Elizabeth’s Pick: The Chimay Burger

Most people go to Bulldog for the award-winning burgers and truffle fries, plus that killer beer list (order the malty Kwak and try not to get it in your face), but I’ve always been more of a dog girl. The only thing that could pry my hands from a Venezuelan or Maxwell Street polish is the newest addition to the Bulldog family: the Chimay Burger. Now, unless you’re a serious beer drinker, you’ve probably never had Chimay. Along with frites and chocolate, this super-strength trappist Belgian brew is the culinary cornerstone of the year my husband and I lived in Brussels. It’s almost a rite of passage, what with its whopping 9 percent alcohol content. But you don’t have to drink the drink to appreciate the complex, slightly bitter nuttiness Chimay brings to the Bulldog’s burger. Atop the bar’s signature humanely fed kobe beef patty is a hot-and-bothered layer of beer cheese, followed by a dollop of Chimay-infused mayo. Slices of purple onion add a refreshing bite, but it’s the buttery sweet brioche bun that brings each blissful bite to new heights.

NOTE: The Chimay Burger is only available at the Bulldog’s Minneapolis locations—NE is my favorite.