Back in February, Top Chef season 7 winner Kevin Sbraga branched out from his fine-dining namesake restaurant and opened The Fat Ham, a good ol’ fashioned Southern dining establishment. The menu is centered around home-style classics like shrimp & grits, fried oysters and hot chicken. A pimento cheese-topped burger used to be on their lunch menu, but unfortunately, they ceased lunch service a few months ago. I had really been looking forward to trying that burger, as pimento cheese is a Southern staple. I even tried a pimento-topped burger in Nashville, but was unimpressed. Well, the burger gods must have heard my prayers, because The Fat Ham just brought the burger back, offering it only on Friday & Saturday nights after 9 PM (kind of like Atlanta’s Holeman & Finch, who at 10 PM each night, serve up a limited 24 burgers). Not only that, the burger comes with fries and is paired with a shot of Four Roses bourbon and a Neshaminy Creek beer (AKA “the Citywide” special) for a mere $18. Considering the burger itself is a 6 oz Wagyu beef patty, it’s probably the best deal in town.
I was not asked how I wanted my burger cooked, but it was a perfect medium-rare (anything else on that quality of meat would practically be criminal). The bun was soft and fluffy, baked in house in the same sesame seed topped style as the table rolls and the slider rolls used for the fried oyster sliders. The pimento cheese was gooey and slightly browned on top, the red peppers and pickles in the cheese giving the burger a nice, tangy kick.. With no toppings other than the cheese, it was simple and delicious. I just wish I didn’t have to wait until 9 PM on the weekend to eat it – I’d order this bad boy all the time!
Burger rating: “A”
