It's an airport, I know

Classic Hamburger with Cheese
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

It kind of sucks that when you walk into an airport hungry you know two things if you don't have food on you. It won't really taste that good and you'll pay twice what you'd normally pay for a non-microwave iteration of whatever you're getting. So I can't say I'm entirely surprised that I didn't really like Oak Street Beach Cafe in the Chicago-Midway airport.

Meat was microwaved piece of meh, bun was a typical sesame seed item, lettuce was old, condiments was a bunch of little Heinz packets, cheese was nicely melted, but suspiciously like a Kraft Single, fries were okay, liked the pickle spear, and I'm done. It's an airport, it's airport food, obviously I'm not recommending anyone go out of their way to Midway for this place.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: C
Bun: B-
Fixings: C+
Condiments: C
Sides: B
Price: $6.50-$11
Overall Rating: C-
Recommended burger: Classic Hamburger

Entirely unoriginal

Pepper Jack Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

The menu just calls it a cheeseburger, and I know, I know, it's an airport. I was stuck in Chicago-Midway due to a delay in my flight, otherwise, I would never have come to Miller's Pub. Of course that and the fact that I was too lazy to venture down to the food court which I had been to before, but I forgot. That's okay though, because I have to say that the choices weren't entirely great either, so it's okay.

Okay, it's an airport, let's not get our hopes up. I can't really say that the burger patty was super fresh, I'm not entirely convinced that it wasn't microwaved. Overall though, it was beefy, I'm sure it would've been good if it were fresh, but it wasn't. Fixings were run of the mill, cheese was cheese, bun was a typical sesame bun. The burger itself didn't have any condiments, but the table had a cayenne hot sauce and a BBQ sauce named after the restaurant itself. They weren't anything spectacular, to be honest. The hot sauce was watery and the BBQ sauce was a little too sweet.

The fries were fries, no knock on that, no kudos for anything either.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: C-
Bun: B-
Fixings: B
Condiments: C-
Sides: B
Price: $9.50
Overall Rating: C-
Recommended Burger: N/A

Been there, done that...

Deluxe Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

For as long as I could remember, this place was a pretty shabby teriyaki joint that no one really frequented. I only knew this because I used to do a lot of shopping at the Safeway across the street. Lo and behold, now a fancy new sign is above the door and the interior looks completely revamped (for Safeway too), and here we now have Thunder Burger and Teriyaki. When you walk in, the board menu looks to be something of a knock-off of University Teriyaki and the menu options look to be something of a knock off of Orange King. With nothing better to go off of, I opted to order the deluxe burger combo.

Not really sure what exactly makes this burger deluxe other than its name, but overall it wasn't a bad burger. Meat had a nice full beefy flavor and a nice char to it. The bun is your typical sesame bun, the house sauce your typical sweet Thousand Island/relish based sauce, it was so nondescript that I honestly can't remember much about it, the fixings your typical shredded iceberg, and the cheese your typical sliced cheese. You really can't get much more straightforward than that. That works for it.

The fries were your bulk order frozen fries that were subsequently dropped into a deep fryer. The last five words of the previous sentence alone typically make anything good. Overall, not a bad place to grab a bite when you're in the area and hungry, but it's also pretty plain, so not somewhere you'd go out of your way for.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B+
Bun: B-
Fixings: B-
Condiments: C+
Sides: B
Price: $4.50-$8
Overall Rating: C+
Recommended Burger: Teriyaki Burger

You've got to be kidding me...

Mushroom Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

I kind of already had a hunch when I came here that I wouldn't be rating this place very highly. It's not that their food is bad, it's just that you're paying WAY too much for what you're really getting. It's more the price than the quality that really kills Kidd Valley's rating. It's funny, because it has all of these awards (none since 2000), like Evening Magazine best non-franchise burger... which leads me to believe that Evening Magazine knows absolutely nothing about burgers or that Seattle burgers were hurting in 2000, unless the quality of the Kidd Valley burger has dropped drastically, and I mean drastically in the last 10 years, which I suppose is entirely possible.

