing burger? absolutely. is this the least helpful review ever? yes probably.  

misc PDX burgers: Joe's Burgers & Carl's Jr.

marketing 101: there's nothing like a really good sign to get your place noticed. we had passed by Joe's Burgers lot in downtown PDX, and always felt compelled to try them just for the solid, compelling, classic, stand-up sign outside the place. based on the striking signage alone, we expected a large, formal-ish burger spot, but when we finally popped in for a taste we found a small counter-service fast-food style joint. the menu is simple but features all the classics (just a few varieties of burger, hand-spun milkshakes, dogs), all seeming to be focused on stand up ingredients.

the burgers look just like a quintessential simple burger... no fuss. and the lil guys delivered - they had a lot of flavor. and killer sauce. and really good fries. what looked like plain old fast-food style burger was actually delightful... and good enough to get the "i'd totally go back" rating. 
****
Carl's Jr., at the other end of the spectrum. Carl's Jr. ads are all over town, declaring the wonder of their fresh-baked buns. we had to try em. the bun was... just a bun (honestly i think they probably just heat them up on site vs. bake them from scratch...they didn't seem like homemade buns. but anyway). i ordered the Western X-tra Bacon Thickburger.  the toppings had a lot of flavor... the 4 strips of bacon, the onion rings, the super-strong tasting slightly offensive BBQ sauce. which was good. because the burger patty itself had NO flavor at all. it was kinda in there just as filler, a small plate to hold the toppings. the hubby was equally unimpressed with his (and mind you, we're not fast food snobs... and not comparing this to a $15 fancy pants gourmet burger. it just sucked for fast food standards). i'd go back, but only to see  if the chicken nuggets are any good. meeeeep. 

PDX burgers: Tilt

yesterday afternoon we met up with friends for drinks and a lil nosh. i didn't know where we were going, but was pleasantly surprised to realize when we got there it was a place that was known for it's burgers, Tilt. major bonus. everything on the menu is "handcrafted", and everything on it sounds ridiculously good. crazy comfort food.

K & i split 2 burgers, one being the the Woody Royale: a fresh ground patty, beer batter onion rings, housemade bbq jalepeno slaw, hand-carved prime rib, honey smoked bacon, and cheddar on a house baked bun. YOWZA. this burger was the biggest mofo mouth party ever. the meat was cooked a really nice medium rare, had amazing flavor, but somehow you could completely and distinctly taste the well seasoned prime rib. all that salty meat just blended so well w/ the sweet bacon / slaw / bbq... holy cow. nothing was overpowering but everything had a ton of flavor. i love a good "fun topping" burger but usually it's either purist burger flavor OR fun toppings... when both are executed well together it's a delicious unicorn of events. 

PDX burgers: Grüner

this is officially the last burger post of my Portland backlog (so little time, so much burgering left to do). last night we were doing a little celebrating, and what better way to do it than to try my #1 PDX burger pick. i'd read about Grüner as a top Serious Eats Portland burger, as well as countless top 10 lists from the area. i can't believe i've been in town over a month and have held off trying it this long. 

this bad boy is made of grilled Cascade beef on a fresh baked poppy seed potato bun with house-cured bacon, fontina, aoili, and arugula. it also comes with b&b pickles and pickled red onions, but i left those off since i'm not a huge fan of "pickled things". this burger was EVERYTHING i wanted it to be. the beef had so much flavor to it, and was seared with perfect seasonings on the outside- just enough salt. it was so juicy it made a puddle of deliciousness on my plate... and since the fat was so good i was true glutton and just re-dipped my burger in the fatty meat juice on my plate. yes, that happened. the cheese & bacon melded well with all of it, and the squishy lil bun was a true warrior when it came to holding itself up against the meat juice typhoon oozing out of my burger. Grüner is considered a finer dining establishment, but if you burger there make sure you go with a crowd that you'll be comfortable getting elbow-deep in burger grease, with many teeny tiny poppy seeds stuck along the way. if they're not into burger sexy chic, leave them at home. 

