Diablo Burger, Flagstaff; All About Local

By Jennifer Giralo

This year, I’d like to take the opportunity to focus on eating smarter and healthier. I’ve studied and witnessed the many positive effects of choosing a cognitive meal, one you thought about in a health and ethical sense. That being said, choosing to cook at home and buying the ingredients necessary from local grocers is as important.

There are those occasions when we do eat at restaurants, and what matters is the choices we make on where and what to eat. My partner and I went to Flagstaff recently and stumbled across Diablo Burger, a local burger joint with a passion for using local ingredients and sustainable habits. Not to mention the wonderful view from the restaurant.  This place has personality and it shows in their menu.

It's stated that every burger is made from 6 oz. of 100% local, open range-raised, antibiotic-free and
growth-hormone free beef from the Diablo Trust ranches.  They are char-broiled & served on a signature handmade, preservative-free, branded MJ’s English Muffin, with Seasonal Greens, Tomato, Pickle, and our DB Frites (Really good, Belgian-style Fries).

All of the burgers are cooked to order which means you always get a perfectly cooked burger. But because this is a locally-sourced product -- these cows are coming off the open-range of Northern Arizona, not an assembly line -- there can be variation in fat-content from one animal to the next, even one patty to the next.

I ordered the Wrigley Field Burger (Ordered Medium Rare, which was a first for me): Bacon, Swiss, Grilled Onions & Spicy Honey Mustard. The burger came with all the dressings of a burger (lettuce, tomato, and a pickle), as well as Belgian-style Fries sprinkled with Rosemary and other seasonings. Every bite of this burger was bursting with flavor, mixing harmoniously with the bacon, Swiss cheese, grilled onions, and spicy mustard. In between bites, I would involuntarily grab for as many Rosemary Fries as possible; I couldn’t get enough of their taste. I even requested that we come back and order some of the fries on our way home.

Each meal made is unique, just like Diablo Burger. This local restaurant celebrates the ethics of eating locally and supporting local businesses. They don’t take credit cards, as credit card companies are not local. Diablo Burger has customers walking away happily full, but also thinking about ways we can contribute to more ethical choices all around.

On their menu it reads:

“According to a study by the New Economics Foundation in London, a dollar spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy. When businesses are not owned locally, money leaves the community at every transaction.”

I would highly recommend this restaurant for all, vegetarians and vegans as well.

Leave a comment of your favorite local restaurant or favorite place to buy local ingredients. If you get a chance to visit Diablo Burger, come back and tell us what you ordered!

For more information you can contact them at:

flagdb@gmail.com.