Hamburgers are becoming almost as ubiquitous - and celebrated - in Tucson as the Sonoran hot dog. From home-grown hamburger innovators such as Monkey Burger and Lindy's on Fourth that have drawn a culinary spotlight to the Old Pueblo, to the hearty welcome that's greeted several of the nation's most venerated chains, Tucsonans can't seem to get enough of what used to be considered quintessential American fast food.
"I just think people are very comfortable spending money on hamburgers. It's something that people can relate to," says restaurateur Sam Fox, who on Friday will open his second Tucson Zinburger gourmet burger restaurant in a building that had, until last Saturday, housed his casual comfort-food restaurant Montana Avenue.
"I go out to dinner about 250 to 300 nights a year. Sometimes there's nothing better than a great hamburger."
Fox, who started his restaurant dynasty in 1997 with his flagship Wildflower in Casas Adobe Plaza, got in on the burger craze early. The economy had begun to slide and he recognized that consumers were less willing to plunk down a lot of money at a restaurant.
He opened his first Zinburger in December 2007 on East River Road, in a building that previously housed his modestly upscale Bistro Zin. The restaurant quickly gathered a loyal following for the Angus beef burgers dressed up with high-end options from grilled onions and Havarti cheese to Nueske's applewood smoked bacon. (The restaurant also serves a killer milk shake in flavors that include créme brulée, strawberry cheesecake and bananas Foster.) Hamburgers range from $10 for a house burger to $14 for the Kobe burger.
"It's a little bit more money, but it stands out in quality," Fox says of Zinburger, which has one location in Phoenix and plans to open two or three more in the next year. "We have great, simple ingredients, just executed at a really high level."
Last year, Fox sold a franchise license to the New Jersey-based Briad Group, which Fox says has designs on opening Zinburgers across the East Coast. The first one recently opened in Clifton, N.J.
Fox has 32 restaurants and a dozen concepts in his Tucson-born and Phoenix-based stable, including three Sauce pizza eateries in Tucson and six in Phoenix. But for the next year or so, he is focusing his energy and resources on Zinburger.
"Zinburger has been great," says Fox, a 42-year-old father of two. "Our goal is to open a whole bunch more Zinburgers."
Matthew Stricker is the chef and co-owner of the homegrown Monkey Burger, which opened in Williams Center in November 2009. In February, Stricker and his partner, Roy Schaefer, opened a downtown location of their gourmet hamburger restaurant on North Sixth Avenue, across the street from the Ronstadt Transit Center.
"We couldn't be happier," he says. "We've only been open a couple of years, but a lot of people seem to really take to it."
Earlier this summer, Monkey Burger, which serves juicy one-third-pound Angus beef burgers alongside fried pickles and seasoned waffle-cut sweet potato fries, was named one of the nation's best burger restaurants by Metromix, the national online entertainment guide.
The guide noted the restaurant's dozen inventive combinations, which include roasted poblano peppers with sautéed mushrooms, bacon, and cheddar and Swiss cheeses on the Chef Mattie's Monkey; and another piled high with jalapeños, roasted peppers, pepper jack cheese and a house-made Tabasco scallion aioli.
"We engage the five senses," says Stricker, whose career includes a turn as executive chef at the now-closed McClintock's, one of Tucson's most expensive restaurants.
Stricker says Tucson's burger craze goes beyond economic necessity and cuts to the soul of our culture - and one that in the last couple of years has become a $100 million national market.
"I don't think there is a way to label it," he says. "It's Americana."
People lined up outside the new Culver's in Marana hours before its grand opening earlier this month. The much-praised Midwest restaurant chain now has two independently owned and operated Tucson-area locations.
It was a scene reminiscent of when the first In 'N Out Burger came to Tucson in 2007 and the line snaked around the building. With every In 'N Out opening that has followed - there are five in Tucson and one in Marana - has come a line of folks anxious to dig into the California chain's hand-cut fries and fresh-ground beef burgers.
Crowds of Tucsonans turned out again when the nationally celebrated Five Guys Burgers and Fries entered the Tucson burger market last September with its first restaurant here at 2802 N. Campbell Ave. There are now three Five Guys; the newest one opened in June at The Corner, across from the Tucson Mall on North Oracle Road.
"I think part of the reason Culver's has thrived is because in an economy as it is, we offer sit-down restaurant quality food in a fast-food setting," says Kyle Kolsrud, who owns the Marana Culver's restaurant at 6905 N. Thornydale Road. "It enables people to take their families out when the economy is tough. You can get a burger, side and drink for under $4 here."
A week before Kolsrud opened, Kevin Hart set an opening-day sales record for his Culver's restaurant at 40 S. Broadway Place, off Broadway and Prudence.
At the start of Hart's second week, the lunchtime line was still wrapped into the dining room, where nearly every table was filled.
Customers, including Kate Robold and three fellow fifth-grade teachers from Vail's Senita Valley Elementary School, huddled over the signature Butter Burgers - thin hamburger patties sandwiched between lightly buttered toasted buns - and cups of creamy frozen custard.
"I think it's a better burger," she said. "I just love it."
HOME-GROWN
Monkey Burger
5350 E. Broadway in Williams Center; 47 N. Sixth Ave. downtown. monkeyburgerrestaurant.com
• Hours: Williams Center - 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, until 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 8 p.m. Sundays. Downtown - 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays, noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays; closed Sundays.
• The burger: A one-third-pound Angus beef patty cooked on a flat top.
• The bun: Kaiser-style with enough heft to hold up the meat.
• Specialty burgers: Creativity separates the burger joints from burger bistros, and Monkey Burger is definitely a burger bistro, with its Kryptonite sweet pickle relish topping the Chi-town, smoky roasted poblano peppers on the spicy Chef Mattie's Monkey and mounds of creamy guacamole on the Sonora.
