Hi. I’m the guy who eats burgers and writes about them.
I recently did a tour of Tulsa’s Okie burgers that went some kind of viral. But as with the success of Metallica’s "Some Kind of Monster," it’s hard to know if the many eyeballs feasting upon it were locked in with approval, humor, or seething rage.
Plenty of commenters wondered why I hadn’t hit Arnold’s, Linda Mar’s, or even Goldie’s, the latter being a sadly endangered burger species. I will get around to them soon.
A different subset were beyond pressed that my “Okie Burger” list didn’t include the likes of Tavern or PRHYME. Sorry, lovelies: the sandwich species up for poaching was in the “Okie Burger” headline.
But in the spirit of due diligence and possible redemption, I hunted down a bigger game and visited the most recommended places serving up what you might call “elevated” burgers.
No apologies to the folks who don’t see their favorite fancy burgs on this list. Oren, Big Grass, and that Kilkenny’s buffalo thing are definitely on my radar. I promise to get to them right after Goldie’s. Yes, apologies to the readers that decry “fancy” burgers as undeserving of the term “burger.” I’m with you. I want them greasy, stripped down, and slutty.
But if we suspend our prejudice about whether the concoctions that follow are “burgers,” we can experience exceptional food in the fancy realm. In fact, a couple of these culinary feats truly embody Burgerdom, and even elevate it.1