It’s Cheeseburger week in Pasadena. Can’t you smell the tomatoes and onions in the air?

We’re highlighting a few of them this week as a nation looks to this small burg in Southern California for more than roses.  Let’s get with it.

There is a reason why Pasadena’s DogHaus won seven out of seven categories in last year’s Cheeseburger Week competition. And truth be told, this was our first official visit to the four-year-old Green Street location. (There is another, older location on Hill Street near Pasadena City College.)

Frankly, these cheeseburgers are startling in their freshness and uniqueness. We ordered one traditional Cheeseburger (Thousand Island, tomato, lettuce and white cheddar cheese), and one Little Mule (A fried egg, white American cheese, some cojita cheese, tomatillo sauce, Chipotle Aioli and a slice of avocado.). Both were startling.

But let’s back up. We came to DogHaus on Run Night and the place was jammed with young member of the restaurant’s running club, sweaty from their just-completed 5Ks. We can’t imagine anything better on a cold night after a run than loading back up with a DogHaus burger.

The ordering process is pretty simple, as is most of the operation. There is a lineup at the front door. You choose from several 100% natural black Angus beef, ground-fresh-daily burgers; oh hell, here is the list: The Ringer is smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, onion rings, bbq sauce; The Freiburger features white American cheese, fried egg, haus slaw, fries, and mayonnaise; the aforementioned Little Mule; The Holy Aioli is smoked bacon, white American cheese, garlic aioli, and caramelized onions; Ava Maria is sautéed mushrooms, cheddar cheese, caramelized onions, and mayonnaise.

Then there’s the Hangover with smoked bacon, haus chili, white American cheese, fried egg, and mayonnaise The newest entry to the list is the Motley Bleu 2.0, with soy-racha onions, bleu sriracha,white American cheese, bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes. You serve yourself fountain drinks while waiting for your order to be delivered to your table.

If there is a secret to the burger’s appeal, it just might be the fact that they’re served with King’s Hawaiian Bread, that sweet soft bread so rich and good that it should be illegal to use. While most new burger places brag on their brioche, the squishy texture of the Hawaiian bread creates a irresistible soggy  mess that you eat fast. Add to that fresh hot tater tots and giant onion rings, and you could die happy.

But don’t. You’d be missing out on your next DogHaus meal.

The DogHaus Biergarten is at 93 Green Street, Pasadena,(626) 683-0808, and  there is a second DogHaus at 105 N. Hill Ave., at Walnut in Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 577-4287 or visit wwwdoghaus.com.