• Another reason to visit: The sides rock - fried pickles, roasted corn on the cob and waffle-cut sweet potato fries among them.
• What you'll pay: $7.50 to $9.50
THE CHAINS
Culver's
40 S. Broadway Place, off Broadway near South Pantano Road; and 6905 N. Thornydale Road, Marana. www.culvers.com
• Hours: 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily at Broadway Place; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at Marana.
• The burger: Fresh, never-frozen beef. Patties are a bit on the thin side and cooked on a flat-top grill.
• The bun: Traditional burger buns lightly buttered and toasted (hence the name ButterBurger).
• Specialty burgers: Wisconsin cheese - imported from Culver's home state - is a star on the Wisconsin Swiss Melt, and in a trio of cheddar burgers. For ultimate indulgence, go for the Smoky Cheddar Bacon & Mushroom double.
• Another reason to visit: Creamy, rich frozen custard that will remind you of summers in the Midwest or East Coast.
• What you'll pay: Burgers start at $2.50 for a single; combos with burger and fries start at $4.
THE CHAINS
Fuddruckers
6118 E. Speedway. www.fuddruckers.com
• Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, until 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
• The burger: The meat is ground in-house for ultimate freshness. The patties, starting at one-third pound and topping out at a pound, are grilled over an open flame.
• The bun: Sesame-seeded and baked in-house daily, it's lightly toasted on the grill.
• Specialty burgers: The Inferno, laced with jalapeños; the Southwest, topped by guacamole; and the Swiss Melt, stuffed with savory sautéed mushrooms. For truly one-of-a-kind, check out Fudds Exotics - burgers made of elk, wild boar and buffalo.
• Another reason to visit: The fixins' bar, where you can customize your burger with veggies and sauces.
• What you'll pay: $5 to $9.50.
THE CHAINS
Five Guys Burgers & Fries
2802 N. Campbell Ave., 5566 E. Broadway; and 4362 N. Oracle Road, in The Corner. www.gofiveguys.com
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.
• The burger: Hand-formed quarter-pound patties cooked on a flat-top grill. A bit on the greasy side, but not to the detriment of the burger.
• The bun: Signature buns come lightly grilled.
• Specialty burgers: This is build-your-own land, which means every burger can be special. Ask for it "all the way" for lettuce, pickles, tomatoes, grilled onions and grilled mushrooms.
• Another reason to visit: Free peanuts by the handful or bagful. They also have nifty hand-cut fries prepared Five Guys style with salt or Cajun with Cajun seasonings.
• What you'll pay: $3.79 to $6.19.
HOME-GROWN
Lindy's on Fourth
431 N. Fourth Ave.; also at the Redline Sports Grill, 445 W. Wetmore Road. www.facebook.com/Lindyson4th
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, noon-5 p.m. Sundays, and from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Wednesdays.
• The burger: One-third-pound Angus beef patties grilled on a flattop. Juicy and succulent.
• The bun: Specially baked for Lindy's, these are thick and hearty like a Kaiser roll, sturdy enough to withstand the weight of a triple dripping with cheese and crispy bacon.
• Specialty burgers: About the only thing you can't get on a Lindy's burger is the kitchen sink: potato salad on the Picnic Basket; grilled sauerkraut on the Killer Dana Melt, pineapple on the Hawaii Five-O; peanut butter and pepper jack cheese on the Blue Suede Cow.
• Another reason to visit: The OMFG Burger Challenge: 20 minutes to slam down nine one-third-pound burgers topped with cheese, lettuce, tomato and Lindy's secret sauce on the thick house bun. If you do it, you don't pay the burger's $20 price tag and you are immortalized with your picture on the wall.
• What you'll pay: $5 to $15.
HOME-GROWN
Zinburger
1865 E. River Road, and, starting Friday, 6390 E. Grant Road. www.foxrc.com/zinburger.html
• Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays; until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
• The burger: Nearly half-pound hand-ground Angus beef patties grilled on a flat top.
• The bun: Fresh baked daily by Village Bakehouse in Oro Valley. Lightly toasted.
• Specialty burgers: This is a gourmet burger joint that employs high-quality ingredients including Nueske applewood smoked bacon on the Samburger, in honor of Zinburger founder Sam Fox; havarti cheese on a grilled chicken sandwich; and zinfandel braised onions and manchengo cheese on the namesake house burger. There's also a sweet and buttery Kobe Burger, using American-raised, hormone-free beef.
• Another reason to visit: The milkshakes, and we're not talking vanilla and chocolate. These are thick, heavenly creations like the créme brulée with Madagascar vanilla beans, and Bananas Foster using caramelized bananas. Ultimate decadence: Bars of Zin with chocolate ice cream, melted chocolate and praline flakes.
• What you'll pay: $9 to $14.
HOME-GROWN
Eat-A-Burger
100 N. Stone Ave., eat-a-burger.com
• Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturdays; closed Sundays.
• The burger: Fresh, hand-formed quarter-pound Angus beef patties grilled on a flat top. Juicy, hefty and seasoned with a proprietary blend of 13 Asian- and Southwest-influenced herbs and spices.
• The bun: Sesame-seeded standard hamburger bun, lightly toasted.
• Specialty burgers: This is straight-up burgerville that you can dress up with the usual suspects - grilled onions, sautéed mushrooms, bacon and cheese. For an interesting breakfast twist, slap on a fried egg.
• Another reason to visit: Their "fabulous fries" have become legendary. Back when they were operating a cart downtown - they graduated in July to a 1,100-square-foot downtown space - the hand-cut, double-fried, lightly seasoned fries sold out daily.
• What you'll pay: $5.95-$8.95, which includes fries.
