BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse is a contemporary casual-dining chain with a varied menu that offers choices for just about any type of diner. Indulgence is a central theme among the chain’s signature offerings, which range from deep-dish pizzas and handcrafted burgers to “Pizookie” desserts and proprietary craft beers.
As a varied-menu concept, BJ’s also gives ample attention to healthier fare. The chain’s Enlightened Entrées, which launched in 2011, comprise a core menu platform of 795-calorie-or-less dishes, which are often promoted both around the new year and heading into summer.
The Enlightened Turkey Burger is one of the anchors of this healthy-positioned menu platform. The burger features an all-white-meat turkey patty complemented by an assortment of healthy-but-flavorful toppings, including baby lettuce tossed in red-wine vinaigrette, dried cranberries, chargrilled red onions and grainy Dijon mayonnaise.
The use of red-wine vinaigrette, cranberry and Dijon all lend bold and sharp notes to the more delicate flavors of the turkey patty, and remain very much in line with the overall healthy positioning of the burger. Charring the onion provides more flavor complexity while adding some smoky accent notes to complement the grilling of the burger. And the pairing of cranberry with turkey gives a subtle nod to the seasonality of the two ingredients without overtly associating the offering with autumn.
Interestingly, BJ’s original turkey burger was not initially developed as a healthy option. The burger came in at some 1,700 calories prior to a late-2013 revamp that saw the turkey burger move to the healthy platform (among many other changes across the menu).
Of course, turkey can still be a part of an indulgent restaurant meal—guests can swap in the white-meat-turkey patty for never-frozen beef on any of BJ’s handcrafted burgers. Among these heartier burger builds are Bacon-Guacamole Deluxe with chipotle mayonnaise and jalapeños, and Black and Bleu-House Burger with roasted garlic aioli.
This post is sponsored by Butterball Foodservice