Dig Local Asheville, NC

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Weekly Scoop (Dec. 17-23) - We Found the Perfect Burger in Downtown Asheville


Dig This... with Stu Helm

A quick peek into the life and times of Asheville's No. 1 food fan.
photo by Stu Helm on Instagram @stuhelmfoodfan

The Perfect Burger

Have you gone to eat lunch at The Underground Café yet? If not, do that right now.

Located in the tiny basement of the famously tall, narrow, gothic — and haunted — Jackson Building, right in the middle of Pack Square, The Underground Café with DoughP Doughnuts (as it is technically called) has been around for just over a year, and has quickly become one of my personal favorite lunch joints in all of downtown Asheville.

The food is fast, tasty, made with quality ingredients and is very comforting, enjoyable and satisfying in every way.

Lately I’ve been really digging their single-patty smash-style burger, which I think is just perfect. It comes single or double, and I’ve always been a double-patty person — because duh, 2 patties. But last week I wasn’t super hungry at lunch, and I thought to myself, “Oooh, a single-patty Underburger sounds kinda perfect.” It was. It is.

Made with 28-day, dry-aged beef, locally sourced from local farms by The Chop Shop, and ground specifically for Underground Chef and Owner Jay Medford to use in his café, the flavor texture, and fat-to-lean ratio of this meat is 100% on point.

A flat, wide patty, smashed into the grill for quickness sake, then topped with lettuce, tomato and onion, housemade special sauce, and American cheese (or cheddar if you’re a commie), all served on one of the world’s greatest, trashiest, best things ever — a soft, sweet, squishy, King’s Bakery Hawaiian Roll grilled in butter. Gah.

Side note: I added bacon to the burger in the picture above, but that is not necessary. With or without bacon, though, this burger is perfect.

So, yeah, if you haven’t gone to The Underground Café for lunch yet, go right now and start with the burger. Or the pork belly cuban. Or the meatloaf sandwich. God lord… that meatloaf sandwich.

You can find all the food specials, new menu additions, events and more from The Underground Café by checking out their Dig Local profile.

Below you will find one locally curated Scoop chosen for each day this week — but make sure to check out all the Scoops this week on our Dig Local Scoop Calendar.

Monday, Dec. 17

Holiday Craft Nights with Wifey and Co.
at Fleetwood's
Craft your weird little heart out by creating "Franken Toys" Monday night at Fleetwood's. It's also $3 craft beer night from 6-10 p.m.
Click here for more details.


Check out the rest of Monday’s Scoops here.

Tuesday, Dec. 18

Christmas Movie Trivia
at Craft Centric Taproom & Bottle Shop
All your favorite Christmas movies, one trivia night.

Click here for more details.

Check out the rest of Tuesday’s Scoops here.

Wednesday, Dec. 19

Show and Tell Pop-up Shop
at The Asheville Masonic Temple
Find a special gift for all your friends and family at the Show and Tell Pop-up Shop. But hurry — today is the last day to explore! 

Click here for more details.

Check out the rest of Wednesday’s Scoops here.

Thursday, Dec. 20

TV Tray Dinner
at Isa's Bistro
Enjoy the 1964 classic Santa Claus Conquers the Martians while eating a traditional, yet elevated, TV dinner themed menu and classic concessions.
Click here for more details.


Check out the rest of Thursday’s Scoops here.

Friday, Dec. 21

Free Holiday Wine Tasting
at Margaret and Maxwell
Taste a wide variety of wines to match all your upcoming holiday celebrations.
Click here for more details.


Check out the rest of Friday's Scoops here.

Saturday, Dec. 22

CBD Tasting
at Carolina Hemp Company
Try Kingdom Harvest, Asheville's first organically grown, whole-spectrum hemp extract to nourish your body's endocannabinoid system.
Click here for more details.

Check out the rest of Saturday’s Scoops here.

Sunday, Dec. 23

Southern Mediterranean Brunch 
at Jerusalem Garden Café 
Try something new this Sunday with amazing Mediterranean-infused breakfast favorites, like lamb and eggs pictured above.
Click here for more details.

Check out the rest of Sunday’s Scoops here.
Enter Our New Giveaway!
We've teamed up with one of the coolest places to stay in Greenville, SC — the Swamp Rabbit Inn — and one of the tastiest Mexican restaurants and games venue — El Thrifty — for an awesome GIVEAWAY! You could win a free night's stay at the inn and 2 bike rentals to ride the Swamp Rabbit Trail, as well as a $50 gift card for dinner and 2 wristbands for unlimited games at El Thrifty.
 
Check out our Instagram for details!
For all of this week’s Scoops and more, visit DigLocal.com or download the Dig Local AppKeep digging local!