When you think of a burger joint, sustainable and health-conscious don't often come to mind. But the Burger Lounge in West Hollywood takes health seriously and offers a variety of burgers beyond beef.
"We like to have a wide variety of options for other guests who don't eat red meat," said Rory Odell, the general manager of Burger Lounge.
Although their grass-fed single-sourced ranch burger remains the most popular, they've got other tasty offerings for their 100 percent whole grain buns.
"On our wild Alaskan salmon burger, we use a house-made BBQ glaze," said Odell.
They also add fried green tomatoes and Daikon sprouts. Burger Lounge makes all of its own sauces and prides itself on its specialty veggie burger, which has organic quinoa and brown rice.
"We do a sautéed mushroom, zucchini, garlic, onion, garbanzo, chipotle pepper, a little bit of cheese to heighten the flavor profile," said Odell.
"Nutrients in the quinoa along with the brown rice, it's popular. It gives you a lot of protein for what it is," said culinary director Jim Little.
Also popular is their free-range, antibiotic-free turkey burger, packed with basil and a choice of organic cheeses.
Burger Lounge plans to open locations in Beverly Hills and Santa Monica in the next few months. The burgers average about $8.
And there is something new from the grocer's freezer for the veggie crowd. Sprout Burgers by Health is Wealth proves once again that meatless can be a tasty way to go.
Put a healthy spin on burgers at home with organic sprouted quinoa, amaranth and millet-based patties with non GMO soy. They are gluten-free and a good source of fiber, as sprouted grain offers more available nutrients, delivering more veggies than starch at 100 calories a patty and 3 fat grams.
Sprout Burgers come in original, mushroom and onion, and chipotle bean flavors. They are found at Whole Foods and Sprouts for $4.99 a box.