It's a pretty Burger King-esque affair, the meat was well done, they have this nifty rotating flame broiler thingy in the kitchen (kind of like those rack bagel toaster or pizza baker things). The bun was a typical Franz's sesame bun, the fixings were, well, not the best you can get, but relatively okay if you compare to a fast food joint, to me it's pretty hard to screw up sauteed mushrooms, condiments were, the typical, though on a mushroom burger you don't really expect much, so I couldn't really taste a whole lot.

The sides were good, the fries were very fresh, but also, unsalted, and thereby, tasted like a lot of potato, and that gets old pretty fast. All in all, not a bad place to go if you're in a rush, they do have better sides like garlic fries, sweet potato fries, and fried mushrooms, but they also cost extra.

Rating of the burger:
Meat: B-
Bun: B-
Fixings: C
Condiments: D
Sides: B
Price: $9-$12
Overall Rating: C-
Recommended Burger: Bacon Cheeseburger

Plain and simple

Blazing Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

I honestly would never have known this place existed save for the fact that I opted to pick up my online Sears order in store this weekend. Driving into the plaza, I saw a little A-sign that told me that gourmet burgers and wraps can be had at this little place called Shake 'n Go, which honestly to me sounded kind of gimmicky simply because the name of the establishment sounded more like a smoothie stand than a burger joint. Walking in, it's interesting, because you see guitars and saxophones mounted on the walls with giant pictures of Jimi Hendrix, Elvis Preistley, and B.B. King and the like on the wall. Overall though, it's really clean and they have a really wide variety of burgers (over 25 I think).

The meat quality was a good, full beefy flavor. The fixings were normal for the most part, though each different type of burger has some kind of special fixing, mine was the Blazing Burger which had sauteed mushrooms and onions. The bun was, a bun, nothing to really report there. The condiment was their "house sauce" which was a semi-sweet tomato-mayo type of deal, think Big Mac sauce replica, run-of-the-mill but good. What made the burger enjoyable though, was that it was simply no-frills and well prepared. It was a straight-forward affair, what you got was what was on the menu. Sometimes, that's all you really need.

The fries, like the burgers were the simple no-nonsense fries that you come to expect from these local joints. You can't really not like it. Great spot if you're ever in the area to stop by for a bite, a little pricier than your fast-food chains, but it's pretty worth it.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B+
Bun: B-
Fixings: B+
Condiments: B+
Sides: B+
Price: $7-$10
Overall rating: B+
Recommended burger: There are like 25 of them, so as of now, I can't really say

It's no longer 2006

The Kobe Beef Burger "Seattle's Best Burger", City Search 2006
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

Obviously, I'm amazing at telling time. So I was meeting up with a friend and he recommended this place, so very imaginatively named Sport Restaurant and Bar. He told me that the burgers here were supposed to be pretty good, so I figured, hey, why not, let's give it a go. It's a pretty posh location, I think it's located in the same complex as one of the local television studios. Parking was a bit annoying, but we got street parking nearby. The monorail makes driving around there a little crazy.

Anyways, it's a pretty typical sports bar kind of atmosphere, TVs in every booth playing some station of sports, but you want to hear about the burger right? Well at the top of their burger listing was their kobe burger, which is served "on a toasted La Panzanella brioche bun with roasted onion spread, tomato and lettuce". The kobe beef was good. Really good. Unfortunately, their definition of medium was "still kind of bleeding" which I don't mind, but that got stuff all over the bun, which got a little soggy. I like the brioche bun though, it worked well. The lettuce and tomatoes were, well, lettuce and tomatoes, I really can't say a whole lot, pretty fresh. I didn't taste a whole lot of the onion spread, the beefy-juiciness of the burger kind overpowered it a lot, but all in all, it hinted suspiciously similar to a honey-mustard.