PDX burgers: Lumberyard Rotisserie & Grill

so while this spot is technically not in Portland, it's within driving range so i'm throwing it under the PDX burger category. we decided to drive out to the Pacific coast one day to check out the area, and needed to try the best burger around (for strength, of course). we were in Cannon Beach (which is gorgeous and site of some film scenes from The Goonies if you're ever in the area), and The Lumberyard Rotisserie & Grill came up as the #1 contender.  

we ordered the EPIC Lumberyard Burger, which consists of a "decadent 7 oz. hand-pattied, double ground, seasoned beef patty", on a toasted fresh baked bun pepper bacon, fried egg, and grilled onion in addition to the standard lettuce & tomato fixins. this burger was TALL - i.e. the type where you need to take a bite of the bottom half, then a bite of the top half unless you can somehow unhinge your jaw. the flavors were all really good - good beef, great toppings, but it was slightly off in the execution unfortunately. while we requested medium rare, it was overcooked a tad to a solid medium (boo hoo, i know... but that makes a big difference), and the egg was cooked all the way through vs. being a nice runny drippy fried egg. the burger still was juicy even though it wasn't the idealized temp. you could tell it was all great ingredients, and if they were cooked just right this burger would jump from good to great. we could have used a bit more substantial bottom bun as it was almost nonexistent mid way through the burger.

PDX burgers: Little Big Burger

so. since touching down in Portland for the first time, i've been to Little Big Burger not once, not twice, but three times. i saw LBB flagged by Serious Eats as one of their favorite burgers for $5 and under across the U.S., and seeing as this chain is dotted all over my new hometown i could not be anymore excited to try them. 

Little Big Burger's premise is simple. they offer a menu with about 6 items - burger, cheese burger, fries, soda... you get the drift. simple stuff, but the important stuff. each of those items is then made from the best ingredients they can get their little big hands on, and priced at an amazingly reasonable price considering what they deliver (spoiler alert: they deliver delicious). it truly is like getting a gourmet fancy pants burger in a fast food setting. 

national cheeseburger day!

yesterday, 9/18 was national cheeseburger day. a holiday that comith once a year, and to a burger aficionado is the equivalent of Christmas. it also fell on "healthy week" start since i've been eating like a HOSS and vowed eat light this week and lose a few L-Bs. i was not going to celebrate. i had chicken breasts marinating in the fridge. i was going to run for an errand. come home. go for a run. grill said chicken. 

as you would have it... errand was in the viscidity of New World Bistro Bar. NWBB has been rated one of the top burgers not only in the CapDis, but in all of NY. and i love it. K was in my passenger seat. K is a bad influence. net/net... no run, no grilled chicken, but yes a delicious cheeseburger. we split it to make it not "as bad" along with the Purple Haze Shrimp and some Blackened Stringbeans for him. 

it was... even better than i remember. perfectly cooked, well respected medium rare meat, peppered bacon, cheddar, grilled onion, chipotle aioli, pillowy soft fresh baked bun. total mouth party. the red onion was thicker cut and just grilled enough... which i really liked and will do moving forward. it gave it a nice lil crunch but was cooked down enough to have no onion "bite" to it, but still more flavorful than thin-cut carmelized onions. aaaah heaven. now today i will be healthy.... :o) 

chicago!

last weekend we took a long weekend to Chicago for a much-needed little getaway. purpose was to check out the city, and EAT. we had 3 days, and 5 goals: deep dish pizza, Chicago dog, Italian beef sandwich, David Burke steakhouse, and mmmmmburger. it was a very fat weekend, but one of the better once i've had in sometime. to avoid a long, blabbering post, here is the top line of the pit stops:




1) Chicago dog: Honestly, this sounded disgusting to me -- not going to lie. definition of a C-dog consists of: all beef hot dog on poppy seed bun with yellow mustard, chopped onion, dill pickle, tomato, relish, celery salt (pretty much... every item i hate). that was Kyle's must-have try though (when in Rome...) ... he was happy as a clam to have one at the Cubs game, tho verdict was "too weird" tasting and not something he would order again. i had a modified version: dog with poppy seed bun, but only with a heaping pile of  caramelized onion on top. DAMN that was good.

2) Deep dish pizza: After experiencing this MASSIVE brick of pizza, i realize that we have been misusing the term "pie" for pizza here in NY for a long time. it is exactly that - a colossal heavy crust of inches of cheese, sauce, toppings, cheese sauce, holy jesus. we got it from the original Gino's East which was next door to our hotel. it was an amazing mouth party, but... if i was going to do the inevitable NY vs. Chicago pizza hands-down i gotta go thin crust NY. deep dish pizza is not something you casually order on a Friday night and expect to move afterwards... we walked a few miles that night, and i felt like a fat piece of garbage. not sexy.

