Welcome to Memphis Flyer Burger Week!
Your burger tree is up and decorated, hamburger carols have taken over the airwaves, and the children can’t wait to find those condiment packets hidden by the Burger Bunny.
Maybe not, but Burger Week is here and the Flyer staff did some recon to get you ready. We ate burgers from the 10 restaurants offering specials — and some special burgers they’ve cooked up for this most wonderful time of the year. We tried to eat the burger each restaurant will offer. If they didn’t have their special Burger Week burger, we ate something else to at least give you a flavor (if not a taste) of what you can expect.
Merry Burger Week to all!
Loflin Yard
Old Bridge Burger
I’m not usually a fan of the multiple-meat burger. It’s a gambit that seems like gilding the lily. It’s not that I’m a beef purist — far from it! You can make a good burger with anything from bison to ground turkey, and veggie burgers are in their own diverse category. But generally, I think a burger should have a single protein patty which all other ingredients complement.
The Old Bridge Burger made me rethink my priors. It’s a fat Angus beef patty topped with a thin layer of saucy pulled pork, slaw, and a couple of lightly breaded onion rings. You’re not going to be hungry after taking this mouth-stretching monster’s full girth. Instead of effectively adding a second pork patty, the barbecue acts like a condiment — and every right-thinking Memphian knows that barbecue sauce is superior to ketchup. The pickles on the ground floor play well with the vinegar note from the ’cue, while the o-rings up top add a pleasing crunch without overpowering the rest of the stack. As with everything, balance is key. — Chris McCoy
Belly Acres
Hot Pow
Belly Acres is a Memphis burger institution. The OG Overton Square location opened back in 2014, if you can believe it. Since then, Belly Acres has become a reliable burger bastion. It lures taste buds back with fresh ingredients and a dazzling array of 15 burgers that feature everything from squash to waffles.
Belly Acres’ Burger Week burger was not ready to launch on a visit last week. So, I hunted for something exotic. I read the word “chorizo,” my mouth literally watered, and my mind was made up.
Belly Acres describes the Hot Pow as a “chorizo and grass-fed beef blended patty topped with pepper jack cheese, fresh spinach, and caramelized onions on a lightly toasted sourdough bun.” Those words on a page, however, do not do the Hot Pow justice.
Mine was melty on the inside with a great crunch from the spinach. The bun cushioned in all the right places. The chorizo is the Hot Pow’s main character, though, and it delivers the spicy, porky, sausage-y goods in a riveting think-outside-the-bun performance. — Toby Sells
Flying Saucer Draught Emporium
Royale with Cheese
You can go Vincent Vega (the Travolta character of Pulp Fiction) one better — and much closer to home than Paris — by getting your Royale with Cheese at the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium (Peabody Place location only). I had mine at the Cordova location, while sitting bar-side and staring at an impressively complete-looking wall of beers on tap.
The burger with fries is every bit of a meal. On the plate, it looks like what it is — handsomely fat, round, and custom-made — enticing to eye and palate alike and a test case of the old adage of something so fine you want to eat it and have it, too.
The more-than-ample beef patty is cooked to one’s preference, and it shares space with chopped onion, American cheese, jalapeño bacon, mustard, and spiked ketchup. The bun itself, as with any good burger, is a tasty part of the meld. The whole package is bursting with flavor.
The burgers on the menu are in the $12 to $14 range, and, with names like Jeff Buckley, Doc Holliday, and Sputnik Monroe, suggest a wide range of provenances.
And that “Draught Emporium” part of the established’s name is no joke. The variety of libations available is enough to fill a tabloid-sized sheet, front and back, and with fine print. — Jackson Baker
Grill Grabz
Smokehouse Burger
Grill Grabz is a food truck operated by LaKendrick and Danielle Chavers that serves the holy pantheon of Memphis food — ribs, catfish, chicken wings — and it all looks amazing on their Facebook page. But my assignment was to try their Smokehouse Burger, and … well, let me see if I can just put this in layman’s terms: DAMN, Y’ALL.
