Poutine burger
Sideburns by The Stache, 939E. Fourth St.; 562-606-2529, thestachebar.com
Poutine is a Canadian dish of French fries and cheese curds topped with brown gravy. Brett Gallo, owner of Sideburns by The Stache, already had burgers, poutine and cheese curds separately on the menu, so he decided to just put them all together. “We decided to chargrill this burger, add some caramelized onions and melt the cheese curds while the burger is cooking on the grill,” he said. It’s all then topped with fries and gravy. “The first thing that hits you is the savoriness of the gravy, then the melted cheese hits you next, with the chargrilled burger and then the fries just bring it all together,” he said.
Cost: $10
Oyster mushroom burger
Where: Berlin Bistro, 420E. Fourth St.; 562-435-0600, berlinbistro.com
Details: Executive Chef Robert Fry decided to use some of the mushrooms he gets from the Santa Monica Farmers Market and Long Beach Mushrooms, a small local farm, to make vegan burgers. The mushrooms are roasted at low temperatures and mixed with aromatic herbs and spices as well as fermented peppers, and it’s all served in a vegan potato bun. “What you’re going to get is the very concentrated flavors of the mushrooms, which also have a natural meat quality to it. So you’re going to get a very savory flavor,” Fry said. “It’ll give you the perception that you’re going to eat natural meat.”
Cost: $15
PB&J Burger with a cocktail
Where: Portuguese Bend Distillery,
300The Promenade North; 562-435-4411, portuguesebenddistilling.com
Details: Peanut butter and jelly on a burger? This combo also comes with a fancy drink. The downtown Long Beach restaurant and distillery is known for its craft cocktail menu, and the burgers are meant to be paired with a beverage. So for burger week, Portuguese Bend owner and distiller Simon Haxton created one with a pomegranate and chipotle jelly mixed with peanut butter, plus pickles and grilled onions. “The peanut butter itself gives it a little extra dimension of umami and richness instead of having cheese — that’s where the thought is,” he said. It’s paired with a black Manhattan drink that uses housemade High Rye bourbon and a walnut liqueur, which is also made in-house from California black walnuts. “There’s a jamminess in the cocktail that will pair great with peanut butter and jelly,” Haxton said.
Cost: $25 with drink