The Tale of Two Brothers: Good friends, Good food, and exceptionally Great Beer!
2013 has really flown by. It seems like the year just begun yet here we are in the thick of the holiday shopping season, and on the brink the coming holiday season. In this month of thanksgiving I decided to take on the 30 Day Gratitude Challenge, a daily moment of appreciation and thankfulness for anything positive in your life, and 30-days of no complaining despite any turmoil. Among the things I am thankful for is Slater’s 50/50’s Thanksgiving Burger. Since its inception, Slater’s has done this burger every November, despite it not being a guaranteed annual tradition (yet).
A good high school friend and I made plans earlier last month to try The Bulgogi Beef Burger, but one thing led to another and we are not able to try it together. I sent him a Facebook message, Monday; I believe, to schedule a time to try this month’s burger. We made arrangements to go Slater’s on debut day, 1 November 2013. The next decision to figure out was, whether to go to Huntington Beach or Pasadena, ultimately we decided on Pasadena; my favorite Slater’s location.
This month’s burger, The Thanksgiving Burger, features Slater’s signature fresh turkey patty (no ground bacon) topped with house-made brioche dressing, turkey gravy, scratch cranberry sauce and sage mayo; served on a honey wheat bun. The burger is simple, but not at all lackluster. It does not yield the “om nom nom nom” response or attitude that comes with an obnoxious amount of bacon; but it provides a warm, calm, and comforting effect that one would expect from spending time with family on Thanksgiving. If nothing else, it accomplishes its goal of being a befitting alternative to the labor-intensive turkey and dressing dinner.
The turkey patty is the most interesting part of the burger, to me. When coupled with the strong taste of Old Viscosity Ale—a 10% alcohol by volume, American Double / Imperial Stout style beer brewed by Port Brewing Co. in San Marcos, CA—the mocha/cappuccino-like beer, seemingly, cleanses the taste-palette, thereby rendering a different yet better interpretation of the well-season turkey patty with each bite. You would think a beer with such subtle sweetness, and a hint of chocolate and caramel would overpower the ingredients, mainly the cranberry sauce; but it doesn’t. It gives a depth of flavor to the turkey patty that says “Hey, there’s a seasoned and succulent meat patty here, not just cranberry sauce.” Lagunitas Chez Style Pils. is the suggested beer for this burger. Having tried both, I believe Old Viscosity Ale is the better suitor. It is the antithetical taste which, contrastingly, enhances the burger experience.
There is no wonder that this burger has been served annually. And hopefully becomes a staple tradition at Slater’s. It’s very good and coupled with the right beer, every bite is new and refreshing.
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- Old Viscosity
Slater’s 50/50 Pasadena
61 North Raymond Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91103
(626) 586-1047
Hours: Sun 9:30a.m. – 11:00p.m., Mon-Thurs 11:00a.m. – 11:00p.m.,
Fri & Sat 11:00a.m. – 12:00a.m.
Breakfast is back every Sunday, starting at 9:30a.m. during regular football season!
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