Growing up in Hawaii, regional specialties of my childhood included the Spam musubi (spam, often fried and basted with teriyaki sauce, on a rectangular onigiri), the Loco Moco (rice, topped with a burger, topped with a fried egg, topped with gravy - go big or go home!), and thanks to my dad, who went to high school in Summit, New Jersey, the Hill City Sloppy Joe. Anyone who has had a New Jersey Sloppy Joe knows that it has nothing to do with ground beef and sauce on a bun and is more like a double-decker ham sandwich on rye, with Swiss cheese and coleslaw and Russian dressing. At least that’s the way may dad would make them. Fast forward a few decades and I’ve started putting caraway seeds into our burgers, and everyone in my family agrees they are a delicious addition. I quietly wonder why the Patty Melt never made more of an impression. Anyway, I usually also add minced garlic and Worcestershire to the caraway burgers and top them with Swiss cheese and call it a day. Then I remembered the Hill City Sloppy Joe and thought why haven’t I ever put coleslaw on a burger? I simplified things a bit and made my version of a Russian dressing coleslaw and the Hill City Burger was born. Just in time for summer barbecuing. <br />

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