Monday, November 25, 2013

Avoid Holiday Traffic Stress: Shop in East Brainerd, Eat in Ooltewah

Don’t get caught in the seasonal traffic snarl—instead make a tactical strike to get each item on your list, then retreat to your own back yard. We’re waiting for you with some frosty ones and the best burgers in Chattanooga! 

Instead staying in the East Brainerd chaos, celebrate crossing the last few people off your Christmas list over craft brews and something to get you over the holiday hangries (the hungry-angries, when your blood sugar drops!). Swap stories of the shopping rush, which stores were mobbed, and where you snagged your biggest victory deals over onion rings and fries.

Best of all, your day is done—you don’t have to head back out into fray after your meal to get home, because you’re already there! If your time at the mall has already gotten the best of you, we have options to call ahead for carry out. By the time you arrive your burgers and fries will be hot and ready to take home, where you can put your bags down and your feet up.

If you realize you’ve forgotten someone on your list or want to pick up a few extra stocking stuffers, we offer gift cards that are the perfect way to top off your holiday treats. You might be the most popular of Santa’s elves by sending tidings of bacon jam and good cheer! This holiday season, when you head to East Brainerd to shop, don’t stick around for more frustration after you’ve picked up your Christmas surprises. Just hurry on home—we have a fabulous meal waiting for you at Cambridge Square!


Friday, November 8, 2013

The Art of Building a Better Burger

At Southern Burger Co, we believe that burgers are an art form. Not to get too poetic, but a good burger has a lot in common with a sonnet.  Each has a set structure to support almost infinite creativity.  In a burger’s case you start with two buns, a patty and the toppings. In a sonnet’s case you start with a set rhyme scheme and number of stanzas. Where you take your burger or your poem from there is up to you.

When we started Southern Burger, we knew it was important to start with those essential elements and make sure they are exactly right. As we learn from experience about the art of a great burger, we’ve made a few changes. You might have read our last blog post about our new Niedlov’s buns. Their shape inspired us to make our patties broader for crispier edges and a dense juicy center, all with more room to pile delicious condiments. For veggie lovers, we’ve honed an amazing, unique eggplant cheddar veggie burger that’s every bit as good as a meat patty.

Most everyone knows the basic burger toppings—ketchup, mustard, mayo, lettuce, tomato, and maybe a slice of cheese. We decided to give each one the attention we pay to our burger patties and buns. If we’re serving fresh, healthy 100% Ground Chuck, premium Jenni-O Turkey, nitrate-free bacon, and Clifty Farms Pork, that the condiments we put on it should be just as quality. That’s why we make our own in-house from scratch with no high fructose corn syrup.

We go through five gallons of our house ketchup a week! We also make our own mustard, ranch, buffalo ranch, curry ketchup, and Southern sauce. Our pimento cheese is made in house, and if you can’t get enough we also sell it by the pint. Our very favorites, though, are our one of a kind Bacon Jam and Habanero Jam that really push our burgers to the next level.

Our other condiments still get the same level of thought and love when it comes to where we source them. We serve Duke’s Mayonnaise, a fiercely loved Southern classic. Our pickles are made by Wickle’s, a little Alabama company that makes their pickles according to a 70-year old family recipe. We use Red Oak lettuce because it has better flavor and can stand proudly with the other ingredients, and order our kale from Fall Creek Farms. If we don’t make it ourselves, we find someone who puts in the care and attention we think is necessary for every ingredient.

As you can see, we take the art of the burger very seriously. Though the components are familiar, each and every one has been carefully considered and given the utmost attention. We want every part of the burger to be just right, recognizable and yet unlike anything you’ve ever had. That’s our mission at Southern Burger, and every day we come back to the kitchen to fine tune our craft and serve up the best burgers the South has ever seen.