Burger Days 2017 Burgers of the Year

Dec
2017

It's been a long time, we shouldn't have left you,

Without some dope beef to munch to,

Think of how many weak burgers you ate through,

Time's up, we're sorry we kept you...

(Apologies to Eric B. and Rakim)

It's been a minute since we've posted, burger brethren, but rest assured, we never faltered in our mission. While the non-burger related, day-to-day routine that is our life has prevented us from giving you the much-needed burger briefs we know you crave, we are continuing to ingest ungodly amounts of meat...and cheese...and fried stuff...and carbs...and gravy...and all things that are good on the regular (check out our Instagram to get your Burger Days fix).

And now, as we near the dawn of a new year, we once again reflect on the pound after pound of ground beef we welcomed into our face holes over the previous 12 months. We're keeping it short and greasy this year, folks...behold the 2017 Burger Days Burgers of the Year!

The Bird's Angus Beef & Moulard Duck Burger

The Bird | 1337 11th Street NW | DC | thebirddc.com

We first took this sucker down back in April when Michael Bonk was leading the kitchen at The Bird. The massive, double-pattied, cheese-blanketed duck-and beef beauty slathered in "special sauce" (think Big Mac) was delicious then and it still is today with new chef Ryan Hackney at the helm.

We popped in earlier this month and to our delight Hackney is still churning out these tasty mounds of meat porn and he's even added some upgrades to the mix (seared foie gras, anyone?). Add the fact that Hackney tell us he plans to upgrade the burger from the limited Happy Hour menu to the full-time jawn and we envision many more visits to The Bird in the New Year.

Clarity's Burger of the Week

Clarity | 442 Maple Avenue E | Vienna | clarityvienna.com

Clarity isn't burger joint but, hot damn, do they know how to serve one up.

Strictly a lunchtime affair, Clarity founder and chef Jon Krinn hooks up his beef-and-bread masterpiece four times a week at the fancy Vienna joint, featuring a five ounce patty served on a brioche white sesame bun that he makes every morning. But don't get it twisted — this is no menu filler; Krinn switches up the burger makeup weekly and debuts a new creation each Tuesday. That's right, a fancy-ass Burger of the Week!

On our visit, he hit it out of the park topping the beef with pimento cheese, caramelized onions and a fried green tomato. He's also featured stacks like a thick slab bacon Caesar burger and more recently, he's been featuring a dry aged patty from Seven Hills.

Lucky Buns' Bogan Bun

Lucky Buns | 2000 18 Street | DC | luckybunsdc.com

Damn it, Alex McCoy, can you try making something that doesn't make us want to toss out our jeans and wear sweat pants for the rest of our lives? The man behind this....and this....and this .... and, well, you get the idea — that dude is back on the grill and he's given us another reason to nix any and all resolutions we had to work on our waistlines in the New Year.

McCoy's new venture in Adams Morgan, Lucky Buns, is part Duke's, part Alfie's and just about everything in between and, honestly, we just want to curl up and live under the bar. The Bogan Bun, shown here, is a mountain of meat featuring two Creekstone patties (BD PRO TIP: always go double patty. Never single. NEVER.), Gouda, bacon XO jam, some magical goodness called Lucky sauce, grilled red onions, arugula and some of the tastiest pickles you'll ever eat.

There's also a sack of fries, FRIED CHICKEN and peppers known as the Spice Bag that's a must-order, too...dammit.

Maybe by 2019 we'll be ready to slim down.

The Salt Line's New England Smash Burger

The Sale Line | 79 Potomac Avenue SW | DC | thesaltline.com

Reminiscent of our tango with Brine's burger a few years back, you have our permission to forgo the surf and instead dive mouth first into a fat stack of turf at The Salt Line.

While some may find it hard to pass up the under-the-sea stuff here, we don't have that problem as chef Kyle Bailey does everything right with his burger. There's nothing remotely fancy about the stack — it's a tried-and-true, classic smashed patty double decker. Two chuck patties get squashed on the flat top, covered in American cheese and then tossed on a squishy bun with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo. That's it.

It's beefy. It's greasy. It's damn near perfect.

Alta Strada's Alta Strada Burger

When Matt Adler came back on the scene earlier this year, we knew there were good things in store for our bellies. As the man in charge of Michael Schlow's Italian concepts in the D.C. area and beyond, our carb cravings are never left unsatisfied at one of his restaurants. But while we adore pasta and pizza, our one true love is the burger. And, thankfully, Adler knows his way around the beef.

The 2015 BOTY winner is back on the podium again in 2017 thanks to his Amatriciana stack Adler debuted at Alta Strada earlier this year. Now available at both Mosaic and K Street locations, the burger is a take on the traditional pasta sauce from Amatrice and comes topped with fontina, a spicy tomato aioli and crispy pancetta and caramelized onions. Sitting on a brioche bun from Del Ray's Junction Bakery, it's easy to forget about the noodles when this thing is on the menu.