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: Canyon Grill

Thrillist released its list of the 10 best burgers outside of Portland a few months back -- only 2 of which are in a reasonable driving distance unless i'm out of town. after a day in Beaverton running errands with the hubs, it was a perfect excuse to try out Canyon Grill.

i ordered their signature burger that comes dressed with swiss, bacon, avocado, mushrooms, grilled onions, roasted red peppers, and Canyon Sauce. i was grateful it came wrapped in a little burger diaper, because this beast was massive and it was messy. the burger patty itself was pretty ordinary (though not bad by an stretch), but the fun was in the toppings. it was an uphill battle keeping everything on-bun, but was a mouth party when it all came together. 

i'd say if you're going there as a burger purist it wouldn't be top of the list (though in its defense i didn't try a plain burger and the patty flavor could have just been drowned out by all the toppings?), but if you're in town and need a good bite, it's worth hitting up. 

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. 

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