To try and decide each week where and what to eat around the basin can be a challenge – there are so many amazing choices. In this feature we’ll dive into dishes that will surely satisfy those hunger pangs and leave you wondering where to go next.

By name alone, I think there are plenty of people that have an idea of what this week’s feature might be all about. Cowboy (or Western in some instances) invokes a particular taste – but not all of them are created equal. In the case of this burger, it’s the perfect storm of freshness meets flavor.

The first prominent feature is this burger’s sheer size. It’s stacked, and I mean Arnold Schwarzeneggar in his prime stacked. Most burgers with onion rings give you one large one, and sometimes two, but here you’re getting a triple dose of perfectly crispy on the outside and tender on the inside rings of sweetness. They are loaded on a brioche bun along with a beef patty, bacon, barbecue sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

If you haven’t guessed, this is a smash and gnash effort to get your mouth around that first bite. But once you do, it’s pure bliss. The burger holds its juiciness while simultaneously giving you charred textures and the bacon’s salty smokiness is the perfect complement to the sweet onion.

The barbecue sauce adds a tangy punch but if I’m being honest, the biggest surprise for me was the choice of cheese. Most of the time you’ll see cheddar used in this style of burger – which is still delicious – but can also add another layer of richness. The mozzarella keeps it light and adds to the already heightened freshness while also giving you that gooeyness it’s famous for.

It’s hard not to like a dish that takes good ingredients and lets them shine. This is a classic example of that and an example that I’d absolutely come back and crush again.

Chico’s Burger is located at 1070 Emerald Bay Rd. in South Lake Tahoe. For menu items and additional information, you can reach them online at chicos-burger.com or by phone at 530-600-0480.