This thing is the Great Pyramid of burgers: two smoky beef patties, crisp white onion slices, a tomato slice, lettuce, two slices of melty cheese, bacon, and your condiments of choice stacked between two halves of a soft sesame seed bun. It will fill both of your hands (and your lap, if you aren’t careful). But don’t spill any or you’ll regret it.
The thing that sets the Grill Grabz burger apart is the smoky flavor that LaKendrick gets from cooking the meat on an actual grill in the truck. It’s gotta be hot work, but creating art is never easy, right? This is a burger that tastes like something your Pop might come up with on his backyard grill — smoky, fresh, outdoorsy, and cooked with love.
The Grill Grabz truck is most often stationed in front of a now-defunct Steak & Shake on Hack’s Cross Road, a block south of Bill Morris Parkway. The truck also makes forays out into the city, so keep an eye on their Facebook page for location updates. Danielle advises customers to call ahead with their orders in order to avoid the line. And that’s good advice, given that Smokehouse Burgers are prepared from scratch. Now, go get you one. — Bruce VanWyngarden
Plant Based Heat
Memphis Bella
I’m a vegetarian. So, luckily, Plant Based Heat has my back with its meatless options.
The other day, I got their Memphis Bella, a portobello mushroom Philly. When I picked up my to-go order from the counter, the server jokingly asked if he could have some since it looked so good. No, sirree. With mushrooms, mild banana peppers, tomato, vegan mozzarella and mayo, and sauteed bell peppers and onions on a hoagie roll, this sandwich was too good to share. Each bite had a pop of flavor that even I could appreciate. I normally don’t like mayo, but the vegan mayo had me second-guessing my aversion. As for my dog Blobby who dutifully sat by my side drooling the whole meal, well, he’s not too happy with me right now, seeing that I didn’t spare him a bite. But, hey, it’s Burger Week, and I’m sure I’ll be back to try their Plant Based Heat Sliders, made specially for the week with two sliders topped with spinach, vegan mayo, pickles, tomato, and grilled onions. And maybe I’ll spare a bite this time, though if it’s anything like the Memphis Bella, I doubt I will. Sorry, Blobby. — Abigail Morici
Pimentos Burgers, Bar & Grill
Dirty Mean & Nasty
There’s a nice array of burgers on the menu at Pimentos, and one in particular caught the eye (and made the mouth water): the Dirty Mean & Nasty.
We weren’t able to sample the burger the bar and grill will offer for the Flyer’s Burger Week, but this intriguingly named dish promised to offer a foretaste of the delights to come.
The menu says it’s an Angus burger with cheddar cheese, honey pepper bacon, fried jalapeños, and sriracha aioli. The server confided that it was her favorite, so I made the commitment. When it was served, with a no-nonsense steak knife thrust through its heart, I was flummoxed. How do you even approach it to get a bite?
It was big and round and mocking, daring you to try to chomp down. That knife was necessary to gain access, so I sawed at it and released the jalapeños, fun bits with crunch, and it was not too overheated. The burger itself was flavorful, doing exactly what it meant to do in partnership with the cheddar and bacon.
Pimentos offers several other burgers and sliders on the menu with a variety of touches. There’s pimento (natch), avocado, scallions, fried egg, and fried onions.
My only issue with my order was that it was a total lie. There was nothing dirty about it, it presented no meanness, and was entirely un-nasty. Which is what we learned from that famous Aesop’s fable moral that says you can’t tell a burger by its moniker. But you sure can stuff yourself on it. — Jon W. Sparks
Tops Bar-B-Q
Hamburger
The slogan for Tops is “Memphis’ Best Bar-B-Q Since 1952.” I think another slogan should be, “Memphis’ Best Hamburger Since 1952 — or whenever it was introduced.”
I love the burgers at Tops Bar-B-Q. I always say they taste like the 1950s (when I grew up). There’s something nostalgic about it. But I really had no idea when Tops began selling hamburgers, so I gave Tops vice president, Hunter Brown, a call.
He says, “My dad graduated from Kingsbury High School in 1965. And every day after high school they’d ride their bikes over to Summer and National and get a cheeseburger combo: cheeseburger, a bag of chips, and a Coke for 55 cents.”
