April 15 not only marks the day I turn 37, it’s also the start of this year’s Chattanooga Burger Week presented by the Tennessee Beef Industry Council. According to Director of Promotions Lynsie Shackleford, more than 10,000 burgers were consumed during last year’s celebration.
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Breweries, bistros and taverns alike will pull no punches, hold no stops and leave no patty unturned. Waxy cheddar will be replaced with fancier fontina and French cheese you might have otherwise found on charcuterie boards. Wilting iceberg lettuce will be swapped out for butterhead lettuce. Glossy brioche will take the place of the squishy, standard-issue “cookout” buns. Regular, sliced white onions will be caramelized or even fried.
Last year Anomaly, the food branch of Oddstory Brewing Co., slathered its single-patty smash burger with a smoky blend of mayonnaise and harissa, a chili pepper paste with Tunisian origins. Five Wits crafted a “Left Coast Burger,” an almost carbon-copy of the “Animal-style” burger from the beloved Southern California based franchise In-N-Out Burger. Drake’s had blueberry bourbon barbecue sauce on their burger, The Kinley used a marmalade made with medjool dates. The Whiskey Cowgirl used toasted sourdough for their “Dolly Parmesan” burgers and Alimentari Cucina e Bar went as far as impaling their 8-ounce burger with an andouille corn dog, and that’s after it’s been topped with hot dog chili, nacho cheese, tortilla strips and “fried angry pickles.”
Cherry Street Brewing snatched the third place “trophy” with a pair of Angus Certified patties with American cheese, bacon, mango pepper jelly and peanut butter… yes, peanut butter on a challah bun (toasted of course). The “Dilled Green Pimento Burger” was enough to earn Common Table second place.