3) Italian beef sandwich: We had seen these bad boys on a few travel shows (Adam Richmond, Anthony Bourdain...); i wanted to try the Bourdain reco of Johnnie's Beef, but it was a bit out of our stomping ground, and Al's Beef (Richmond reco) kinda had a spot niched out in every little neighborhood. it was messy as hell, and a tasty sloppy treat. the hot pepper topping was a little weird (it had celery in it -- what is with the celery everywhere?), but it was still a well received meat treat on a hot summer afternoon.

4) David Burke's: Here's where things get serious. If you're not familiar with David Burke's, beyond having the title of the best steakhouse in Chicago, it has a Himalayan sea-salt tiled room where they dry-age their beef. after going through this process for anywhere from 30 to 75 days, the result is an uber-concentrated meat flavor. i ordered the 35-day aged rib eye (K the 55-day aged), and we split truffled mashed potatoes and asparagus served with poached egg, citrus, and parmesan. everything was as amazing as expected, with the surprise delight being the truffled mashed potatoes... i've never had my socks blown off by mashed potatoes (they are an amazing comfort food, but can only be "so good" on the scale of "yes I want that" foods").... these were effing ridiculous. i've had straight truffles before, but this... aah i don't even know. they have a touch of magic in everything here. including the bread, which looked like a gigantic loaf of hearty bread but turned out to be a light fluffy bread puff. served with pure extra fatty butter. F. i want to go back.

5) burger! This city is a city of 592380810983092834 amazing burger options. selecting one location was so stressful. we ended up going with Butcher & Burger. all the ingredients are the finest quality, local, etc as a base. they love cows. they love cows that eat delicious things. which leads to the happy result of them loving to eat delicious cows. the menu is a pick & play of patty types, patty spice blends, roll selections, toppings, cheeses, sauces. it's stressful to say the LEAST. i think i came out with the most fantastic combination of all time - 1) natural & local house blend beef patty; 2) salt & pepper spice blend; 3) swiss cheese; 4) griddled mushroom & caramelized onion; 5) black truffle aioli & 6) pretzel bun (which notably was pillow soft, not firm like most pretzel buns... over the top pleasant surprise). AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH one of the best i've ever had. amazing meat, amazing juicy patty, amazing every other ingredient added that made the most perfect flavor combo ever. STRONGLY RECOMMEND. if you are in Chi-town, GO. i went halfsies with K who did a bison burger with traditional toppings (cheddar, thick-cut bacon, fried egg)... also amazing. unread.

Nighthawk's Kitchen

we hit up Nighthawk's Kitchen at the Troy Farmer's Market this past weekend. after all these years in Albany this was our first time hitting the market... which we did only because we heard a good burger lead was nestling in its stands. Serious Eats did a piece on the smashed burger from Nighthawks - not only is it rare for Albany burgers to get a blurb on SE, getting a full article is unheard of. 

Kyle & i did halfsies with a green chili cheeseburger with a side of buffalo mac & cheese and a BBQ burger (which had the BIGGEST slab of bacon on it, mother of god) with a gouda and something-something mac & cheese on the side. 

the burgers were served on potato buns, nice & juicy & a bit messy, with the toppings played nicely with both. the meat had an awesome taste to it, and the giant slabs of local cheese were the perfect gooey blanket to the meat party. i assumed the smashed burgers were going to be thin, but they were pretty hearty. enough so that i had to struggle through the mac & cheese, which was well worth the struggle. definitely a place that i will pop back to, especially after seeing the amount of delicious available at the market (it's more local cheese & bread than it is veggies, and a lot of gourmet snacks. good stuff).

city beer hall

we've gone to City Beer Hall, Albany NY before a few times for drinks and always liked the joint (it's in an old historical building, adorable, and has a great selection of drinks and big open patio). they have a great loooooking menu that i've always wanted to try, and today we finally did for brunch (they have brunch on both Saturdays and Sundays which is pretty much unheard of in Albany - at best, there are a few places that have it on Sunday).

they had a burger on the menu - hand packed grass fed beef with aged cheddar, fresh baked buns... YEP! the burger looked delightful, and was super tasty. just a touch of salt/pepper seasoning that i could tell, and the rest of it was just pure meat city. unfortunately they overcooked it a tad (i asked for medium rare, got it cooked medium with juuust a touch of pink), but luckily that did not affect the taste or juiciness too much. i would definitely come back, esp in hopes that next time the temp is cooked as medium rare. the fries were hand cut and fried delightfully - equally on par with the great burger.