Traveling for Burgers and Beer



Craft Ale House Burger
w/ fried onions & blue cheese

Some of my recent posts have focused on food along with beer options around Philly.  This started me thinking about my favorite beer and food combo. What do I tend to order more than anything else?  Either locally or out on the road the burger is king.  For great beer and burgers around Philly Standard Tap, Craft Ale House , Monk's and Capone's get my nod.  Since my grand traveling days are on hold for awhile (little Miss. Iambeerwise is arriving soon) I'm depending on these local favorites for my fix. However, when I dream of sizzling ground beef away from Philly there are two places that satisfy my beer and burger fantasies. One is a plane ride west and the other is a simple day trip down 95.
 

Duffy's Cherry Cricket Burger
w/green chilies & cream cheese



First up is Duffy's Cherry Cricket in Denver Colorado. Their mouth watering Cricket Burger topped with mild Green Chilies and Cream Cheese is outrageously good. It may sound odd but it's an incredible mix of flavors that really work well together. The beer list is heavy on Colorodo breweries which should be no surprise. I wrote more about it here in my ramblings on last year's GABF.

RFD  Breakfast Burger



However as good as that burger and beer choices were at Cherry Cricket top spot goes to RFD in Washington D.C. This beer utopia is home to the appropriately named  Breakfast Burger. I discovered this miracle on a plate last year during D.C. Beer Week. It's a 1/2lb of ground beef marinated in Kostritzer Black Lager, cooked to order, topped with a fried egg, bacon, American cheese and a choice of toppings.  It's all served with a side of fries.  As good as that was what pushed it to number one was the accompanying glass of Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout.   A damn a finer meal has not been had in all the land! Although I enjoyed it for dinner it's easy to picture putting this away on a weekend morning or better yet after a night out with the clock striking 3am. All that breakfast goodness between two buns washed down with the maple, coffee, bourbon flavors of the palate bashing CBS. The bonus is RFD is one of the best beer bars anywhere. If a monstrous Imperial Stout doesn't work something from the impressive bottle selection or 35 taps is sure to please. The perfect gluttonous burger along with a bevy of beer choices is the reason RFD has my top spot.