Burgers with Buck: McCray's Tavern

It’s a Christmas classic, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.” In it, Andy Williams sings of friends, parties, caroling, and even roasting marshmallows, and all of those things are indeed wonderful.  However, I ask you my burger brethren, can it truly and definitely be declared the most wonderful time of the year with nary a mention of arguably America’s favorite celebratory food?

Don’t get me wrong, Christmas time is wonderful, and Williams may be absolutely correct, especially when you factor in mistletoeing, but a case could certainly be made for Explore Gwinnett’s annual #BurgersAndBrewsWeek.

Here’s the deal, it is seven days of seven dollars signature burgers at 16 different restaurants in Gwinnett County. That alone is enough to put it in the ‘most wonderful’ conversation, but wait there’s more.  Each burger is paired with a suggested beer. Now, of course, you don’t have to get the beer, it is just a suggestion and not included in the $7 cost of the burger, but if a burger and a brew strikes your fancy…this is pretty ‘wonderful’.

It’s always tough for #BurgersWIthBuck to narrow down the list of participating restaurants to feature only one or two burgers.  Given that this is St. Patrick’s Day weekend, the choice was made a little easier, and we stopped at McCray’s Tavern on the Lawrenceville Square.

They named their #BBW offering, the Calling McCrazy, and when you see it, you’ll know why. This thing is huge.  It starts with an eight-ounce patty and there is a lot happening between the top and the bottom of the brioche bun. Case in point…maple peppered bacon (for a little bit of sweet) and jalapeno relish (for a little bit of heat), but don’t overlook the fried avocado, Oaxaca cheese, shredded romaine, mayo, and BBQ sauce. It’s a lot, even for someone with as much burger eating experience as yours truly. There’s no shame in resorting to utensils to get it done, but of course, that’s not how #BWB rolls.

Let me be the first to wish you the happiest of Burgers and Brews Weeks!

For more information on McCray’s Tavern including their menu, specials, and hours of operation go to their website, mccraystavern.com.  And, as always, if you have a favorite burger that you would like to see featured on, tell me about it on https://www.facebook.com/BuckFOX5 or https://twitter.com/BuckFOX5, and don't forget to use the hash tag #BurgersWithBuck and/or #BWB.  

Also, for more information on Explore Gwinnett’s Burgers and Brews Week, including participating restaurants and their burger and brew offerings, go to https://www.exploregwinnett.org/burgers-and-brews.

DON'T MISS: Burgers with Buck at Taco Cowboy