A Chance to Drink the Best Porter in the Country

Second Chance Beer Company | Craft Brewery in San Diego

The truth of the matter is, Second Chance co-founder Marty Mendiola did a pretty great job with his first chance, racking up a host of beer medals during his fifteen years brewing for the Rock Bottom brewpub in La Jolla. However, he appears to have saved his best for his second career, overseeing his own Carmel Mountain Ranch brewery: he's done nothing but make superb beer since launching in 2015.

A great example of that is Tabula Rasa toasted porter — which happens to pair superbly with a cheeseburger. In each of its first two years in competition, Tabula Rasa won gold in the robust porters category at the prestigious Great American Beer Festival, meaning the chocolaty, roasted malt beer doesn't merely rank among the best porters in San Diego, but in the entire country.

Another burger-friendly winner is its hoppy American red ale, Legally Red, which cruised on its rich, caramel malts and fruity hops to earn silver in the same competition. But this brewery's worth more than just a second look — every one of its beers tastes fantastic, with or without food. Don't miss its crisp Seize the Day IPA, or the unlikely balance of Seize the Coffee, the same IPA made somehow better with the addition of cold brew coffee. Tasting is believing!

Terra Catering: This Chef Wrote the Book on Great Burgers

Terra Catering San Diego | Build Your Own Burger

The first place People's Choice winner in the 2017 running of the Reader's Burgers & Beer competition is this catering company that also represents sister restaurants Terra American Bistro, in La Mesa, and gourmet burger specialist Bunz, in west Mission Valley.

Owner and chef Jeff Rossman wrote the book on making a great burger (Seriously — it's a cookbook titled Build Your Own Burger!). He's also written about cooking with local and seasonal produce, and applies the farm to table practice at his restaurants, whether it's building a perfect salad, cooking up local-catch seafood, or merely topping his burgers with fresh, flavorful produce. Rossman's classic burger features black peppercorn aioli and caramelized onions, though at Bunz you'll find a dozen different burger styles with toppings ranging from the usual smoked bacon, sautéed mushrooms, and crushed avocado; to fried chicken, pulled pork, or tortilla chips.

However, for Burgers & Beer Rossman's sous chef Ken Helm cooked up something special to take the top prize. It started with Jensen Meats beef chuck, grilled extra flavorful and juicy with a 25-percent fat blend. Then, on a toasted Bread & Cie sesame bun, he topped the patty with a hunk of braised and peachwood smoked short rib and dressed the decadent combination of meats with tart aioli, Serrano-onion jam, and creamy Appenzeller cheese from Switzerland.

Little wonder it's a winner!