For some odd reason, it is difficult to find a delicious burger in Portland. There are plenty of offerings in and around Portland, but none of them seem to be amazing. To be fair, I had not have the opportunity to visit many sit down restaurants that have appeared on lists, all thanks to the pandemic. (Stop spreading germs, people!) Still, the slim pickings forced me to fall back on eating fast food burgers such as Burgerville and Five Guys. Recently, I noticed that Burger Stevens have replaced Ruby Jewel’s cart at BG food cartel, a local food cart spot. The Eater’s burger list was then updated to reflect the change in address, which got me exciting. Sure enough, there has been one review as of this writing. I did not have the opportunity to eat at the location in the touristy Pioneer Courthouse Square, so this winter home location is a great way to get intimate with Burger Stevens.
Portland being its usual self, started raining furiously as I approached to order lunch. Usually, the outdoor benches (which are separated far away) are filled with customers. Today, there is nobody. I like that the choices are extremely limited, keeping to focus to good, traditional burger. The main differences of the entrees are for number/size of patties, cheeses and choice of toppings. They do serve veggie patties and hot dog, but the focus is on the cheeseburgers. i ordered the double classic with grilled onion, which comes at a whopping 1/2lbs but it was not obvious at all. They also serve lemon chiffon pie but ran out by 1pm on a Saturday. Oh, and if you thought fresh rain isn’t good enough, they serve “Oregon Rain” still water for $2.
Burger Stevens make their burgers fresh, taking all 15minutes of the estimated completion time. All the while I’m waiting in the drizzle with no shelter. Today’s rain is slightly stronger than usual, and nobody want to be wet, even those born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. After receiving the order, I scurry towards the warm of my car to begin the long awaited meal. The burger, as mentioned earlier, looks smaller than the 1/2lbs indication. As I removed my mask, the fragrant of the burger hits me instantly. The assembly of the burger reminded me of Shake Shack, a very sunny, colorful looking hamburger. The patties have been smashed flat and worried me a little. I do not want to eat beef jerky. The first bite removed all doubts – the burger is so succulent and flavorful, a mix of the grease from the fresh beef patties, secret burger sauce (ketchup + mayo) and the vegetables. I couldn’t taste the grilled onion but I do not care. They have hit every single note in the symphony.
There is also french fries on the side, they are fine and nothing special. I would get another burger or a hot dog in the future. This is a happy ending. Now, I’ll be trying other burger spots on the list. Hopefully, I’m able to find something even better than this, allowing Portland to redeem herself as a good food city. For the time being, I’ll come back to Burger Stevens and enjoy this delicious burger.
Visited: Nov 14th 2020 at 1pm for lunch.
Address: 4250 SW Rose Biggi Ave, Beaverton/ BG’S Food Cartel
Website: https://www.burgerstevens.com/