The Nell Burger, a Bistro Burger Behemoth
The burger started as fair food. It was actually considered elevated, more fit for human consumption, when White Castle came along in the ’20s. We all know the type of burger that McDonald’s popularized. It wasn’t until the last decade, really, that the restaurant burger finally surpassed what you were likely to make at home.
The hamburger was the iconic post-WWII restaurant food: efficient, processed, in your car in less than two minutes. At home you could make a fat patty, leave it pink and juicy in the middle, maybe add some Worcestshire and seasoning salt while grilling it over coals in the backyard. From the drive-thru window, the old dairy cow patty came topped with flavorless American cheese. At home, you could use fresh ground beef from your local butcher, topping it with cheddar or swiss. Burgers at home were just better.
And then came the bistro burger. Five years ago I started systematically eating these upscale burgers around Portland along with burgers from drive-ins, diners, and fast food joints. I assumed that they would just be over-priced, a result of stainless flatware and linen tablecloths. It didn’t take long for me to realize the bistro burger was worth the premium price.
Not only were they better than their greasy spoon cousins, but they were better than the burgers I made at home. They used buns from artisan bakeries, gourmet imported cheeses, thick-cut bacon, house-made pickles, and, most importantly, top quality beef. And some even showed signs of chefs excited to take their nostalgic childhood staple and turn it into something truly special and unique.
I haven’t had a bad bistro burger. I’ve had some that were cooked poorly on occasion. But every burger among the 72 that I tried was at least decent. Even the worst one would be better than the best fast food burger. To not make the top 25 is no shame. There are some very good burgers that didn’t make the cut. Those that did aren’t just okay, they’re burgers that I crave, burgers that when I see their pictures my mouth begins to water and my stomach begins to rumble. Hopefully these reports will have the same effect on you.
A few informational bits, since this is the first in a series:
Okay, on to the rankings….
Eastmoreland Market's Bacon Mushroom Burger
Because it’s tucked away in a mostly-residential neighborhood near Reed College, this gourmet market and sandwich shop gets overlooked by most Portlanders. It’s a mistake. Eastmoreland Market is worth seeking out.
The burger here, like the rest of the menu, illustrates how important palate and skill in the kitchen matter to the end result. You could find a similarly simple burger at a chain like Red Robin or any number of diners and drive-ins around town, but it wouldn’t be half as good. The beef and sauteed mushrooms are well-seasoned. The onions are truly caramelized. The tomato, despite being out of season, is — gasp — red. And everything is in perfect proportion. Neither the melted swiss nor the mellow bacon overpower any other ingredient. The nicest touch of all, and probably the thing that realy elevates the burger, is the mix of mayo and dijon, adding both richness and just enough nose-tingling tanginess to excite the palate.
Bonus: this is one of the best values for a burger in town and one of the best burgers you’ll find under $8.
Bun: Sesame-seeded brioche from Grand Central Bakery
Meat: Cascade Natural, 5.3 oz, 10% fat
Cheese: Kerrygold Swiss cheese
Toppings: Bacon, lettuce, caramelized onions, tomato, dijon mustard, mayo
Price: $7.50
Eastmoreland Market
3616 SE Knapp St
Portland, OR 97202
503.771.1186
eastmorelandmarket.com
Eastburn's Herbacious Patty on Ciabatta
I’ve driven by Eastburn a million times and always thought, meh, another pub in Portland. Since I don’t drink, the 16 beers on tap and 15 wines on tap* had little appeal for me and most pubs have mediocre food at best. My bad. Even the salad I had shared was delicious.
At $10 for a bacon-cheeseburger with a side, Eastburn’s burger is a great value. But it’s a very good burger irrespective of price. The meat is mixed with herbs and spices, giving it the flavor of a light beef sausage. The super-sharp Grafton cheddar works great in concert with the hefty, spiced patty. The soft, slightly chewy ciabatta roll from Delphina’s couldn’t compete in a head-to-head tasting with Pearl Bakery’s crunchy, milk-chocolate-colored ciabatta, but as a burger bun it’s fantastic.
They could improve the burger, however, with some bread & butter pickles.
Bun: Ciabatta Roll from Delphina’s
Meat: Coleman Corral grassfed beef, 8 oz, 20%
Cheese: Grafton cheddar (gorgonzola, pepperjack, swiss, or provolone also available)
Toppings: Carlton Farms bacon, butter lettuce, tomato, red onion, mayo
Price: $10, includes fries or salad
The EastBurn
1800 E Burnside St
Portland, OR 97214
503.236.2876
theeastburn.com
* Yes, they really have wines on tap. Probably an oenomatic.
The Steak Lover's Burger from Savoy
23. Savoy Tavern & Bistro, Steak Lovers
Savoy Tavern, sister-restaurant to Broder, which has a decent lamb burger, and sister-bar to the soon-to-be-open Bar Bar burger bar on Mississippi (say that 10 times fast), has several worthwhile hamburgers of its own. My favorite is the Steak Lovers. (Although, the “cheesehead” gets props for putting fried cheese curds and gravy on top of 6 ozs of beef without anyone falling over dead, yet.)
The onions on the sandwich seem more sauteed or grilled than caramelized as described. But that’s perfect for this burger. In combination with the sauteed mushrooms, both swimming in an earthy-sweet, house-made steak sauce, you feel like you should be smoking a cigar and surrounded by tuxedoed waiters. It feels old school — in a good way. The flavor might get downright geriatric, however, if it weren’t for the pickled onions adding some needed youthful exuberance.
Bonus: all the sides, from the included fries or onion rings to the ala carte cheesecurds are really tasty. And sometimes they have poutine.
