April 10-16 was Chattanooga’s Burger Week and we set out to sample the finest burgers the City has to offer. Twenty-eight eateries put together their palate-pleasing masterpieces to entice burger eaters to vote their offerings to win BEST BURGER 2023.
We started our quest at a new road house called Whiskey Cowgirl that features live bands and a pool on the patio. The manager told us the place was still a honky-tonk work in progress. The Dolly Parmesan was a burger on a grill cheese sandwich with excellent Parmesan Crusted Sourdough Bread.
To sample as many burgers as possible in just 5 days you need a strategy. Karen and I split a burger at each venue reasoning that just a few bites is not fair judgement. We ordered no sides with our burger halves and walked to a second location to split another, making it possible to try two burgers per day.
Burger week is all about getting out of your hamburger comfort zone. The Cherry Street Brewery’s Brewer’s PB&J did just that. Two Angus patties topped with American Cheese, Bacon, House-Made Mango Pepper Jelly and Creamy Peanut Butter on a toasted Challah Bun. This sounds crazy, but it was our favorite and we picked it to win the competition. I may start eating PB&J on all my future burgers grilled at home.
The Alimentari Cucina E Bar is in the Westin Hotel. One of Burger Week’s goals is to get patrons to try new restaurants. We didn’t know some of the locations existed and had passed up others. With its Andouille Corndog perched on top, the Ballpark Burger was a conversation starter. It was here that we met Mike Fackler who gave us tickets and After Show Passes for Jimmie Vaughan’s concert on Friday.
We shared the BBQ Bacon & Jalapeño Burger at the Whiskey Thief in the Edwin Hotel on Friday, before Jimmie’s Blues Show. The burger bulge was haunting us at this point and nobody should go to a concert with a full load of burger on. The Whiskey Thief was a new find and has one of Chattanooga’s best views of the Walnut Street Foot Bridge across the Tennessee River.
Nic & Norman’s is next to the Chattanooga Choo Choo in the old railway station. With a view of the tracks out back and live music, we chose this as our Saturday afternoon lunch spot. The Southern Smashburger strutted its stuff with cheddar grits, bacon bits, remoulade sauce and two fried green tomatoes on top. Yum!
The Burger Republic is new to Chattanooga and it’s location near the Aquarium downtown means there’s usually a line out the door. We went to the Bessie Smith festival for Gospel Music first, then walked to the Walnut Street Bridge Art festival. Another bit of a hike to Burger Republic put us there between rush times and we waltzed right in. The Green Jacket Burger’s Angus Beef was slathered with Bacon Jam, Pimento Cheese and topped with a Fried Green Tomato.
Sunday was the last day of Burger Week and it was all we could do to split one more burger. The Bar at Table South in the downtown Marriott was our final pick. The Hot Down South Burger had a layer of Shaved Brisket on top of the beef patty with Napa Cabbage Slaw, Swiss Cheese, Chimichurri Sauce, and Banana Pepper Jam. It packed some sweet heat and we took the rest of the day off. 1st Place went to Jack Brown’s Wagyu Beef topped with Crab Rangoon Filling, Fried Wonton Strips and Sticky Sweet Chili Sauce. 2nd Place was Common Table’s Dilled Green Pimento Burger’s Angus Beef, caramelized onion, blackened honey mustard, pimento cheese, bacon and dilled fried green tomato arugula. 3rd Place was our favorite Brewers PB& J. See, peanut butter on a burger appeals to more folks than you might think.