Anne BralyChattanooga has hamburger joints by the dozen. Do a Google search for "Chattanooga's best hamburgers" and several will pop up, including Armando's, Urban Stack, Slick's and more.
But one place will appear more than any other: Tremont Tavern. From Foursquare to Zomato, the reviews are the same: "The best burger in Chattanooga."
Dustin Choate opened Tremont in December 2006, so with nearly a decade of experience in the burger business, he was my go-to man for questions about building the perfect burger. But first, a little background: When the restaurant, located in the heart of Riverview, first opened, its now-popular hamburgers weren't even on the menu.
"We only had paninis available for food at first," Choate says. "I did not really want to do major food. I just wanted to focus on the craft beer that no one was doing in Chattanooga at the time. But the state of Tennessee requires a restaurant to have major food sales in order to sell alcohol, so I decided we would do a small, simple menu utilizing high-quality ingredients."
Over the years, the menu grew.
"Thanks to great folks who have worked for me, we went from pre-packaged - albeit high-quality - burgers to having our own proprietary blend of meat and style of grind," Choate says. "The reason we switched to doing our burgers in-house is that we felt we needed to distinguish ourselves and raise the bar. The man behind that transition is B.J. Hightower. He's been with me eight years now."
But it wasn't until about three years ago that the burgers gained the reputation they now have.
"Our sales jumped 36 percent in 2013," Choate says. "That seems to be when things transitioned from the neighborhood hangout it was to somewhat of a destination location."
Choate says the restaurant now serves a whopping 2,000 burgers every week. And since opening a second restaurant, Feed Co. Table and Tavern, with partners Charlie Loomis and Miguel Morales, the famous Tremont burger is on the menu there, as well.
"To say I never imagined that we would be doing this is an understatement," Choate adds.
And nothing has changed. The burgers are still cooked the same way on a flat-top grill, using the same grind of meat and the same secret seasoning. But Choate offers some hints at creating your own good burgers at home.
Q: What's the best meat to use?
A: After much trial and error over the years, I feel like chuck is the best meat, at least flavor-wise. That is the basis for our burger, but we have a couple other cuts in there that I am not at liberty to share.
Q: What's the best size for most people?
A: For us, the half pounder is the way to go.
Q: How often should you flip them?
A: Just once. And don't press down on the meat. Too much handling means possible loss of moisture.
Q: What's a surprising thing people may not know about grilling the perfect hamburger?
A: Having the perfect bun makes a great burger, one that is light and not too bready, but still strong enough to not fall apart. That is why we - and many other folks around town - use Niedlov's hamburger buns.
Q: What are your favorite toppings?
A: I like to mix it up, but generally I'm a pickles, cheese and bacon kind of guy.
Q: What is the top burger at Tremont Tavern?
A: By far the Jalapeno Jack Burger is our best-selling burger. Fresh, not pickled, jalapenos are the key. And it comes with Pepper Jack cheese, bacon, ancho-cilantro dressing, lettuce, tomato and onion.
Most restaurants, including Tremont, keep their recipes a closely-guarded secret. So I tried Choate's suggestions on my home grill, working to recreate the Jalapeno Jack Burger I had and devoured on my most-recent trip to Tremont. I don't think I've ever had a better burger.
In my recipe, I combined ground sirloin with ground chuck, the latter providing the amount of fat you need for a good burger; I then grilled the burger to medium.
Next came the Pepper Jack cheese, added right before taking it off the grill so it could melt just a little. Then I added some thinly sliced onions, lettuce, tomato, a few thin slices of jalapenos - seeds removed to cut down on the heat factor - and a couple slices of crispy bacon. I slathered on the ancho-cilantro dressing, which I had tried to copy from Tremont's taste. It wasn't exactly the same, but was excellent nonetheless. I now keep it on hand in the refrigerator to serve with almost every food that needs a little sauce to boost its flavor.
So as you fire up your grills this Labor Day weekend - and if you have burgers on the menu - try some of Choate's tips, or stop by Tremont and let the pros in the kitchen do the work for you.
Ancho-Cilantro Dressing
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons ground ancho-chile pepper, or to taste
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 to 1 tablespoon honey
Combine all ingredients. Mix well and taste, adding more ingredients to the mayonnaise as needed. Delicious on a burger, fried green tomatoes, grilled chicken, fried chicken and fish. Store in refrigerator in covered container.
Children's Hospital Dinner
St. John's Restaurant will be the site of a five-course "Be A Saint" dinner on Sunday, Sept. 11, prepared by Chef Rebecca Barron with wines presented by St. John sommelier Michelle Richards. The dinner will be served to help fund the "Believe" campaign, a project aimed at raising the funds needed to build a new Children's Hospital at Erlanger.
Cocktail hour begins at 5 p.m. followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets are $250 per person or $300 for a seat at Erlanger CEO Kevin Spiegel's table. For reservations, log onto stjohnsrestaurant.instagift.com/believe-campaign.
Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.