Bun: Sesame-seeded brioche from Grand Central Bakery
Meat: Cascade Natural, 6 oz, 25% fat
Cheese: Stella blue cheese
Toppings: Sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions, housemade steaksauce, lettuce, house-pickled onions, pickles
Price: $13, includes fries, onion rings, or salad
Savoy Tavern & Bistro
2500 Southeast Clinton Street
Portland, OR 97202
503.808.9999
Cafe Nell's Nell Burger Dissected
I have to admit that I visited Cafe Nell with a devilish end in mind. I had seen one of the cooks at Iron Chef Portland sauntering around the stadium with GQ hair, a large diamond earring, and what looked like a small entourage. I figured the food would come across equally shallow. At first glance, the “Nell Burger”, with more ingredients than you can count on your fingers, seemed like it would be a book easily judged by its cover.
“Kitchen sink” burgers, as I like to call them, have a tendency to be a muddled mess of competing flavors. When they’re not, it’s usually because of some element that unifies the sandwich. In the case of the Nell Burger, it’s three elements, a trio of spreads: hot sauce, mustard, and aioli. The runny egg, coffee-brown caramelized onions, and crisp, fatty bacon might make for a burger overwhelmingly rich and sweet. But the tart spiciness of the hot sauce and mustard keep that richness in check. This burger would have moved into the top 20, though, if it had a bun that didn’t dissolve under the weight of such a behemoth.
Still, it was a good lesson in why prejudices are stupid and why next time I see the chef, I’ll check my fat-guy insecurities at the door, shake his hand, and say hello instead of mocking him.
Bun: Brioche bun from Pearl Bakery
Meat: Cacade Natural chuck ground in-house, 9 oz, 20% fat
Cheese: Aged Tillamook white cheddar
Toppings: Nueske bacon, fried egg, balsamic caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, house-made hot sauce, dijon mustard, and house-made aioli
Price: $14
Cafe Nell
1987 NW Kearney St
Portland, OR 97209
503.295.6487
cafenell.com
Besaw's Bacon Cheeseburger
Besaw’s was a regular lunch spot for me when I worked only a few blocks away at Will Vinton Studios (now Laika). I’ve always loved the feel of the place, at least the main dining room. It’s like a soda counter from a Capra movie. Any minute a baseball capped George Bailey might walk-in and exclaim “hot dog”. Since I stopped working in the neighborhood, though, I’ve only gone for the occasional brunch. I didn’t know what to expect from the burger and only tried it because I couldn’t find parking for a different place on my list.
In compiling the rankings, I would keep seeing Besaw’s in the top 25 and think, really, Besaw’s? But then I would look at my report again, the fog would clear, and one thing would have me salivating again: roasted tomato. I don’t know who in Portland first had the idea to stop using fresh out of season tomatoes on burgers and roast them instead, but it was a brilliant decision. In fact, it’s so brilliant, I sort of dread tomato season when the roasted ones are likely to be replaced by fresh again. I can think of few burgers that wouldn’t be better with a roasted tomato. The flavor is more concentrated and complex. Perhaps on a fast food burger with its miniscule patty the watery fresh tomatoes make sense. But with a half pound patty, assertive cheese, and smokey bacon, the more intense roasted tomato just works better. All the elements here are good and well-balanced, although a more dynamic cheese, like Beecher’s aged cheddar, would be better.
Bun: Sesame-seeded brioche bun from Grand Central Bakery
Meat: Painted Hills ground beef, 8 oz, 20% fat
Cheese: Aged Tillamook white cheddar
Toppings: Bacon, caramelized onion, lettuce, roasted tomato, dill pickle chips
Price: $13, fries or salad included
Besaw’s
2301 NW Savier St
Portland, OR 97210
503.228.2619
besaws.com
Don’t you think the ability to prepare a burger to the ordered doneness is important?
I like a rare burger. When I order it rare, and don’t get it that way (at least, medium rare or less), to me, that’s a huge factor in whether I am going to enjoy the burger. And often, I don’t feel like waiting for another, so it affects my enjoyment quite a bit.
It’s a testament to a good cook who can get it right, or at the very least undershoot the doneness because it’s easier to cook it a bit more than redo it.
I marvel at some of the places (one in particular which shall remain nameless) that call themselves burger joints and yet they can’t cook one to order.
@PFA: Yes, it’s important. But without trying the burger at each restaurant a few times, I can’t really make a determination about which places are consistently better at it than others. There are a lot of factors, too, that can influence such things. I think far too many line cooks are feeling the burgers to check the temp rather than using an instant-read thermometer.
However, most places were just slightly over-cooking or under-cooking the burgers. I did get one place that served me a raw burger. I would have ordered another one except that I knew the burger, just from the concept and ingredients, wasn’t going to make the top 25 anyway.
btw, I found that restaurants were much more consistent with a burger ordered medium rather than medium-rare. Honestly, I think most of these burgers are better at medium than medium rare anyway. Most of the top burgers have around 20% fat. For maximum juiciness, you want that fat to melt. Medium-rare or rare burgers are going to have a lot of un-melted fat and while the meat will still retain more of its moisture, without the fat melted, the burgers will seem less juicy.
this is fun!
where is higgins? the best rare burger IMO and the lovely salad and pickled veggies on the side. the higgins burger is second to none and unless i missed it, it didn’t even make the top 25…WTF?
@sara: Yes, Higgins does have a good burger. There are a lot of good burgers that don’t make the top 25. Here’s my report on it:
http://portlandfood.org/index.php?/topic/5021-higgins/page__view__findpost__p__129773
I think, ultimately, the thing that keeps it from being in the top 25 is the texture of the meat.