The fries were shoe string fries, but well done, they had some kind of herb seasoning. We also ordered the ale-battered onion rings as an appetizer, pretty good. It's not a bad place to go if you're in the area, while it might have been novel, the kobe burger is hardly original anymore, overall it's pretty much just a normal burger with really good ingredients, which isn't a bad thing. Worth a try, a little on the pricey side though.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: A
Bun: B+
Fixings: B-
Condiments: B
Sides: A-
Price: $10-$20
Overall Rating: B+
Recommended Burger: The Kobe Burger

Fly me to the...

I was trying to find a witty way to utilize the popular song title in this post.  I had originally shied away from this place simply because it was always so crowded during lunch.  Finally, my break ended up being well after the normal lunch hour, I got to go.  This place I'm talking about is Blue Moon Burgers in the South Lake Union area of Seattle.  I was a little hesitant also because my friend had told me it wasn't really worth it, but hey, for the sake of posterity, I should be thorough right?



So that was the burger I got.  It was called the Doppelganger Burger, and it's pretty hard for me to describe so I took a picture of the sign describing it:



Yeah, that's a lot of stuff.  So the Bratwurst was an interesting touch, it made it kind of like a breakfast sandwich kind of feel, but it didn't mix well with the burger.  The beef was well, if you haven't heard of it Thundering Hooves grass-fed beef seems to be a new fad, it's pretty good, very beefy.  The homemade sweet red cabbage with fresh Washington apples was actually closer to something of a jam or sauce than anything else, it was sweet, though honestly, it kind of tasted like canned cranberry sauce you get for Thanksgiving.  Didn't taste the mustard, mayo, or sauerkraut.  Bun, well, was a bun, did the job a bun is to do.  Overall, while I like each individual component of the burger, I can't say that I was a fan of the end-product.

The sides you order separately, so I got waffle-fries, which to my opinion were sliced a little thin and overfried, making them more like soft potato chips than fries.  I'm not saying that the food here is horrible, but I frankly think it's a little overvalued in terms of what you're paying.  If you have no where else to go, it's not horrible, but definitely I wouldn't go out of my way to come here.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: A
Bun: B-
Fixings: C
Condiments: C-
Sides: C
Price: $5.25-$10
Overall Rating: C
Recommended Burger: The Burger

Catching the bus...

The Burger from The Skillet
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

Sort of... it's more a truck I suppose than a bus, or if I want to be technical, a streamline trailer pulled by a nondescript white van. I had heard things about The Skillet, good things. So when they came by my work, I couldn't pass up the chance to go and try it out.

The beef is grass-fed, I don't know if that's the difference maker, but it was a well made patty. The char from the grill gave it nice texture. The bun, wasn't really a bun, but rather half a baguette. It was an interesting take, made eating the burger a rather unique experience. I can't really decide whether or not I really liked it, personally, I'm going to lean towards it being interesting, but not something I'd personally ever do. Though it did work for the burger, sort of. The fixings were nice, I do like the arugula, the cambozola was a nice compliment to everything. I'm not a fan of bleu cheese type of cheese, and cambozola was along the lines of those pungent types, but there wasn't too much of it so as to overwhelm the burger, just enough to compliment everything. The condiment was what The Skillet was known for; bacon jam. It's an interesting concept, as the jam texture innately leads you to think kind of sweet, but the bacon flavor is subtle enough to make it kind of savory. Another good compliment.

The fries were hand cut and herb-seasoned, two pluses. It was a little over salted for my taste, but overall they were good. I could've gotten the poutine, but that might've been messy walking back to work and all that. It's an experience, a little overpriced for my taste, so it's not really super worth chasing to me, but if it's in the neighborhood it's worth trying just to say you did.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: A
Bun: C+
Fixings: A
Condiments: B
Sides: B-
Price: $11-$15
Overall Rating: B
Recommended Burger: N/A

When you can't find the truck...

Cheeseburger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

So I was trying to be clever with a play on words here... and make a reference to a place I've been wanting to go to... It sounded cooler in my head, it really did. I was actually debating whether or not to really review this place, since you can't really get in to The Garage Cafe unless you're working for Amazon, but I decided to anyways. So yes, there is a burger under that bun in the picture. The basket was pretty deep so it was hard to get a good picture.

