The veggie burger has, by and large, gotten a bad reputation.
In the American burger psyche, veggie burgers are often seen as the frozen patty one pulls out of the back of the freezer for the sole non-carnivore at the cookout. On a menu like Backslope Brewing’s, which is chock-full of fried chicken sandwiches, barbecue pork and marinated flank steak, meat-eaters might see the veggie burger as a bottom-of-the-list choice.
But the veggie burger at Backslope is not just a concession for those with dietary restrictions, tacked on for variety’s sake. It is a quintessential and beloved menu item, crafted with locally grown produce and seasonal ingredients.
Or, as Backslope Chef Kenny Smith calls it, the veggie burger is truly a “blank slate” for the kitchen’s culinary creativity.
Opened in 2016, Backslope Brewing is a brewery, taproom and restaurant serving craft beer and seasonally inspired food in Columbia Falls. The name “Backslope” comes from owners Darin and Carla Fisher’s days cutting trail in the mountains, an homage to the wild places around the Flathead Valley. Today, the brewery is a staple in the Columbia Falls community. Backslope’s team serves standard and rotating craft brews on tap, as well as menu items that range from fresh labneh cheese with za’atar pesto to red Thai curry.
Smith, Backslope’s chef, has been with the brewery for six years. He trained under Backslope’s previous chef who was the original visionary behind the veggie burger. Today, Smith said, Backslope continues to recreate the burger in his predecessor’s honor.
The burger starts with the veggie patty, which is made with carrots, beets, black beans, onions and spices including cumin, cilantro and parsley. All of the produce used in the burger is locally sourced from Wicked Good Farm, a small farm located in Whitefish. The patty is vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and dairy free. The fresh ingredients are, in Smith’s opinion, what “makes it so good.”
From the patty, the kitchen builds the seasonal veggie burger. This summer, the patty is stacked with house made aioli, pepper jack cheese, micro greens, tomato, pickled red onion and pickled pineapple. The burger, however, has undergone many variations, and Smith says its accoutrements change with the season. In the summer, the kitchen goes for lighter fare like pickled vegetables and micro greens. In the winter, a fried egg or goat cheese often appear on the menu.
For Smith, the veggie burger is a remarkable balance of outstanding flavors and healthy, fresh ingredients.
“We want people to come here and enjoy our food, but we also want it to be as healthy as we could possibly make it for them,” he said.
“It’s a treat,” the chef added. “But it’s also a healthy treat, we hope, because you’re going to follow it with a really good beer and have that dining experience that we want everybody to enjoy.”
The burger is one of many veggie options on Backslope’s menu. Vegetarian patrons can enjoy Indian butter tofu or bulgogi and ginger tofu bowls, among other dishes.
“There’s a science behind that in the cooking world,” Smith said.
“When [people are] looking at eating options for the whole group, that one vegetarian or vegan is actually going to pick where you go and eat,” the chef said. “We want to have that option to have those big groups, and to have people enjoy and not have to order something that’s not delicious.”
Details
Description: A house-made veggie burger with aioli, pepper jack cheese, microgreens, tomato, pickled red onion, pickled pineapple.
Price: $21
Hours: Backslope Brewing is open every day from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Location: 1107 Ninth St. W., Columbia Falls
Contact: www.backslopebrewing.com