Tipsy Cow Burger Bar: Built from the Grind Up

Seattle's red hot love-affair with burgers is swiftly overtaking the Eastside. Enter Redmond's latest stop on the burger blitz: Tipsy Cow Burger Bar. Of coarse, we believe that the bun makes the burger, so we're over-the-moon to play a part in this love triangle.It all started with one man's dream to bring meaty goodness to the masses. Keith Mourer, co-owner of Tipsy Cow, is a burger man and an avid traveler. During his stopovers in different spots around the country, Keith makes it a point to check out the local burger haunts. Over the years, he has sampled everything from bison to black bean, but his heart has always belonged to one favorite burger."The inspiration for Tipsy Cow came from Shake Shack in New York," says Keith. "I wanted to open a place that's fun and casual, and we really wanted to build a better burger using great, local ingredients."Armed with that simple concept in mind - building a better burger - Keith and fellow co-owner Dave Zimmerman began enlisting a dream team of suppliers."That’s actually how we found Macrina Bakery," Keith says. "We decided to use the Sodo Bun for our burgers and beef from Long Valley Ranch in Central Oregon. We use Snoqualmie Ice Cream for our milkshakes, local distilleries for our vodka and whiskey, Walla Walla sweet onions for our burgers and onion rings. Our fries are made from Kennebec potatoes, cut and fried in-house daily. The Kennebec potato just makes a better fry."After Keith and Dave earned their restaurant chops at Kirkland's Brix Wine Café, they opened Tipsy Cow in 2013 to a throng of burger-hungry supporters. "The community has really welcomed us. Everything has gone off very well; obviously much better than we imagined."With a robust menu featuring a myriad of meat and meatless options, snackable sides, and a tap list of 42 draft beers and ciders, Tipsy Cow’s mounting popularity comes as no surprise to us."Right now, I’m really into the Scottish ales, like Black Raven’s Second Sight Strong Scotch Ale, and my favorite burger at the moment is The Arsonist. It’s got fire-roasted jalapenos and serranos on it as well as harissa pepper aioli."Our server recommended keeping the flames from this burger from reaching five-alarm levels by teaming it up with a handmade milkshake (booze optional) and heaping helping of onion rings made with breadcrumbs from leftover Sodo Buns. Sage advice and well worth heading.