Anyways, they just have a burger selection with various fixing and condiment selections. The default always comes with lettuce, tomatoes, and red onions. I got a burger with cheddar, you can add bacon for extra as well, didn't opt for that, as I'm not a huge bacon guy. The meat was really well done, they grill it fresh when you order it. It was cooked just right and beefy and juicy. The bun was kind of like a pre-toasted artisan roll thing, but it wasn't too crusty like a typical artisan roll, I liked it. The fixings were fresh, I like fresh. In terms of condiments, I opted for something the guy called "Kick-ass", which he explained was a togarashi-jalapeno aioli, as well as some tomato relish. I like the relish, didn't really taste the aioli.

The sides were typical bulk-ordered fried fries. Can't go wrong, but you're not going to get bonus points for them, plus you have to pay extra. If you can get in, it's something to think about from their selection.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: A
Bun: B+
Fixings: B+
Condiments: C+
Sides: B-
Price: $5-$10
Overall Rating: B
Recommended Burger: N/A

Simple burger for a simple place

LC's Hometown Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

Okay, I don't know if this is exactly what the burger is called on the menu, but there's really only one burger on the menu so it's all good. I had heard good things about the nice homemade type stuff at LC's Kitchen and finally had the opportunity to go yesterday evening with my cousin. It's a nice cozy place, despite being kind of in an awkward location on the busy Lake City Way.

The burger itself was well done, I liked the patty, and the steamed meltiness of the cheese. They have a good selection of cheeses too. The other fixings were quite fresh and the bun was well toasted. Unfortunately, like several burgers before, there was a lack of condiments inherent on the burger. They did have Tiger Sauce there, which is like a peppery BBQ sauce, it's pretty good, but also kind of watery so you have to add a bit of it to taste anything. Still, it was a pretty good burger overall.

For sides they have fries, which look rather well done, or salad, or soup, or cripsins, which I got. Crispins are essentially ultra thin onion rings, which I thought was really cool, it's like a mix of Funyuns and shoe-string potatoes. Again, not a burger I'd go out of my way for, but I do like the place, maybe I'll get something else there sometime. Rachel Ray recommends the custard, which they didn't have, apparently their dessert menu is on a day-to-day basis.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B
Bun: B-
Fixings: B+
Condiments: D
Sides: A-
Price: $8.25
Overall Rating: C+
Recommended Burger: LC's Hometown Burger

It is what it is...

Dr. Zain
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

The nice thing about starting new work is that you have a new places nearby to try out for lunch, and burgers are an optimal lunch item. The other day I walked down the street to the Bad Monkey Bistro and decided to order a burger, the Dr. Zain, one of two on the menu. It had melted Gruyere cheese as well as mushrooms. Overall, the place is a nice little place, supposed to be a piano/sports bar, saw a pool table in the back and sat right in front of the piano. I suppose it's somewhat of a posh place to hang out during happy hour.

The burger itself was alright, fairly unremarkable. The 1/3 lb patty was hand pressed, so that was nice, it retained a thicker consistency but at the cost of being smaller than the bun itself. The Gruyere and mushrooms were well, I didn't really taste them. The veggies were fresh though. Also I didn't taste any of the mayo, though I suppose it was just mayo. The roll was pretty well done, nothing fancy, nothing to write home about.

For the sides I tried their root chips, which are supposed to be a bunch of house made chips from various tubers, like sweet potatoes and yams. Generally, they kind of just tasted like chips, but I could catch a hint of the different tubers here and there. Personally, this concept would've been cooler if they made fries like that. This isn't somewhere I'd really go out of the way for in terms of food, I imagine the ambiance in the evening is pretty nice, and the burgers are a safe bet, but again, not something to write home about.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B-
Bun: B-
Fixings: C+
Condiments: D
Sides: C
Price: $9
Overall Rating: C
Recommended Burger: Bad Monkey Burger

Some good beef for a seafood place

Cajun Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

So at the request of my friend, we finally were able to meet up, and also go to Ballard Brothers Seafood and Burgers to grab a bite. He'd been raving about this place for a bit, and I'd been looking for an opportunity to meet up, so it was good. When you walk in the place seems pretty unassuming, just a big board menu with an order side and a pick-up side. Most of the menu is seafood, but there are a good number of burgers to select from.

