The Burger Bar for Everyone

We love to entertain friends with Themed Summer Barbeques. Theming parties makes planning easy. All summer long, we’ll be featuring monthly themed barbecue ideas. With Memorial Day around the corner, our first theme is a Patriotic BBQ. For a fast and easy main course, nothing is more American than a burger bar.

The Burger Bar for Everyone

What is a burger bar? A burger bar is a buffet style toppings and condiment bar. Your guests grab a plate, choose their favorite bun, cheese and toppings and head to the grill, where they pick the meat or veggie of their choices. Grill meat burgers, turkey burgers and portobello mushroom caps.

If you’ve never tried a grilled portobello burger, this recipe may turn you into a veggie lover. Following our recipe, we’ll list our favorite burger bar toppings.

Grilled Portobello Burger

Ingredients:

Portobello Mushroom Caps
Olive Oil
Salt (we prefer Kosher Salt)
Goat Cheese
Sliced Tomato
Arugula
Basil or Garlic mayo
Bun (Brioche rolls are best, but Egg Twists or other soft buns work great)

Directions:

Prepare the basil mayonnaise. CD Timesaver: Use regular mayonnaise mixed with a little garlic herb cheese spread such as Boursin in place of the basil or garlic mayo.
Brush portobello caps with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill 5-7 minutes per side.
Brush the mayo mixture on the bun. Layer the arugula, tomato, portobello, goat cheese. The warm portobello will melt the goat cheese.

Burger Bar Toppings:

Assorted Cheeses: Sliced Cheddar, Boursin, Swiss, Pepper Jack, Goat Cheese, American
Sautéed Onions
Sautéed Mushrooms
Cooked Bacon Slices (we prefer hickory smoked)
Lettuce, Tomato, Raw Red Onion, Roasted Peppers, Avocado
Ketchup, Mustard, Basil or Garlic Mayo
Assorted Rolls (Brioche or Egg Twists, Onion Rolls, Classic Hamburger Buns)

Optional: Create a burger bar menu like the one pictured in our post. Design in your word processing program using the font of your choice, print out on plain or decorative paper and use glue stick to mount onto card stock .

CD Note: We’ve listed some of our favorite Burger Bar combos in the Burger Bar Menu. Sound good? Save the Burger Bar to My Creative Dish and look for more entertainment ideas for a Patriotic barbeque coming later in the week.