Burger madness: Vail-Beaver Creek Restaurant Week features at least five burgers

Vail’s Restaurant Week is serving up a whole lot of bang for your burger. In no particular order (because that’s for you to rank after you try them all), here’s a roundup of where the beef is.

The Tavern on the Square

The Tavern on the Square is offering half off all its food between noon and 8:30 p.m., including its burgers, which is a pretty killer deal, considering other specials cost $20.22 (some come with a beer and fries, some don’t).

The Tavern’s burger stands out with its thick and juicy patty topped with a thick slice of cheddar and two big pieces of bacon. Pickled onions, tomatoes, arugula and a pickle are served neatly on one side of the split bun, making its presentation as good as its taste. A mustard-based sauce adds a bit of a hearty flavor — perfect for this cold weather and the start of ski season — and the basket of fries are hot, crisp and light.

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“The pepper from the arugula and the pickled onions is just a great combination. That’s kinda the way we’ve had it for a few years now. It’s one of our more ordered items, especially for lunch,” said chef Nick Steger.

Deca + Bol

Fat and flavorful fries accompany an even more fat and flavorful burger cooked to perfection and topped with arugula, a few pickle slices, tomato and a sweet and tangy bacon jam.

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“I eat a lot of burgers around town, and this is the best burger in town — it’s the burger quality and the ingredients. They cook it medium rare better than anybody else, and it’s a nice, big, fat, meaty, cheesy burger on a potato bun — light and crispy; it has a nice crisp outside, and inside, it’s soft (and juicy),” said Tyler Cherney, a Vail resident.

Bully Ranch Sonnenalp

Chef Jesse’s Burger is unforgettable. Get ready to open your mouth as wide as it goes to fit this one in (or use the steak knife they give you). Nearly a full pound of meat comprises this double patty burger with white cheddar, a healthy dose of tomatoes, bacon onion jam (which is ever-so-slightly sweet), crispy onions and homemade peppercorn aioli. The fried batter on the two onion rings is super light and crispy, as are the parmesan truffle tots (with sprinkles of chili flakes for a tiny bit of heat), a signature side you can get instead of fries. This big daddy is served with a draft beer to wash it all down.

Frost at the Sebastian

Just as Leonora places an exquisite and expert focus on flavors, so, too, does Frost at the Sebastian. Its restaurant week special features a 4-ounce Colorado Best Burger, beer and fries for $20.22.

The 7X wagyu beef is a very high quality of beef in the United States (though most people associate wagyu with Japan, America also produces premium wagyu beef, which includes the Japanese tradition of raising cattle eating high-grade wheat, rice plants and hay in low-stress environments in clean and open areas).

The burger is served on a brioche bun with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, grilled onion and Chef Kevin’s special burger sauce, a savory bacon aioli.

“I’m a bit of a burger aficionado, and in my opinion, it’s just the best burger in the valley,” said Leonora restaurant manager Jeff Kline. “It just explodes with a lot of different flavors — a little sweet in there, a little tangy. I’m a New Yorker, so I know my burgers, bagels and pizza.”

Elway’s

Named after one of our favorite Broncos legends, this steakhouse definitely brings the beef. Cooked to order, the burger special features cheese and all the fixins’.

“It’s perfectly cooked with a tasty garnish of lettuce, tomato and onion with thick-sliced pickles and several draft picks of your choice,” said Tripp Kerr, a second homeowner in Vail and Denver. “Of course, we added fries that were excellent. Fast and polite service at our favorite table rounded out a delicious dinner. Highly recommend! Thanks, John!”

Now it’s your turn: Find and rate your favorite burger during Restaurant Week, before it ends; the last day to grab the deals is Wednesday, but chefs will be grilling the burgers all winter long.