BURGERS & BEER: A Hidden Gem in Ogden
In a week, the Garden Grille turns out 60+ burgers at around $20 a pop (burger and truffle fries). A lot of guests are shocked by the quality of the food. And it brings them back.
REVIEW
The Overturf Burger, Hilton Garden Grille in Ogden. Photo by Rebecca Ory-Hernandez
Sometimes you need to sink your teeth into an all-around perfect burger and wash it down with a cold beer on a warm summer evening to slow down. Such is the case with the burger Chef Joshua Overturf has developed right here in Ogden to round out his steak and seafood menu.
If you’re looking for a place where you can relax and take your time to collect your thoughts, cool down a bit from the heat, have a cold beer or mocktail, and maybe have a conversation (where you can hear your tablemates and they can hear you) before heading out into the crowds and noise, give the Hilton Garden Grille a try for burgers and a beer.
I’ve been a resident of Ogden for over 20 years and have covered the food beat in Northern Utah for over a decade for various publications. Delivering an endorsement for an awesome burger and beer doesn’t come lightly because those can be had anywhere, including at home. So please allow a few quotes from Yelp and Trip Advisor to contribute to the story, “You would not expect such spectacular food in such a location…” “Best quality food…” and “I’m almost afraid to share this hidden gem…” are regular comments left on social media sites and online food forums.
Having the pleasure of meeting Chef Josh Overturf in 2015 and eating at the Hilton Garden Grille for weeks due to an unforeseen accident, and having covered his amazing “Better than Maryland Crabcakes” several years ago, revisiting the grill to see how things have evolved was an unexpected and downright insane burger experience that was completely unexpected. The old Mobi burger from nearly a decade ago has evolved into three gourmet burger selections on the regular dinner menu with deliberate combinations.
The basic blue cheeseburger comes with arugula, mushrooms, and garlic aioli. The steakhouse burger has all the traditional hamburger toppings you would expect with tomato, pickles, cheddar cheese, and bacon. The chef’s special, the writer’s favorite, is aptly titled the Chef Overturf Burger — an over-the-top, more-is-more-is-more style of burger that includes all the things you love on a burger, with the delicious addition of housemade balsamic onion jam that you have to taste to believe, bacon, and topped with a perfectly sunny-side-up fried egg. Prepare to be impressed.
Chef Joshua Overturf, Hiton Garden Grille. Photo by Rebecca Ory-Hernandez
“The burgers pull the menu together. Things like a burger… “just pulls it all together,” a blend of different meats…the result is the most succulent, juicy, crispy, tender, amazing meat you’ll try when you’re here.” — Chef Overturf
Over the years Overturf has perfected a Wagyu beef patty that cooks into a thin, crusty exterior bite, layered with unexpected flavors that meld and hit just right on the palate with tenderness … and just enough fat in a juicy burger unlike any other in O-Town.
The vegetables and cheese are sourced and selected with great care and attention to detail, sauces are made from scratch and layered between a brioche by Stoneground Bakery in Salt Lake City.
This is no “fast-food” burger. It’s a cooked-to-order, individually created, made-with-love burger to sink your teeth into and may have to cut in half. Yes, the burger is big. It’s been designed to create an experience that will make you happy, satisfy your hunger, and create a memory.
Fries that accompany the burger are Idaho giants cut into the perfect size for a crispy exterior and soft interior, twice-cooked, sprinkled with herbs and seasonings with a side of garlic aioli or a special fry sauce for dipping. Or try the truffle fries. And yes, the Chef can create a veggie burger for you, but it will be unlike any veggie burger you’ve ever had.
Truffle Fries, Hilton Garden Grille. Photo by Rebecca Ory-Hernandez
Burgers and fries run around $20 a plate.
Before you turn your nose up at the fact that the restaurant is in a “hotel chain” you need to understand that the Chef and restaurant are all-Ogden and locals are missing out if they don’t try it. This is no run-of-the-mill hotel restaurant. Plan your visit to optimize your dining enjoyment, and start with a beer from the (mostly) Utah beer selection.
