This announcement is part of our 2013 Burger Week (Aug 5-11), where we (and generous sponsors Nicky USA and Widmer Brewing) team with local restaurants and vendors to bring you $5 gourmet hamburgers!
When we started putting Burger Week together, Foster Burger was on my shortest of short lists as a dream participant. Experts at firing a patty long on juiciness, char, and all-around umami, they joined the Burger Week fray right at the wire with a “Kimcheeseburger.” There have long been signs that 2013 would be the year that kimchi, the spicy Korean condiment of fermented cabbage and chilies, finally got mainstream acceptance, and here it’s used to excellent effect. I sat down with Aaron Barnett (chef of St. Jack, consultant to the Foster kitchen, and designer of the Kimcheeseburger) and enjoyed one last week.
Foster Burger is using their standard all-natural NW beef patty—no mini-patties for the mini-prices of Burger Week—and smothering it in fireworks. Pepperjack cheese, combined with an American cheese sauce, add creamy richness; thick, smoky bacon adds bite and salt. A locally-made kimchi hits with a funky, bright, pickled intensity that’s complemented by the follow-through of a spicy cilantro aioli. City favorite Vietnamese bakery An Xuyen—a Foster Burger neighbor—provides the sturdy sesame-seeded bun. Despite all this talk of pepper and spice, it’s hardly a daunting experience: the heat is more playful and appetite-boosting than painful (you get their Burner burger for that). It’s fair game for pretty much any palate.
If you haven’t been in to Foster Burger, the time is now. Milkshakes, fries, poutine, and salads fill out the list of house burgers, kids are welcome, and there’s a serious bar and beer program in effect.
Foster Burger
5339 SE Foster Road
Open daily, Daily: 11am - 10pm
Portland Mercury Burger Week on Facebook
