Burgerama

Something about summertime makes me crazy about hot-off-the-grill burgers. Well....Actually I wasn't even aware of this until I uploaded food photos from the past couple months and noticed a distinct trend. Which makes more sense since it's not really summer here in the fog anyway.
My whirlwind burgerama begins with Hubert Keller's Burger Bar. The owner/chef at Fleur de Lys opened this spot opposite Cheesecake Factory in Macy's last year. My expectations were surprisingly high given his rep and I couldn't help myself ordering the signature FdL peppercorn sauce on the side! Three sliders—one buffalo, two different types of beef—all with cheddar on cute lil buns.

Next up: The Butler on Lake Kalamazoo, MI. A very satisfying, very rare, very delicious burger on a charred bun.
And then, one of the better burgers I've tasted, a salty masterpiece at Nopa. I'm typically one to slather spicy mustard, ketchup, lettuce, tomato and onion on my burgers; never turning down blue cheese, bacon or mushrooms. But this burger was fine just by itself. I put a thin spread of house aioli for a kick of garlic but otherwise savored the flavorful bun and burger solo. Impressive.
Wedding venue Rosewood Hotel is next up: Niman Ranch sliders with soft goat cheese and freshly made tomato sauce. Too small to make a meal but quite good. It was a smart decision to go for the garlic fries with aioli this round.
And most recently, the new Marengo on Union Street whose mantra is 'wine, whiskey and sliders.' So yeah, we checked out the sliders. Marengo (named for the street in Pasadena, not the chicken recipe or booze) offered some more unique options like jerk chicken, coconut shrimp cake and mushroom-barley. But they nailed the classic blue cheese and bacon. Mmmm!!