I opted for the Cajun Burger simply because I noticed they had a Cajun version of everything, so I figured, this must be something they're good at. The meat quality was good, full, and beefy, the three things I love in a good burger. The bun contained the burger well, and did its job. In terms of the fixings, it was pretty much cheese and onions, I did like how it worked in the burger and for this specific burger I don't know that I'd add much more, but it did make the burger a little sparse. The sauce was pretty good, except it was kind of gobbed on, so you made sure to taste a lot of it. I personally would've liked a little more kick or tang from a Cajun style burger, but it was tasty.

The fries were actually really well done, they had some kind of seasoning/breading on them so it made it pretty good, they were certainly gone before you knew it. It's a little out of the way, but certainly this is somewhere I'd go for a bite.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B+
Bun: B-
Fixings: B
Condiments: B-
Sides: A
Price: $7-$10
Overall Rating: B
Recommended Burger: Cajun Burger

A neighborhood burger from a neighborhood grill

Steakhouse Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

It's an interesting phenomenon that in the immediate Seattle area there are no Applebees around. Anyways, some friends and I ended up going to the one up in Lynnwood because one of my friend's little sister is only 18 and she can't get into other typical happy hours. Anyways, we went and I realized that it was Monday, and on Mondays, the burgers are only $5, which was sweet.

So, I ordered the Steakhouse Burger, because I am a sucker for steak sauce. The meat was well cooked and good and juicy, definitely a plus. The bun, it did its job, the burger was contained as a handheld edible. The fixings were good, though the onion straws were a little on the overpowering side, so it was kind of hard to really taste a whole lot else. I am a sucker for steaksauce, but the onion straws were so overbearing you only tasted it here and there. Sadness.

The fries were, well, fries. I think they might've been slightly seasoned, it was a plus, I liked them. All in all, if you're ever at an Applebees late Monday night it's definitely worth it, even if you're just at an Applebees normally, I'd still probably get it.

Rating the Burger:
Meat: B+
Bun: B-
Fixings: C+
Condiments: C+
Sides: B
Price: $5-$10
Overall Rating: B-
Recommended Burger: Steakhouse Burger

More royalty in the burger industry

Teriyaki Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

Alrighty, haven't had a burger in a while. A lot of people were telling me that Orange King had reinvented its burgers, so I had to go give it a go. I remember this place as being somewhere where they give you a decent burger for pretty cheap, it was like an Asian version of Dick's almost. Anyways, with their advertising of a 1/3 lb angus patty I decided to give this place a go.

1/3 lb to me nowadays isn't really that big, but the burger in and of itself was pretty good. The meat was well done. The bun was run-of-the-mill, and didn't seem too well toasted, so it does soak up a bit of liquid from the burger and fixings. In terms of fixings, it was simple, lettuce and tomatoes, though, neither were extraordinarily fresh. There were no condiments per se, but I got the teriyaki burger, so the patty was marinated in their house teriyaki sauce, which was good. It's not overly sweet or saucy, it was a light glazed coating over the burger. Not so much that it got things messy, but enough that you could taste it in every bite. Good stuff.

Fries are probably some sort of bulk, frozen affair, but they are generous with it. All-in-all, it's okay, it is more expensive now than I recall, so if you're around and looking for a bite, it's a safe bet. You won't walk away wanting to go back the next day (or meal) but it's not somewhere you'd vow to never return to again.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B
Bun: C-
Fixings: C
Condiments: A
Sides: B-
Price: $3.50-$9.00
Overall Rating: C+
Recommended Burger: Teriyaki Burger

It's aptly named...

Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

It's just called "Burger" on the menu. You can think of it as presumptuous because of the silent "the" before the menu item or you can think of it as humble because of a silent "a" before. It really doesn't matter, I don't really think anyone cares, it's a/the Burger at Roosevelt Ale House. If you want to be technical, it is the happy hour burger, there, you have a name. The only difference between the happy hour burger is 1/6th of a pound and $2, so you'll forgive me for not making a major distinction.

The patty itself was well done, it's called a burger, and it's a burger. I enjoyed the cheddar, the fixings were fresh, the bun was well toasted. This means a high grade right? Well, nothing really made it stand apart. It looked to be a house sauce, Thousand Island based, but unfortunately, also somewhat flavorless, 'tis unfortunate.

The fries are, well fries. Very descriptive, yes I know, but that's all I can really say.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B
Bun: B
Fixings: B
Condiments: D+
Sides: B-
Price: $6-8
Overall Rating: C+
Recommended Burger: Burger

A posh place for a posh crowd...

Diablo Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

I had the opportunity to go to South Lake Bar and Grill simply because the brother of one of my good friends is now a part owner of the establishment. To be frank, I probably would otherwise not even have known this place existed. Now some of you might wonder how being a close friend to the younger brother of the owner might skew my opinion of the place, but I will try my best to be as objective as possible in regards to the burger.

Now the Diablo Burger is noted to be a peppered patty, served with avocado, and the typical other fixings. I have to say, my patty was very well peppered. The cayenne was at times rather overpowering, and therefore, it was hard to really taste a lot of the other stuff (say, the cheese, and even the beef at times). Nonetheless, the beef quality was fairly good, the patty was hearty and juicy, though it's hard to conceive that a half-pound patty cooks to be so small nowadays, but I guess it does. I like the fixings, lettuce and tomatoes and stuff were fresh. My only qualm was the presentation, the avocado quartered and cut width wise may look cool, but it creates globs of avocado in the center of the burger and doesn't evenly distribute the avocado flavor and texture evenly throughout the burger as traditional length-wise slices do. The shape also does make it pretty difficult to put the burger together as a whole. The bun was more doughy like a dinner roll than airy like a typical bun, which was an interesting twist, but it neither added to nor subtracted from the burger. Finally, I think they had something of a house sauce for the condiment, but frankly, the pepper flavor was so overpowering that I frankly wouldn't have known it was there save that I saw it.

They did have sweet potato fries, I don't know if those are included in the bottomless option thingy, but if they are, sweet.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B-
Bun: B
Fixings: C+
Condiments: C-
Sides: A
Price: $12-$17
Overall Rating: C+
Recommended Burger: Western Burger

It's a happy hour burger

Classic Cheeseburger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

I don't mean this in any disparaging way, but rather that it's not something you go out of your way expecting supreme excellence from. Really, you don't. I certainly don't walk into happy hours thinking, "I am going to have the best burger ever..." because let's be honest, if you do, then either you don't eat a lot of burgers or you have to tell me where you go to happy hour. Stanford's is a semi-local establishment, with stores in Oregon and California as well as in Washington, so a group of friends and I decided to come here after volleyball. In all honesty, I really just expected a cheap burger.

Stanford's is by no means a burger joint, it makes no claims to be one, and by my honest assessment it isn't. It's pretty much your run-of-the-mill upper-middle class dining establishment, where the food is blase and predictable, but safe. You're not going to wow anybody going here, but more likely than not, you'll probably leave thinking it was alright. It's probably somewhere you go if you can't decide wherre to eat, and you're really just going more for the company anyways.

The patty was pretty well made, I liked the beef flavor, though it was slightly on the thinner side. The bun was well toasted, which gives it bonus points, it was something of a sesame and poppy seed affair, which was interesting, but which I feel neither added nor took away to or from the experience. The fixings were fairly fresh, which I do enjoy, nothing spectacular about them. As for the condiments, it appeared at first glance there were none aside from the side of ketchup that comes with the burger, but they actually have a sweet Thousand Island/honey mustard/relishy thingy under the patty that's actually pretty good. I'd say it's fairly comparable to the sauce they use in Dick's Burgers.

