Beef on a bun
an upscale favorite
By Valerie Vinyard
vvinyard@azstarnet.com
Tucson, Arizona | Published: 12.13.2007
Welcome to the land of the $16 burger.
Who'd have thought it would have come to this? You take a bun, slap a beef patty in between the slices and insert some lettuce, tomato, onion and maybe a slice of cheese.
But a beefed-up era of burger has arrived. These juicy, gourmet offerings are available at a number of discerning Tucson restaurants.
While you still can get a quality burger at such standbys as Bob Dobbs Bar and Grill, 2501 E. Sixth St., some restaurants have morphed this workingman's burger into a masterpiece.
The newest member of this burger blitz, Zinburger, will open at 11 a.m. Monday.
A creation of Fox Restaurant Concepts, Zinburger is located at 1865 E. River Road in what used to house Bistro Zin, another Fox restaurant that closed in May.
Gone is the dark and marooon interior that gave Bistro Zin such an inviting, cigar-bar feel. In its place is a slick, contemporary redesign of light wood, bright lighting and mirrors.
"We're hoping to accomplish something young and fresh," said Jim Belden, a 26-year-old chef at Zinburger. "A burger is close to my heart. I don't think a lot of places go out of their way to make a gourmet burger."
The capacity of Zinburger is slightly larger than that of Bistro Zin, with seating for 70 outside — including a new outdoor area for 20 in front of the restaurant — and 80 inside.
"Our theme is to be all natural," said Christopher Cristiano, vice president and executive chef of Fox Restaurant Concepts. "Although you're eating a hamburger, we don't want it to be bad for you."
Zinburger's dishes include the $10 Samburger, a patty loaded with American cheese, Neuske's maple bacon and a housemade Thousand Island dressing as well as the Kobe Burger, a $16 creation that uses American Kobe beef, Vermont cheddar and wild mushrooms. A couple of salads and the $9 Clint's Almost Famous Vegetable Burger with smoked mozzarella and tomato marmalade are vegetarian options.
Other Fox restaurants, such as Wildflower, Montana Avenue and North, offer their own versions of gourmet burgers for $10 or $11.
Ric's Cafe just last week started serving ground filet mignon sliders every Tuesday. The roughly 3-ounce burgers will sell for $2 each from 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays.
"On Tuesdays, we're doing filet mignon sliders with homemade potato chips," said co-owner Lorna Ahern. "We also have a half-pound Angus burger on our lunch menu for $8. We'll just do whatever they want."
Where's the (gourmet) beef? Here are 10 places to try
• Arizona Inn, 2200 E. Elm St.: The $13 half-pound Angus burger comes on an onion bun with either bacon and blue cheese or mushroom and Swiss cheese. Other toppings are available.
• Chad's Steakhouse & Saloon, 3001 N. Swan Road: The half-pound Angus burger is seasoned with garlic powder, costs $7.45 and comes with beans or fries and all the fixin's. Add 50 cents for cheese or other toppings such as green chiles, bacon, mushrooms or onions.
• Cuvée World Bistro, 3352 E. Speedway: "We have people drive like 120 miles to come have our hamburger," said Brian Molina, a manager at Cuvée.
The half-pound of Black Angus beef costs $9 and is simply seasoned with salt and pepper. Choose from about a dozen cheeses.
• Elle — A Wine Country Restaurant, 3048 E. Broadway: The half-pound Angus burger comes with a side and is topped with fried onions, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar and chipotle barbecue sauce and costs $10.25. Take half off the price during Elle's 4:30-6:30 p.m. daily happy hour.
• HiFalutin, 6780 N. Oracle Road: The $8.99 half-pound burger is topped with mayo, relish, white cheddar and all the fixin's and comes with fries.
• Kingfisher Bar and Grill, 2564 E. Grant Road: The $11 half-pound burger comes with shoestring fries, cole slaw and any or all of the following: bacon, cheddar, gorgonzola, red peppers and poblano chiles.
• Pastiche Modern Eatery, 3025 N. Campbell Ave.: Burgers range from $8.95 to $14.95. The 10-ounce Guinness steak burger ($14.95) is ground steak marinated in Guinness and put on a grilled sourdough bun. It's topped with Porter cheddar, pepper bacon and a fried egg.
"It's like a cardiac arrest on a plate," said Pastiche owner Pat Connors.
• Red Sky Cafe, 2900 N. Swan Road: The half-pound Black Angus burger costs $9.50 at lunch, comes with Wisconsin cheddar and is garnished with pepperocini, black olives, red onions, Willcox tomatoes and organic field greens. Choose cottage fries, dill potato salad or fresh fruit as a side.
• Ric's Cafe, 5605 E. River Road: From 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, try a filet mignon slider — or two — for $2 each.
• Terra Cotta, 3500 E. Sunrise Drive: The famous Terra Cotta Blue Cheese Sirloin Burger costs $10. It's infused with Maytag blue cheese and is topped with caramelized onions, pancetta, lettuce and tomato, and comes with fries. The half-pound burger is only $5 in the bar area during happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. daily.
"In all honesty, it's worth $10, but when you come for happy hour it's a smokin' deal," said Lee Gregory, manager at Terra Cotta.
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