I love the diced onion Tops uses instead of a big slab of hard-to-eat onion, and I ask for everything on the sandwich. They get their beef from Charlie’s Meat Market, but Brown says he’s “sworn to secrecy” on the recipe. And it’s fresh — “literally, that cow was alive five days ago,” he says.
As for the dressing, Brown says, “We call it ‘Tops’ way’: mayonnaise, shredded lettuce, a tomato slice, pickle, and diced onions.” — Michael Donahue
Huey’s
World Famous Huey Burger
It might be a stretch to say the signature burger served at Huey’s is known and loved across the globe — it’s meat and bread, not Beyoncé — but there’s a reason why it’s been voted “Best Burger” by Flyer readers in our Best of Memphis poll since, like, ever.
Despite their many accolades, I’ve heard people throw shade at Huey’s burgers — because they’re “not the same as they used to be,” or something. I’d like to address this by asking, “When’s the last time you had one?” Admittedly, for me, it had been a while. But the World Famous Huey Burger did not disappoint. It’s exactly what you look for in a tried-and-true burger: a hefty hunk of beef, your choice of cheddar or Swiss cheese, and as many of the fixings as you’d like — mayo, lettuce, tomato, mustard, pickle, onion — on a buttered, toasted sesame seed bun.
Upon first sight, the question “How wide can I open my mouth?” arises. The whole shebang requires some positioning to bite into. The fatty juice and gooey cheese drip into a pool in the paper-lined basket below as you work your way through, at the same time turning the bun into a slip and slide for its contents. But you gotta get messy for a good burger. This is America, and we’re eating a world-famous burger here, guys. Seriously, it was really good. The meat was well-seasoned, those big-ass steak fries killed it, per usual, and it paired well with a pint of Memphis Made Summer Frills (a limited-edition golden ale only available on draft at Huey’s locations). Get you some! — Shara Clark
Farm Burger
The Peach Burger
The Peach Burger, the special concoction from Farm Burger for Burger Week, appeals to your eyes as well as your taste buds. The glistening fruit, the roasted red serrano peppers, and the luscious spicy pimento cheese draws you in, and the first bite confirms that its blend of savory, spicy, and sweet is a classic combination. Farm Burger manager Dan Tain says, “We used to do a peach burger with Jones Orchard peaches, as well as local feta cheese and some arugula on it, so we were considering going back to that, but then we put a different spin on it.” Keeping the Jones Orchard peaches front and center, they then proceeded to spice things up. And the toasted potato bun lends the flavor that much more complex.
“We have a new culinary director at Farm Burger,” says Tain. “Drew Van Leuvan just came to us three months ago. And chef Drew came up with the idea of using local peaches with spicy pimento cheese and roasted serrano peppers. It’s nice and bright and colorful. I think it’s a great deal with the grass-fed beef. People are excited to try it. It’s seasonal, and that’s what Farm Burger’s about.” — Alex Greene
Tenero Cafe & Butcher
The Butcher’s Burger
It caught me a bit by surprise when I first checked out Tenero Cafe & Butcher on Mendenhall. The new cafe/restaurant/bar/butcher shop was a chic-looking upgrade on the spot’s former iteration, Southall Café. And watching employees roll out some fine-looking ground beef in the butcher section had me salivating at the prospect of their burger.
Tenero’s featured item for Burger Week is the Butcher’s Burger. And sure enough, diners get freshly ground beef straight from the butcher shop. But we’re not just talking about a small bit of beef. This baby boasts some double-patty action. So, don’t walk in if you’re just a little hungry. The generous patties are sandwiched between a soft brioche bun (shout-out to the bottom bun for not getting soggy) and dressed with American cheese, arugula, caramelized onions, and pickles. The menu also made mention of a chef’s secret sauce, but I’ll admit I was unable to detect what kind of flavors that was putting down.
What sets the Butcher’s Burger apart is the quality of the beef, prepped fresh in-house. There’s no toughness to the patties, no chewy exterior to power through. Overall, it’s simply an approachable, traditional American burger that forgoes any zany bells and whistles in favor of simplicity. — Samuel X. Cicci
