The Relish Burger Bistro is located in the lobby of the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle, Washington. I recently discovered this classy burger joint while I was attending the 2014 International Food Bloggers Conference, which was held in the same hotel.
The first night of the conference I was looking for a late night snack and caught the wonderful aroma of ground beef cooking on the grill in the hotel lobby. I thought a burger sounded great, but then realizing how late it was, I decided to go with a lighter option…..especially when I saw there were Deep Fried Pickles on the menu.
Back in Wisconsin, in my bartending
restaurant days, I had first avoided eating deep fried pickles because I thought they sounded kind of strange. I tried them one night and was surprised by how much I liked the sour taste inside a crispy coating. As always, I was reminded that you can deep fry almost anything and it will be good!
The Burger Bistro’s dill pickle spears were beer-battered and fried perfectly. I really liked the chipotle remoulade sauce served with them, but I also asked for a side of ranch dressing to try a different flavor combo. If you don’t like spicy things, ask for the ranch dressing. The pickles are great with either dipping sauce, and at $4.00, they are a great deal too. But be careful; these pickles are very hot (temperature-wise) and stay hot long after being out of the fryer.
The side dish of Charred Brussel Sprouts with Applewood Smoked Bacon on the menu also caught my eye. Knowing that I already have a pretty good recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts I thought I should check out how the Burger Bistro prepared them. They were quite tasty, but seemed like they were lacking something. So I grabbed some of the yellow mustard on the counter and added a little to the sprouts, the flavors came together nicely. A great side dish that seems to be becoming popular in lots of restaurants. These rank right up there at the top of many that I have tried.
The following night, the International Food Bloggers Conference presented a “Taste of Seattle & Gourmet Fair” where we had an opportunity to sample cuisine from some of Seattle’s best chefs and restaurants. Relish Burger Bistro was one of the local restaurants providing food for the event, so now I had my chance to try one of their signature burgers. They are flame grilled and made with ground chuck and brisket. These burgers were absolutely delicious. At the event, they were served as sliders with fried onion rings and their house-made steak sauce. I think the combination of those two cuts of beef adds extra flavor that almost tasted like a steak. I went back two, maybe three times for another taste of this juicy and flavorful burger.
In my opinion, if you’re looking for a great burger in downtown Seattle, give Relish Burger Bistro a try and remember to order the deep-fried pickles.
