April 15th, 2010 By Jeremy Lloyd

Where’s the Beef? Part II: Portland's Best Eastside Happy Hour Burgers

Your guide to Portland’s best happy hour burgers
Part 1: Southwest and Northwest Portland
Part 2: Northeast and Southeast Portland

Ah, tax season, that magical time of year when all Americans must settle up with the government to ensure that they have enough funds to create thousands of new jobs, foster a thriving economy and provide our schoolchildren with the best education money can buy. Oh, wait. Well, they’ll probably get around to all that stuff eventually.

Fortunately, there are still plenty of things that make this country of ours great, like happy hour burgers—and no city does happy hour quite like Portland. A few months back we highlighted the upscale westside spots concentrated in the Pearl and down the main drag of SW Broadway that offer up discounted bovine delights. The eastside, however, has a flavor all its own, with offerings ranging from hearty bar burgers to complex gourmet works of art and everything in between. And the best part is, most of these mouthwatering meat treats won’t set you back more than $6–$7.

So if you have a 10-spot left in your wallet after paying off Uncle Sam this April 15th, there’s a fat, juicy happy hour burger out there with your name on it—God bless America!

Best Fixins: Biwa

Biwa Burger, $7
Hours Available: Daily 10–12 p.m.

Popular Japanese dining destination Biwa is probably the last place you’d expect to find a happy hour burger, but show up after 10 p.m. and you’ll discover one of the most unique and flavorful offerings in the entire city.

This deftly prepared 6 oz. beef patty is seasoned with salt and pepper, then given a tasty twist with the addition of garlic, ginger and soy sauce. All these elements are set off nicely with a healthy layer of kimchi mayonnaise, but the real star of the show is the thinly sliced house-made chasyu pork, which spirals in perfect formation over top of the patty, adding another layer of complexity that will make you thoughtfully savor each and every bite.

Nearby sandwich shop Meat Cheese Bread supplies the bun, which plays its role well as a supporting actor to the variety of flavors it holds together, and the plate is finished off with a small portion of picked onions and carrots and a side of potato salad.

215 SE 9th Avenue
Portland, OR 97214
503.239.8830
www.biwarestaurant.com

Best Beef: Trebol

Trebol Burger and Beer Wednesdays, $10
Hours Available: Wednesday 5–10 p.m.

If you have yet to experience the spectacular Oaxacan cuisine conjured by Trebol chef Kenny Hill, drop whatever you’re doing and go there—right now. Hill’s dinner menu is full of vibrant and perfectly-presented culinary creations, but he puts just as much thought and consideration into his burger, which on Wednesday nights includes a healthy helping of mixed greens and a PBR Tall Boy for $10.

A hearth baked bun (made in-house from scratch) is spread with a just-hot-enough jalapeno aioli that sets the stage for a savory and delicious 6 oz. beef patty, which is seasoned with 12 different types of chilies and all manner of other subtle yet precise elements.

If you have a few extra bucks to spare, it’s highly recommended that you pop for the creamy house-made guacamole, mesquite smoked and peppered bacon, and asadero cheese ($1 extra each), which all work together in perfect harmony to punch your one-way ticket to hamburger heaven.

4835 North Albina Avenue
Portland, OR 97217
503.517.9347
www.trebolpdx.com

Best Fries: Bar Carlo

Burger Di Carlo, $6
Hours Available: Daily 3–5 p.m. (closed Tuesdays)

If your mood calls for a hearty, straight forward plate of burger and fries in a laid back and inviting setting, neighborhood breakfast and lunch joint Bar Carlo is sure to hit the spot.

Their happy hour offering, the Burger Di Carlo, consists of a grilled and buttered square ciabatta bun piled high with lettuce, tomato and onion and topped by a simply-seasoned yet well-prepared 6 oz. patty smothered in gooey cheese ($1 extra). And, just to keep you on your toes, the addition of garlic aioli adds a bit of flair to the equation and combines with the buttered bun to create a subtle touch of rich, lip-smacking flavors.

But perhaps the best thing about this plate of food is the pile of monstrous potato wedges it comes with, which add an element of down-home comfort to what is easily the most filling meal on our list.

6433 SE Foster Road
Portland, OR 97206
503.771.1664
www.barcarlo.com

Biggest Patty: Echo Restaurant

Echo Burger, $6.50
Hours Available: Monday–Friday 4:30–6 p.m., Saturday & Sunday 3–6 p.m.

Set in a historic brick building and offering elements of both comfort and class, Echo is best known for their creative cocktails and excellent Northwest cuisine—but they also cook up one of the thickest, plumpest burgers you’ll ever sink your teeth into.

Boasting ½ lb. of Strawberry Mountain beef, the Echo Burger weighs in as the heavyweight champion of our list. Prepared with the beef purist in mind, Echo does not season their patty at all, allowing the natural flavors to shine through. They also don’t skimp on the fixins, piling on a generous amount of onion, lettuce and tomato on an onion roll spread with a zesty garlic lemon aioli.

The only knock on this mouthwatering hunk of meat is that fries or a side of any kind is not included. But unlike most happy hour burgers, two big slabs of pepper bacon and your choice of Rogue blue cheese or Tillamook white cheddar come at no extra charge, so we’ll let it slide.

2225 NE MLK Boulevard
Portland, OR 97212
503.460.3246
www.echorestaurant.com

Best Cooked: Belly Timber CLOSED

BT Burger, $6
Hours Available: Wednesday–Sunday 4:30–6:00 p.m.

We were a bit surprised when the quest for our final happy hour burger landed us in the artfully restored Victorian house that Belly Timber now calls home, but we soon learned that great burgers can be found in just about any setting.

What really sets the BT Burger apart is the way its 6 oz. patty is cooked, which results in a perfectly charred outside while maintaining a juicy and pink inside. The secret, revealed chef Paul Hyman, is rendered marrow fat, which is brushed on the burger before cooking, helping to create the sublime array of textures and adding a rich flavor.

Generous slices of tomatoes and pickles along with lettuce and onions on a buttery brioche bun from Grand Central Bakery complete this burger nicely, but for an added twist, the addition of blue cheese ($1) is highly recommended. Or, if you really want to test the limits of your taste buds, opt for a side order of thin-cut fries served with rich marrow aioli ($4), which can also be spread on the burger for extra creamy goodness.

3257 SE Hawthorne Boulevard
Portland, OR 97214
503.235.3277
www.bellytimberrestaurant.com