It’s that time of year again! Halifax Burger Week starts this week, and once again The Coast has upped the stakes by getting well over 100 restaurants to participate this time around!

It seems everywhere wants a piece of the action, which means the choices are seemingly endless. This is both good and bad. Good because you have a long list of burgers to choose from. Bad because you have to try and make up your mind about which ones to fit into the week (unfortunately, trying them all this time around is pretty much impossible). But don’t worry! I’m back again to give you a sneak peek into some of the burgers that should be making your Burger Week 2018 hit list!

For Part 1 of the Preview Series, take a look at the burgers being offered from The Auction House, Stubborn Goat, and Durty Nelly’s!

The Auction House

Burger: The Mac Stack – Flame-grilled beef patty topped with mac ‘n’ cheese, crushed Cheetos, kabayaki sauce, Canadian cheddar and sauerkraut

Price: $6

I’ll admit that when I first read the description of Auction House’s contribution to this year’s Burger Week, I wasn’t exactly confident in how it would turn out. Pasta on a burger can be tricky to pull off, and I wasn’t convinced that crushed Cheetos was something I would want on a beef patty.

Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised.

The Cheetos gave the burger a nice, crispy crunch without being too much, and the mac and cheese was just cheesy enough that it helped the pasta fit nicely with everything else.

The sauerkraut was abundant and tasty, and it added a great additional texture on top of the beef patty. The kabayaki sauce gave the burger a bit of a punch, and when it all came together on that lightly toasted bun, The Mac Stack not only proved me wrong, but also became a burger that I would gladly recommend to those participating in Burger Week!

Stubborn Goat

Burger: The Sloppy Joe McGuinness Burger – Pulled beef, Guinness stout beef jus, shredded cabbage, house pickles, Dijon aioli, roasted mushrooms and melted Gouda (served with house-cut fries)

Price: $18 with $1 going to Feed Nova Scotia

Every year, I know I can always count on Stubborn Goat to come up with a burger that stands out from the crowd in its own unique way. They didn’t disappoint again this time around with their Sloppy Joe McGuinness Burger!

The obvious star of the show is the pulled beef smothered in the Guinness stout jus. They pile on a healthy amount of the beef, and it has a great, bold flavour that keeps you wanting more.

On the not-so-meaty side of things, they are generous with both the house pickles and shredded cabbage, both of which balance out the strong flavours from the stout jus, while giving that crisp crunch that’s usually always a welcome addition to most burgers. Top it all off with a sharp, melted Gouda and you have another winner from Stubborn Goat!

Durty Nelly’s

Burger: Gaelic Steak Burger – NS ground beef, double-smoked bacon, Jameson whiskey peppercorn sauce, fried onions and mushrooms, shoestring potatoes, horseradish grainy mustard aioli, on a sesame seed bun (served with hand-cut fries)

Price: $16 with $1 going to Feed Nova Scotia

Being an Irish pub, it only makes sense that the Burger Week burger being offered from Durty Nelly’s would have some Irish inspiration behind it. The Gaelic Steak burger takes a popular dish from across the pond and recreates it in burger form!

The Jameson whiskey peppercorn sauce that is drizzled over the beef patty is savoury and rich, and it coats every bite. The fried onions and mushrooms give the burger a rustic feel, and I really enjoyed them paired with the peppercorn sauce.

Gaelic steak is commonly paired with “chips”, so the addition of the shoestring potatoes were a nice touch, and not only brought another element that is true to the original dish, but also provided a great texture to the burger. Finished off with a horseradish grainy mustard aioli to give it a bit more depth, and overall you have a comforting burger that brings a taste of Ireland to Halifax Burger Week!

Let me know which burgers you are looking forward to over on Instagram and Twitter!