The Br Burger at Brewology • Photo courtesy of @ordinarydayswilddreams
While there are several claims to the inventor of the first cheeseburger, it is popularly theorized that Lionel Sternberger was the originator in 1926. As a sixteen-year-old boy working at his father’s sandwich shop in Pasadena, it’s alleged that he created the cheeseburger when he experimentally added a piece of American cheese to a burger as it was grilling. My best guess is that he was either bored, trying to annoy dad, or maybe he just really liked cheese and thought, why not? What matters is this: he got creative and little did he know that almost a century later, his little experimentation would not only still be an American staple, but also inspiration of continued culinary experimentation. There’s one Long Island town that follows in this tradition and continues to take burgers to the next level.
Here are five of our favorite burger joints in Port Jeff.
Brewology is what happens when high end food, craft beer and French Industrial design get together in a modern bar scene. The Br Burger is a creation of unusual and high end ingredients carefully designed with dry aged beef, crispy duck bacon, sesame garlic aioli, truffle gouda cheese, LTO, toasted flaxseed bun and served with pickle and fries. Chances are if you’ve come to Br, you’re probably also going to order up a beer or whiskey flight. So have a seat on one of the chairs, which like most of the decor is reclaimed or recycled and built by hand by a local craftsmen and sit a spell with a delicious Pear & Pineapple Sangria (Pinot Grigio, pear juice, pineapple juice, St. Germaine, pear vodka, and topped with club soda) to enjoy not only this delicious burger, but the also the hip and inviting atmosphere.
While you might think of Ruvo as an Italian restaurant, it is named after a small hill in Italy, after all, you might not know that they also have delicious burgers. The Ruvo burger consists of perfectly melted cheddar and crispy pecan bacon topped off with lettuce, tomato and pickles. The Smoke House Burger is also a winner with its mouthwatering molasses bbq, Canadian bacon and smoked gouda. These scrumptious offerings are only available during lunch and are served with house fries or salad for only $10 –making them lip-smacking and affordable.
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The Chelsea Burger is my favorite dish on the menu. It’s a house-made, grilled veggie burger with melted blue cheese, sliced red onion, fresh black pepper, house balsamic vinaigrette and greens—with a choice of bun. I recommend the multi-grain. The burger patty is one the most amazing components of this sandwich because texturally it doesn’t fall apart and crumble. It has the consistency of a real burger without trying to be a real burger. The real genius though is the Balsamic vinaigrette. You will eat it and wonder why you’ve never thought of adding this as condiment to every other burger you’ve ever eaten (and if you already do this, please contact me because we should be friends). I’m all about notes when it comes to eating my food. Everything in a dish should have a purpose and in this case the vinaigrette subtly highlights the taste of the crumbled blue cheese while providing an overall moistness to the sandwich. It’s so simple that it’s brilliant.
With a name like Gourmet Burger Bistro, you pretty much expect a menu full of innovative burger creations, and luckily, GBB does not disappoint. My recommendations include the Cuban Burger beef patty—All GBB Beef is Grass Fed U.S.D.A Certified—topped with sliced pickles, gruyere swiss, roasted garlic aioli & thin sliced grilled black forest ham or the Bayou Burger—a turkey patty mixed with andouille sausage and Cajun spices, topped with cheddar & pepper jack cheese. Did I also mention that you can pick from brioche, sesame, 7 grain, or Pretzel buns? If you’re into doing your own thing, then by all means, try the build your own burger. Choose your patty, cheese, toppings, sauces and buns. Want ketchup with that? If so, you’ll need to choose between plain, Bacon, or spicy Ketchup—all three are 100% natural.
Toast has topped my breakfast and beverages lists before, but let’s not forget that they also serve up a unique list of lunch choices that will make foodies rejoice. Newly added to the menu, The Iron Skillet (8 oz. handmade burger topped with pulled pork, maple bacon, green chili and queso fresco. Or if you can’t decide between breakfast or dinner, well there’s a burger for that too! The Eggs Benedict Brunch burger is a genius combination of my favorites: breakfast and lunch. This handmade beef patty is topped with a perfectly poached egg and hollandaise sauce served up a giant English muffin.
