50 Great Ideas

The three Bs

At Kimpton’s Hotel Palomar in San Francisco, Chef David Bazirgan and his team decided to up the ante on the typical burger and fries pairing and include a bourbon shot and a beer with each order. All for just $25.

“I put the burger on the menu as soon as I became Executive Chef of the Fifth Floor and started thinking about what I want to drink when I’m eating a hamburger—a simple shot of bourbon and a beer. So, I figured, why not pair all three together for a special deal,” reports Bazirgan. Since April, customers have been enjoying the house burger (a mix of short rib, chuck and skirt steak) served with Comte cheese, bourbon braised onions and a tomato aioli spread. The beers and bourbons change monthly and range from Eagle Rare bourbon and a Firestone IPA to Elijah Craig 12 year with a Schrimshaw Pilsner.

The trio is so appealing to locals that on any given night 70 percent of the orders are not from hotel guests.

#50 | Using your noodle

#49 | Eat a pita, feed a kid

#48 | Ask the staff chaplain

#47 | I’ll be calling you

#46 | Rolling in dough

#45 | Fried chicken flies the coop

#44 | A penny for your calories

#43 | Better than a lobster bib

#42 | Bending the bento

#41 | Billboard redux

#40 | Dining at the fountain of youth

#39 | Building a better box

#38 | Roll out the barrel

#37 | Mochi Madness

#36 | A toast to Belgium

#35 | Screening employees on the screen

#34 | An Olive Garden customer sat here

#33 | Setting the e-table

#32 | The buck strolls here

#31 | Gin game

#30 | Childhood revisited

#29 | Moveable feast

#28 | Certified gluten free

#27 | Buy a car, eat a meal

#26 | Locating the best Happy Hour

#25 | Local broadcast

#24 | Tabletop taps

#23 | Double the pleasure

#22 | The three Bs

#21 | Cocktails to amuse

#20 | Fans of the grape

#19 | Whole animal accessorizing

#18 | Translucent menus

#17 | Have oven will cater

#16 | Allergic interaction

#15 | Greener produce

#14 | Competing to win at weight loss

#13 | Space saver

#12 | Test kitchen=test market

#11 | Be my guest

#10 | Plug in and eat up

#9 | Rx for pilferers

#8 | Hands free—and clean

#7 | Some like it too hot

#6 | Chicken fried steak gets its day

#5 | The staff that reads together…

#4 | Twinkle toast

#3 | Stick with this

#2 | Stamp of approval

#1 | From seed to fork

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The three Bs

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