The Sardella Burger

Ask my brother what my favorite food was as a kid, and he’ll gleefully tell you about my love for bacon cheeseburgers, as if that’s something to be ashamed of—especially when his diet mainly consisted of Toaster Strudels, Oreos, and spaghetti and meatballs.

He wouldn’t be wrong though. I was a chunky burger fiend. Aside from my main career goal of being a pizza delivery driver, becoming the Hamburgler was probably next on the list. My love of burgers has evolved over the years. Now that I’m a wise 32 year old manchild, I’m much more likely to order a plain cheeseburger than some kind of Guy Fieri abomination that explodes out the back and sides when I bite into it. I want a good bun, good meat, and a slice of cheddar or American cheese.

I’ve also spent enough time in the St. Louis food world to know that there are few things St. Louis diners (and chefs) love more than burgers. So I’m going to focus on highlighting some of my favorites—the big dogs, the unknowns, the newcomers, the classics.

One that has been on my mind since the first time I ate it is Sardella’s burger weekend-only brunch burger. They take a 100% chuck patty, sear it off on the flat top, then top it with mushrooms cooked in butter and dashi—basically an umami bomb—before draping it with a slice of nutty fontina cheese. While that gets melted under the broiler, the brioche buns get slathered with a parmesan aioli. Even people who don’t love mushrooms tend to find this thing irresistible.

The finished product is more of an umami burger than the umami burger at Umami Burger. It’s a gourmet, thick patty burger, but it’s not dense, nor is it overly fancy. It’s the kind of burger you’d make at home to show off to your buddies, just much better than what you’re capable of pulling off.

P.S. I already know what you’re thinking: why isn’t this burger served at dinner?! Unfortunately, Sardella’s flattop is too small to handle normal dinner items, like scallops, and the burgers. Maybe one day…