three best bites, beefonaise edition

Welcome to what I’m planning to make an every-Monday installment here at Grazing: my three favorite bites and sips of the week that just ended. The point of this is not to brag about how well I ate, but rather to share recipes, restaurants and grocery-store purchases I’ve really, really liked, so maybe you can try them and really, really like them, too.

look at those edges

the puebla at Hill East Burger:

I have a lot of deep feelings for burgers with crispy edges, which makes total sense considering I grew up eating at Steak ‘n’ Shake eat least once a week. Hill East Burger opened last year not far from my house, and it took me a few months to get there. I have some major regrets about that, in part because the restaurant’s happy hour menu features a $1 can of beer. But mostly, I just want more of the burgers. They’re smoked — you can read a lot more about that process in this Washington Post review — which means they smell amazing before you even take a bite, and they taste, for lack of a better adjective, extra burger-y. You also have the option to order a single-, double- or triple-patty masterpiece, and the single is satisfying without making me feel as if I need an immediate nap.

So far, I’ve built my own burger and ordered the puebla, which is topped with poblano relish, smoked cheddar, arugula, mustard and something called beefonaise (!!!).