Double Cheeseburger from Metrovino
How many burgers did you eat?
Seventy-two distinct bistro burgers. But I had several of these more than once. I also tried a dozen or so lower-end burgers that I didn’t even bother rating. I even made sure to get a burger from In-N-Out on a quick trip through Las Vegas.
What’s the most burgers you ate in one day?
Four, although on one occasion I shared a couple with fellow Willamette Week contributor Liz Crain and even suckered my wife into finishing a couple.
How much weight did you gain?
I’m not fat—I’m pregnant, about to give birth to a Bob’s Big Boy. Ironically, I gained less weight than when I tried a vegan diet for a month.
Why would you do this to yourself?
About five years ago, I started systematically eating burgers of all types around Portland metro. I quickly learned that bistro burgers were worth the premium price. Even the worst bistro burger is still decent. After trying a couple of great burgers at new places, I wanted to see who had the best burger. I figured after tasting 10 or 15 burgers I’d have a good idea of who had the best. Then people kept sending me recommendations and I kept finding more places with burgers using top-quality ingredients. I felt obligated to try every burger with even a chance of being really good. I’m not sure if I’m a glutton or a glutton for punishment.
What makes a great burger?
Top-quality ingredients and balanced flavors. A well-seasoned patty and good pickle go a long way, as does a bun that doesn’t fall apart with these hefty burgers. If it has American cheese on it, it probably isn’t worth bothering with.
Are you too good for fast food?
Kind of. My favorite burger joint while going to college in Utah was Crown Burgers. They served a flame-broiled quarter-pound cheeseburger smothered in “fry sauce” and topped with a quarter-pound of pastrami. I loved it. It was the inspiration for the pastrami burger at Kenny & Zuke’s. (It’s pretty damn awesome, if I do say so myself).
And now for the top 10….
Carafe's Burger with Melted Camembert
10. Carafe: Mmmm, camembert. Oozing, funky deliciousness, dripping down the meat and out the bun. Only the French could take a perfectly respectable burger and turn it into gastronomic pornography.
Bun: Ciabatta roll from Ken’s Artisan Bakery
Meat: Oregon Country Beef ground shoulder, 8 oz, 20% fat, blended with herbs de provence
Cheese: Camembert (white cheddar, gruyere, or blue also available)
Toppings: Bacon, red leaf lettuce, red onion, pickled carrots, and aioli (fried egg also available).
Price: $15 with optional cheese and bacon, fries or salad included.
Garden State: Best Burger from a Cart
9. Garden State: Portland’s best burger from a cart is also one of Portland’s best burgers—period. Owner Kevin Sandri’s creation is a harmonic blend of assertive Italian notes: sharp provolone, spicy aioli, salty pancetta, tart onions and a sweet brioche bun. It’s worth standing in the rain for; and who knows, if we get a real summer, you might not have to.
Bun: Kaiser-shaped brioche bun from Fleur de Lis
Meat: Dry-aged Highland Oak Beef, 6 oz, 17% fat
Cheese: Provolone piccante
Toppings: Calabrian chile aioli, grilled & marinated red onions, no tomatoes as tasted (roasted tomatoes currently available, fresh tomatoes in season), red leaf lettuce (but varies with availability), pancetta
Price: $9 with the optional pancetta
Wildwood's Burger with Ample Cheddar
8. Wildwood: Like this high end Northwest Portland icon itself, the Wildwood burger has gone through many incarnations over the years. Most have been very good, but this one, highlighted by a soft, yet dense bun, ample aged cheddar, pickled onions, and garlicky aioli, might be their best.
Bun: House-made buttermilk bun
Meat: Cascade Natural, 8 oz, 20% fat
Cheese: Beecher’s aged cheddar (blue and goat cheese also available)
Toppings: Carlton Farms bacon, mustard aioli, pickled red onions, shredded romaine
Price: $15 with optional cheese and bacon, fries included
Note the Melted Foie on Gilt's Burger
7. Gilt Club: Living up to its name, Gilt’s burger is topped with foie gras. It’s no gilded lily, though. An already excellent burger becomes richer and earthier with an application of meat butter, balanced by tangy chiles and extra-sharp cheddar.
Bun: Sesame-seeded brioche bun from Grand Central
Meat: Painted Hills ground chuck, 8 oz, 20% fat
Cheese: Beecher’s aged cheddar
Toppings: Grilled sweet onions, calabrian chile aioli on bottom bun, whole grain mustard aioli on top bun, red leaf lettuce, house-cured bacon, foie gras.
