Don’t forget the true meaning of this beloved holiday

Every week, I carve out the same quiet time during which I come up with my weekly column. This morning, however, that moment is particularly sad, as I just finished taking down all my cherished National Hamburger Day decorations. Ahhh ... I’ll never forget the glowing anticipation on childrens’ faces as they gathered around the flattop grill. After all, the humble cheeseburger is the second most-ordered food in America, according to Food Network.

And, as quickly as it started, May 28 again passed with nary a sizzle or a bubbling mustard squirt (you know … that sound the squeeze bottle makes when it’s almost empty). In the good ol’ days, schoolchildren would stay up late sewing their costumes and swapping heartwarming stories of Hamburger Days past. Mom and Dad would restock the condiment shelves, while smiling neighbors built floats in anticipation of nonstop patty parades. Families would check their mailboxes for the long-awaited avalanche of greeting cards.

The good news is that we live at (or visit) the beach! And our Cape Region eateries are experts at frying, grilling, smashing, broiling, smoking, flipping, topping and slathering their way into the forefront of burgerdom. Indeed, it was an intrepid foodie somewhere who honored the burger with those fateful words: “America’s favorite food with built-in handles.”

Every week, going back umpteen years, Summer House celebrates Burger Monday, a Rehoboth Avenue tradition that has survived through four separate ownerships. Though I have a hard time getting past the Hickory Blue Cheese burger (with bacon, of course), this carnivore surprises even himself by occasionally indulging in the Salmon Burger. The taste is properly amplified with pickles and a cool lemon basil mayo. It’s a hard choice. Make it wisely.

Shorebreak Lodge new owners Ben and Diane have wisely kept the LaFrieda Burger on the menu. Longtime Bronx butcher Pat LaFrieda grinds a secret combination of brisket, chuck and short rib from American Black Angus beef and whisks the resulting patties overnight to restaurants throughout the land. Even closer to home, our very own Diamond State Meats whips up their own blend of Angus burgers that is also available for delivery to your front door. This one will spoil you for the others.

One of the best in town (OK, slightly out of town) is from longtime beach chef Kevin Reading and master brewer Ryan Maloney at their Brick Works eateries in Long Neck and Smyrna. My favorite is The Firecracker, colorfully decorated with bacon (of course!), jalapeños (extra, pleeeze) and pepper jack. This behemoth is drizzled with chipotle aioli. At Kindle in Lewes, chef/co-owner Ian Crandall’s Kindle Burger sports a half-pound of short rib & chuck, along with smoked bacon and aged provolone. It marches proudly out of the kitchen swaddled in a warm kaiser roll.

Betwixt & between on your cheesy choices? Go to the brand-new Crushers at the corner of Lake & The Avenue for owner Bryan Derrickson’s Slider Trio. Wash ‘em down with a Crushers’ Crush, a cool, beachy sip with a surprise (and very lemony) Italian ingredient.

Among the best meat experts in town is Bethany Blues, of course. Their Blues Burger arrives at your table with pecan-smoked bacon, their not-too-sweet BBQ sauce and sharp cheddar. Start with the Pigs on the Wing and a Fat Tire draft. Trust me on this.

Theo’s and Ava’s boss Chris Agharabi loves his little beagle Hamlet so much that he named his third local restaurant after her. Bring a photo of your favorite puppydog into Hammy’s Burgers & Shakes in the Safeway center, and if they still have room they’ll proudly hang it on the wall. Then order the Onion-Tended Consequences Burger with crispy onion straws and bacon. Like sliders? Indulge in little Hammy’s favorite, the Box o’ Beagle Burgers with onions, pickles and (of course) Beagle Sauce. Chris says it’s “pawsitively delicious.”

Yes, I know there are more great burgers around here. It’s what I do, for goodness’ sake. But a growing boy can only eat so much. (Stop laughing.) I’m also running out of real estate on this page. So get your toppings in order, pat your patties and toast your buns. National Burger Day 2024 might be but a savory memory, but the celebratory glow lives on every day here at our beachy business of eating.