New Petaluma restaurant serves burgers you’ll want to slam

In a cow town like Petaluma, burgers should be king.

SlamBurger, a new addition to Petaluma’s food scene at 5 Petaluma Blvd. South, offers a wide variety of locally sourced, organic and non-GMO burgers, with beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, veggie and even ahi tuna patties, along with a plethora of sides and salads that will make even the palest of your vegetarian friends blush with joy. And unlike your standard burger joint, SlamBurger offers local beers on tap, along with Bonterra’s organic wines.

As a burger lover, Maurice Mickel came up with the idea for SlamBurger while attending college at Sonoma State University. Mickel grew up in Jordan and immigrated to the United States thirteen years ago. Once here, he worked in restaurants and bars, eventually attending Sonoma State University to study business. As part of his studies, Mickel started a non-restaurant business as a bit of an experiment, but once successful, helped to pay for college, as well as for his dream to open a burger joint.

His wife Amy, who is a teacher, came up with the name SlamBurger, while he designed the interior, using local materials that were rare to his native land.

“Growing up in the desert, we didn’t see a lot of the great colors that Petaluma sees,” Mickel said. “I love the look and feel of weathered wood and rusted metal you see around the farm lands of Sonoma County, so I worked those into our interior design.”

Mickel hopes to redefine the modern burger, finding Petaluma ideal because locals know the value of healthy, locally sourced food.

“Burgers don’t have to be unhealthy,” he said. “We aren’t fast food, but still over quick service, while cooking everything to order with high quality local ingredients.”

Mickel picked Petaluma as his flagship location in part because he could source his entire menu within a few miles of his front door.

“There are a ton of options on our menu,” he said. “Along with non-GMO, organic beef, guests can select local chicken, turkey, and even veggie patties.”

For those looking to cut a few calories, all burgers can be ordered as a lettuce wrap, at no extra charge. And for the gluten-free crowd, special buns are available for an additional $1.

“Plus everything we buy helps support local growers,” Mickel said. This sentiment resonates with Petalumans, who either have deep roots with our historic farming and ranching families, or moved to Petaluma because of the community those families have helped created.

We were lucky enough to attend one of SlamBurger’s soft openings in early December, and were impressed with what we saw. The space is simple and clean, yet warm and inviting, and offers a lot of different seating options.

We tried a good portion of the menu that night, and I must admit that few items were perfect, but we could clearly see the potential. Mickel was relentless in getting at least one suggestion out of every guest, and adjusting things accordingly. His openness to suggestions is a great indication of success.

With every return visit to SlamBurger, and there have been many over the past month, we see that Mickel is constantly updating and upgrading both the menu and the space. One such example was my personal experience with SlamBurger’s “frickles,” which are deep-fried pickles. Pickled in-house, and then deep fried in a sweet beer batter, we found the originals to be cut too thick and so vinegary that they overpowered the batter.

We were honest with Mickel, and he took our suggestion to heart. The next time we dined at SlamBurger, he had not only modified but perfected his frickles to the point where they are the best I have ever eaten.

Since SlamBurger’s opening, we have tried the whole menu and have found nothing lacking. The veggies in my food crew love the Brussels sprouts, which are cooked with sumac preserved lemon aioli, as well as the salads, which include a beet salad (with crumbled feta and pickled onions), a kale salad (with lemon vinaigrette, shredded parmesan, and candied walnuts), and mixed greens and wedge salads. There are also several fry options, including sweet potato. Slamburger also offers beer battered asparagus and Portobello fingerlings.

In the meat department, we have devoured everything from the Double Cheese Slam ($11), to the Swiss Miss ($11), to the Slam Burger, which is just $7. For a bit of variety, there is also the Cajun Surf & Turf ($11), which is topped with crab mix, and although the name may indicate otherwise, is not spicy at all, the Shroomaluma ($10.50), and the Mediterranean ($10.) For those looking for breakfast all day, the Breakfast Slam ($12) is topped with tomato bacon jam, a fried egg and sherry tahini caramelized onions.

Although all the burgers are available in a number of beef-less patties, the Sonoma Bird ($11.50) is a grilled chicken breast, topped with whipped goat cheese, aji amarillo pepper puree, and house harissa sauce. The Lamb Slam ($13) has quickly become a customer favorite, and is topped with house tzatziki, house chimichurri, and house pickled red onions and pickles. The Ahi tuna burger is topped with ginger wasabi may, house lemongrass tamarind glaze, and crunchy wonton strips, which as a wonderful texture surprise.

In the dog department, SlamBurger offers a standard dog with relish ($7), a Falafel Dog ($7), and my favorite, the Slam Dog ($8.5), which comes wrapped in thick-cut bacon, and topped with tahini caramelized onions, slam sauce, and scallions.

Last, but certainly not least, I had to try the Grilled Cheese ($7.5) although I swapped bacon for the tomato for an additional $1. Inside, it is basil pesto and mozzarella, while the bread is grilled only after being painted with a mixture of butter and parmesan cheese. This sandwich was just as good warm and fresh as it was a day later as a cold leftover.

SlamBurger’s sourcing is a who’s-who of local farms and ranches.

“We need to source locally so that everything is fresh and so have the smallest footprint possible,” Mickel said. “This also helps keep food waste to a minimum.”

This is why SlamBurger only orders 10 pounds of ahi tuna at a time. “We get a whole tuna steak and then butcher it in our kitchen,” Mickel said. “We get about twenty ahi burgers per fish, so once it’s gone, it’s off the menu until the next fish comes in.”

Mindful Meats supplies the organic, non-GMO beef, as well as the country’s first certified organic and non-GMO hot dogs. The chickens are Rocky Junior, from Petaluma Poultry and the grass-fed lamb and free range turkey comes from BN Ranch, which is located in Bolinas. Milk shakes are made with Straus Family Creamery’s organic milk, and go perfectly with all the burgers. All the pickles and sauces are also made in-house, with veggies and eggs from Green Leaf farms.

Petaluma’s SlamBurger is the first of what Mickel hopes will be a successful chain of local organic burger joints.

Beyond offering great locally-driven food, Mickel has a clear understanding of what Petaluma is all about and how to be part of the community. During construction, he spoke to many curious, excited and supportive passersby and quickly realized that Petaluma is no ordinary town.

Many of SlamBurger’s staff are high school and college students, and Maurice has a young son of his own, so he is looking for ways to give back to the youth of the community. After a recent visit from the principal of Petaluma High School, Mickel has already planned out his first Dine & Donate, with proceeds going to the school.

Mickel is currently planning to roll out some new menu items, including some gluten-free deserts. He is also going to offer a fry sampler, as well as monthly specials that will include interesting burgers that will only be available for a limited time.

“We want to keep things interesting,” he said. “Nothing is worse getting bored with a menu.”