Price: $20 with optional foie gras, fries or pork rinds included.
Le Pigeon's Ultra-Messy Burger
6. Le Pigeon: This is one messy burger. You may need a bib. The juicy patty and creamy slaw would end up more in your lap than your belly if it weren’t for the ciabatta roll that holds together despite the mess. [e1] The sinus-clearing spicy mustard adds some welcome liveliness.
Bun: Ciabatta roll from Ken’s Artisan
Meat: Painted Hills shoulder, ground in-house, 7 oz, 20% fat
Cheese: Aged white Tillamook
Toppings: Grilled red onions, spicy mustard, house-made ketchup, iceberg lettuce slaw
Price: $11, pan-fried potatoes included
The Biwa Burger Topped with Chasiu
5. Biwa: Even if you took one of their thick slabs of chasiu pork with its well-charred ribbons of fat and slapped it between two pieces of bread, it might still be one of the best sandwiches in town. But you add a beef patty and some tart, spicy kimchi mayo, and you have one seriously addictive Japanese-style “ham” burger fit for a sumo in training. Too bad it’s only available late night.
Bun: Sesame-seeded brioche bun from Grand Central
Meat: Mark’s Meats or Painted Hills ground chuck, 7 oz, 20% fat [isn’t it spiced differently than regular burgers?]
Cheese: N/A
Toppings: Lettuce, kimchi mayo, chasiu pork, pickles
Price: $7, potato salad included
Foster Burger's Kiwi Burger
4. Foster Burger (Kiwi Burger): God bless Foster Burger for bringing good food south of Powell and god bless whoever thought to add a pickled beet to a burger. Kitchen sink sandwiches like this are sometimes an unholy disaster of confusing tastes. But the lamb anchors the burger, and the rest complements the gamey patty.
Bun: Sesame-seeded bun from An Xuyen
Meat: Cattail Creek Farms ground lamb, 6 oz, 15%-20% fat
Cheese: Aged Tillamook white cheddar
Toppings: Fried egg, lettuce, pickled beet, onion, house pickles, mayo
Price: $11, fries, salad, or slaw included
Toro Bravo's Manchego and Pancetta Burger
3. Toro Bravo: If Portland’s busiest restaurant didn’t have so many other fantastic dishes, you might just see an endless line of servers delivering this burger to tables. Romesco is almost cheating—the old world’s “special sauce.” The manchego is a brilliant, appropriately Spanish, cheese with the intensity to match the romesco. And Toro Bravo (along with sister restaurant Tasty n Sons) makes the best bread & butter pickles in town.
Bun: Sesame-seeded brioche bun from Grand Central
Meat: Cascade Natural chuck flap, ground in-house, 6 oz, 20-22% fat
Cheese: Manchego
Toppings: Romesco, house-made bacon, Singing Pig Farms greens, house-made zucchini bread & butter pickles (and tomato in season)
Price: $9
Gruner has Portland's Best Burger Bun
2. Gruner: Every element of this burger is near-perfect, starting with the best bun in PDX. The peppery mustard greens, creamy fontina, smoky bacon, two types of wonderful pickles, and spiced ketchup flavor the meat juice that will be running down your arm. That’s okay, just start licking at your elbow and continue to your pinky.
Bun: Kaiser-shaped potato bun made in-house
Meat: Cascade Natural chuck, ground in-house, 8 oz, 25% fat
Cheese: Fontina (white cheddar also available)
Toppings: Nueske’s bacon, pickled onions, mustard greens, bread & butter pickles, aioli, house-made ketchup
Price: $10
Metrovino's Ultra-Juicy Burger
1. Metrovino (Double Cheeseburger): In-n-Out’s double-double animal-style gets an extreme makeover. You’ll wish you had the gaping jaw of a python. Yes, it’s that big. Aside from the size, it seems like a typical burger. That’s what makes this #1. For such a straight-forward approach, the results are spectacular: beefy, ultra-juicy with pungent cheese and a palate-puckering sauce.
Bun: Bridgeport Brewery
Meat: Painted Hills chuck plus ribeye trimmings, ground in-house, 12 oz (two 6 oz patties), 20% fat
Cheese: Swedish-style fontina from Wisconsin
Toppings: Shredded iceberg lettuce, yellow onion, house “fancy” sauce (house-made spicy ketchup, house-made mayo, Dijon mustard, house-made pickle, and sriracha)
Price: $13, salad included
This top 10 originally appeared as a cover story in The Willamette Week, July, 2010.