Finally, the fries, well, I'm not a huge fan of shoe-string potatoes, which these essentially were, but to exacerbate the situation, these fries were oversalted. Seriously, there were points in time I was eating entire grains of salt. Okay, so their still edible, but really? French fries? Is that to be your downfall?

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B
Bun: A-
Fixings: B+
Condiments: B+
Sides: D
Price: $4.50-$10
Overall Rating: B-
Recommended Burger: Classic Cheeseburger (during happy hour)

Very much a BBQ place

T-Rex Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

Which means that you should stick with the BBQ not the burgers. They do use a fresh organic Hearst beef, which is also fresh ground on the spot (which I believe is the type of beef they also use for some of their ribs and brisket), and I have to say that it's good. However, T-Rex BBQ, well, let's say that you should stick with the BBQ and corn bread (yes, get the corn bread, it's good). This was once again another one of my forays in Berkeley, which ironically was recommended to me by my pescaltarian sister-in-law.

Anyways, the beef quality was good, you can tell that the meat was very fresh and the patty homemade. The bun was a bun, nothing fancy. I liked the fresh organic tomatoes and sprig of romaine, very fresh. You have to pay extra for bacon and cheese, I got bacon and white cheddar. I never really thought I'd say this, but I wish I didn't get the bacon. It really doesn't add much to the burger, but rather, takes away from it. The bacon here was way too tough and chewy, and overly dry, it really took away from my ideal burger experience. And here I thought because it was called "T-Rex" bacon that it would be special. Maybe CJ's spoiled me. As for the condiments, there were none that come with the burger, but they do have this smoked picante sauce that's really good on the side in addition to the typical ketchup and mustard (they seem to like Grey Poupon in California).

The fries were just not-quite-steak-fries-but-larger-than-regular-fries kind of affair, nothing to write home about, but complimented the meal well.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: A
Bun: B-
Fixings: C+
Condiments: B
Sides: B
Price: $10-14
Overall Rating: B-
Recommended Burger: T-Rex Burger (no bacon)

Barney's, the burger joint in Berkeley, not the purple dinosaur

Baja Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

So over the weekend I was visiting my brother's family in the East Bay (of Northern California) and he told me that we should go to this place, for the sake of having another entry on the Burger Snob. So here it is, for you 5 readers out there. There seems to be a couple, but I'm hesitant to call it a chain simply because it's only in the Berkeley area. I have no idea why it's called Barney's or any history behind it, just that it's a burger joint and college students kind of like it, or something like that.

Anyways, the burger itself was pretty good, I got the Baja Burger, which, comes with a homemade pico de gallo salsa, bacon, avocado, and I believe swiss cheese. Interesting combination, but hey, it's California, so it makes sense. While the ingredients themselves were good, I found that the construction of the burger itself was actually somewhat lacking. I liked the salsa, but it was a little light on flavor, avocado and swiss cheese in and of themselves are naturally fairly flavorless to begin with. The beef quality was good, it was a nice hearty patty. The bun a typical sesame bun, but it wasn't toasted, so it wasn't anything fancy. Now fixings is where the construction issue comes in. I don't mind the bacon, it's pretty typical of a bacon burger in terms of quality of the bacon, but the fact that all of bacon was clumped into a roll mad it hard to eat with the burger. Frankly, I want to taste the burger, not globs of bacon. I'll give them points for the salsa and avocado since they are nice, but I felt like the mix didn't add a whole lot to the burger as a whole. Unless you count the salsa there wasn't any condiments. They do have Grey Poupon, ketchup, and regular mustard at the table, so it's pretty typical,, nothing out of the ordinary.

