A BURGER A DAY: THE GUIDE TO PASADENA’S CHEESEBURGER CELEBRATIONS

No disrespect to vegetarian readers, but this post is not for you.

It’s for those of us who will go to a fancy restaurant and order the cheeseburger. For those who leave the bars before last call to get to In-N-Out right before closing. For those who think of a medium-rare patty with a slice of cheddar cheese as the ultimate in culinary experiences.

From Sunday, January 12 through Saturday the 17th, Pasadena is continuing the holiday season. It’s cheeseburger week, and Pasadena restaurants are going all out. So before you head over to their website to vote in the Cheeseburger Challenge, here’s a day-by-day breakdown of burgers you need.

Start your week on Sunday with a redo of the original, the reason we’re celebrating. Just for the week, The Counter has recreated the first ever cheeseburger—with tomato, cheddar, a fried egg, sweet sriracha sauce, and bacon, all served on an English muffin.

Monday: Roasted Portabello on Housemade Focaccia—with pepperjack, carmelized onions, roasted pepper aioli, oven-dried tomato, and arugula. Served at a/k/a An American Bistro.

Tuesday: Cameron’s Classic Kobe Burger—with Pueblano pepper, a fried egg, Applewood-smoked bacon, cheese, avocado, lettuce, onions, and tomato. The beef is grilled over mesquite wood, Served on an onion roll, with fries. Served at Cameron’s Seafood

Wednesday: The Southwestern—with cheddar and jack cheese, black beans, sweet corn, tomatoes, red onion, romaine lettuce, and housemade chipotle sauce. Served at CREPEstudio.

Thursday: Sandy’s Green Chile Burger—with roasted green chiles, melted Tillamook cheddar cheese, and lettuce, on grass-fed beef from Oregon. Served at La Grande Orange Cafe. Bonus: If you go between 3 and 7 p.m., you can wash your burger down with half-price beer, margaritas, sangria, and more.

Friday: The Lamb Burger—with tzatziki, feta, and shaved lettuce. Served at Kal’s Mediterranean Bistro.

And finally, Saturday. For your last day of the burger-binge (or you can keep going; we’re not judging), head on over to Slater’s 50/50, for a classic: The Old Timey. Served on white brioche with all natural, choice ground beef, American cheese, thick cut bacon, grilled onions, green leaf lettuce, tomato, and 1000 island dressing. Slater’s also has a wide selection of craft beers, so plan on staying a while.