The beers to complement your burger selection as recommended by our server, Josh: The classic features of a steakhouse burger pair nicely with Save the Lake Pilsner by Salt Flats Brewery out of Salt Lake City. The blue cheese is complemented by the Allosaurus Amber Ale, offering caramel notes to balance out the tang of the burger. And the Overturf Burger demands the Melvin Star Valley IPA because it’s not too hoppy, hailing from Melvin Star Valley, Wyoming. The beer list includes the domestic bottled beers you would expect, with the Evolution amber from Wasatch and Squatters’ fruity hazy, Juicy IPA.
Along with a respectable draft selection from mostly Utah breweries, you will find specialty Mocktails which are all the rage throughout the country right now. The junior staff created several of the new drinks, which were refreshing. Our table tried the Pineapples in the Garden; fresh pineapple, rum, apple, and cherry, Blissful Pear; pear, lemon, agave, egg white espuma, candied lemon and the deliciously sweet Strawberry Mock Mule; fresh strawberry, ginger ale, lime, strawberry syrup. More lively drinks are designed with summer in mind, giving a nice balance of sweet, tart, bitter, and refreshing notes. Of course, there is a full bar if you so choose, and a nice wine list including some sparkling wines and waters.
Server Joey with an array of mocktails. Photo by Rebecca Ory-Hernandez
Here are a few important tips if you decide to give the Garden Grille a try this summer before a show or concert:
Do the small kitchen staff a favor and make a reservation if your party is larger than 4. Yes, they accept reservations. Of course, you can dine without a reservation. But remember, it is a hotel and people upstairs are probably ordering room service. So plan ahead. You will need at least 35 minutes from start to finish. Or the chef asks that you call ahead and they can recommend menu items to work with your itinerary.
Go back for coffee and dessert another time. You’ll be too full to eat dessert after this burger and fries — but the desserts are first-class. We’ll cover that another time.
Some history. Overturf opened the restaurant in 2013, settling in Ogden where he wanted to raise his family closer to nature and “outside of the craziness of Vegas.” Food is his passion. He learned to cook from some impressive, world-renowned chefs in Las Vegas starting at age fifteen, his last stop being the Golden Nugget. Having learned from some of the best chefs willing to share, he sought out something in Utah to satisfy his love of mountain biking and has been with Ogden’s Hilton Garden Inn ever since.
Note: This is a Hilton restaurant, but the owners give him creative license to do whatever he wants most of the time, which is how the burgers have evolved into what they are today. Lots of care, love, and intent have gone into these burgers to offer diners the freshest, most heartwarming experience.
Chef Overturf has built his career around “turning something very basic into something super-special.” His focus has been, "Simple dishes become masterpieces. I love perfecting something like a basic burger into something people remember. I love making people happy. That’s what it’s all about.”
The restaurant atmosphere is a bit tired and ready for renovation this summer, for which Overturf was included in consultation with the architects. He has designed some features that everyone will agree will elevate the dining experience. He’s adding some booths (thank you) to offer privacy for diners and ease for staff to wait, which don’t exist right now, and it will be reconfigured so that the space is more inviting to local guests. He’s hoping for outside seating when the weather allows.
The writer enjoys eating at this location because it is quiet and she can duck in and relax and forget about life for a while, and the service is attentive but not fussy, thank you very much.
The service is not “fast” — and that’s what the writer likes about this location. It’s not a bar. It’s not a pub. It’s not even a traditional hotel restaurant. It’s a local establishment where one can have a conversation (or not) and feel welcome enough to linger awhile. Revealing this is not in the writer’s interest.
While dining at this restaurant you will probably be asked if you are a local, or where you’re visiting from, and you will be well-treated regardless because Overturf would like his staff to know the locals and regular guests — and what they love to eat. It’s a nice, personal touch.
Thank you, Josh, for bringing your talents to Ogden and staying a while.
Hilton Garden Grill
2271 Washington Boulebard
Ogden, Utah, 84401
Opens at 4:00 PM for bar service and limited bar menu
Dinner in Dining Room: 5 PM to 9:00/10:00 PM Summer hours
Reservations accepted
(801)399-2000Author’s Note: This article is based on the writer’s professional opinion as a cook and local resident of Ogden and was not compensated for this story or this review. She is simply a huge fan of Ogden and wants the best “hidden gems” to be highlighted and to show off the “Best of Ogden” expressly for the Ogdenite readers.