First of all- what is Portland Burger Week? It started in 2013 with small handful of joints that made a specialty burger and sold them for $5 each. This year it included 34 fooderies in town whipping up Amazingly Beautiful Creations, Delectable Edibles, and Fucking Great Hunger Incinerators! I visited 8 such establishments this year.
Day 1: Club 21 w/ Shanghai Burger
Simple, clean, delicious and a nice short enough walk from home. This dive bar made a great burger to start off my week right.
Day 2: Burnside Brewing w/ Dirty Burger
Just like it says, fucking ridiculous! Mouthwatering messy mayhem!! That's a pork-rind on top there. Conveniently located next to my climbing gym- I'll definitely need to spend a chunk of time there to burn off this beautiful burger. Also they were running a deal with the Burger, a Jim Beam, and a pint of Sweet Heat (tasty beer) for $8.
Day 3: Pause w/ Steakhouse Burger
This one had some zing to it with an Italian Sausage kind of taste to it. I liked it a lot and I'm always a sucker for pickles onions.
Day 4: Knuckle Sandwich w/ Pinata Burger
Wow this one was amazing! Guac? Fried onions?! Poblanos?! CHIPOTLE CREAM CHEESE?!?! Fucking spectacular!!
Day 5: SlowBar w/Kimchi Master
This one was pretty clean tasting with just enough character to make it nice and interesting.
Day 6: Iconic w/The Goat
That's right, a Lamb/Goat blend burger. This one was really good. REALLY good! I love arugula on a burger and it added the right kind of zinginess to this guy with chevre on there and tangy dressing- Very nice. Extra added bonus of being within 4 blocks from home.
Day 7, lunch: SlowBurger w/ Pimento Cheese Burger
A beautifully done burger. Not too wacky and I feel it was a nice way to start winding down my week of burger time fun.
Day 7, dinner: The Knock Back w/ Le Pate Don't Play
What a finale!! As you can see, this burger was a work of art on a plate. That country pate had so much flavor, the most wonderfully ripe tomato on there, the chevre and arugula was another beautiful combination I will always love. Didn't I mentioned loving pickled onions earlier? They put theirs ON the burger! NOM! This place was a happy accident of going to one place that was sold out of their burgers, aiming for another place but heading to NE Killingsworth instead of N Killingsworth and, not wanting to turn around we ended up here. I will most certainly be back!
I had more beef and more beer and more booze this week than I have ever really had in my life. It was beautiful and exhausting. I gained 5 pounds but I seemed to have survived the week none the worse for wear. I love this city and all it has to offer. This was my personal celebration for moving here all by my lonesome 5 years ago this month. I've been through a healthy amount of ups and downs.
Here's to more ups ahead of me.