These 3 unique burgers are on the menu for Long Beach Burger Week

Nearly two dozen restaurants are going to be flipping patties of all kinds when the second annual Long Beach Burger Week returns to the city Aug. 7-14.

During the event, restaurants offer burger deals priced at either $5, $10, $15, $20 or $25 per dish. The offerings will vary from classic burgers to vegetarian and vegan options, as well as other creative dishes topped with unusual ingredients.

Here’s a look at three unique burgers being offered during Long Beach Burger Week:

The Poutine Burger

Where: Sideburns by The Stache, 939 E. 4th St., 562-606-2529 or thestachebar.com.

Details: Poutine is a Canadian dish made of French fries and cheese curds topped with brown gravy. Brett Gallo, owner of Sideburns by The Stache, already had burgers, poutine and cheese curds separately on the menu, so he decided to just put them all together. “We decided to chargrill this burger, add some caramelized onions and melt the cheese curds while the burger is cooking on the grill,” he said. It’s all then topped with fries and gravy. “The first thing that hits you is the savoriness of the gravy, then the melted cheese hits you next with the chargrilled burger and then the fries just bring it all together,” he said.

Cost: $10

Oyster Mushroom Burger

Where: Berlin Bistro, 420 E. 4th St., 562-435-0600 or www.berlinbistro.com.

Details: Robert Fry, the executive chef at Berlin Bistro decided to get some of the mushrooms he sources from the Santa Monica Farmer’s Market as well as Long Beach Mushrooms, a small local farm, to make vegan burgers. The mushrooms are roasted at low temperatures and mixed with aromatic herbs and spices as well as fermented peppers and it’s all served between a vegan potato bun. “What you’re going to get is the very concentrated flavors of the mushrooms, which also have a natural meat quality to it. So you’re going to get a very savory flavor,” Fry said. “It’ll give you the perception that you’re going to eat natural meat.”

Cost: $15

PB&J Burger with a cocktail

Where: Portuguese Bend Distillery, 300 The Promenade North., 562-435-4411 or www.portuguesebenddistilling.com.

Details: Peanut butter and jelly on a burger? This burger combo also comes with a fancy drink. The downtown Long Beach restaurant and distillery is known for its craft cocktail menu and the burgers are meant to be paired with a beverage. So for burger week Portuguese Bend owner and distiller Simon Haxton created a burger with a pomegranate and chipotle jelly mixed with peanut butter plus with pickles and grilled onions. “The peanut butter itself gives it a little extra dimension of umami and richness instead of having cheese – that’s where the thought is,” he said. It’s paired with a black Manhattan drink that uses house-made High Rye bourbon and a walnut liqueur, which is also made in-house from California black walnuts. “There’s a jamminess in the cocktail that will pair great with peanut butter and jelly,” Haxton said.

Cost: $25 with drink

For more information go to www.burgerweeklb.com.