I did really like the spicy curly fries, those are good. However, this place serves them more like an appetizer than necessarily a side, so it's recommended that you go and eat with a friend.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B+
Bun: B-
Fixings: C+
Condiments: C+
Sides: A
Price: $7-12
Overall Rating: C+
Recommended Burger: Classic Burger

Better than breakfast

Bacon and Cheddar Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

Okay, maybe not everyone would think so, CJ's Eatery is generally known as a breakfast-all-day kind of place. They do serve some mean scrambles as well as a scrumptuous biscuits and gravy. However, what this place does very well also are its burgers. I had always known that the burgers here were good, but honestly, with this further assessment I was pleasantly surprised, I would say, more than pleasantly surprised. I originally was recommended this place when I had a summer internship in Belltown, and it's been a good place to eat, at least I've never been disappointed.

The meat quality in and of itself is pretty good, it's full and beefy in flavor. The burger itself is served on something like a large brioche bun, so it has a little more of that country-earthy flavor. It's a nice combination. The lettuce and tomatoes are fairly fresh, so it's a good combination. What makes this particular burger stand out is the bacon. It's not quite typical of what you'd expect in bacon burger. The bacon slices themselves were super hearty and substantial, not the thin crispy strips that I mostly see in other bacon burgers. It was goooood. I'm normally not a big fan of bacon burgers, but this one may have changed my mind. Condiment-wise they just give you mayo, but they do also do give you ketchup, Tobasco, and a nice seedy deli mustard.

The steak fries are a nice plus, a little over-fried for me personally, but it's a good touch. I like it.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B+
Bun: B
Fixings: A+
Sides: A-
Price: $8-12
Overall Rating: A
Recommended Burger: Bacon and Cheddar Burger

Ah the wonders of tourist attractions...

Hurricane Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

Not to say that this place is one, or that I would go out of my way to eat here. But rather, this place was located in a tourist attraction and frankly, there's no other food to be had within like 20 miles of the place. This burger (which I believe their menu calls a cheeseburger but the register calls a hurricane burger) can be found at the snack bar at Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park. Yes, I even am reviewing this burger.

The meat quality was fairly fresh, and by all the tourists there, I could tell that the staff was backlogged so, there must have been some prep work done beforehand. Nothing here is out of the ordinary, and if previous burgers have been like the picnic BBQ burger this is probably the epitome of it. I think I ordered my burger with pepperjack cheese and got cheddar instead, but I'm not really going to complain a whole lot about that. Anyways, the meat, as I said before was fairly fresh. The fixings also were fresh, and I enjoyed how they used romaine instead of iceberg for their lettuce, adds a nice touch to it. The bun was a straight forward kaiser roll, no frills, probably straight out of the packaging, generally I prefer it grilled, but hey, it's a pretty no frills burger, so this wasn't outside the norm. Finally, in regards to the condiments, well, like burgers I've previously had, this burger was condiment free, there was a tub of ketchup that came with it, so we'll say that the ketchup was the condiments, truly, your no frills burger.

The fries were actually an pretty good, they seemed a little different than your run of the mill fries, can't quite put my finger on it. I liked the crispiness though. I'm not a fan of the price tag on this burger, I believe the burger in and of itself (with fries no drink) is about $6.50, not really worth it to me, but hey, it is a tourist spot so I can't really say I blame them.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B-
Bun: C+
Fixings: B+
Condiments: C
Sides: B
Price: $6.50-$10
Overall Rating: C+
Recommended Burger: Hurricane Burger

Poor man's royalty

A1 Steakhouse XT Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

Incidentally, I went to the Burger King in Castle Rock on my way back from Portland (yes across the street from the gas station) not because it was intentional on my part, but rather, it was the most expedient place to eat. I found out actually, that Exit 49 is one of the exits for the 504 which takes you to Mt. St. Helen's which my dad and I decided to "stop by" on the way back.

Anyways, I wasn't really expecting a whole lot when I came here, but I have to say this time I was somewhat pleasantly surprised by the XT burger. The original XT burger really was nothing to talk about, it was bland and unassuming to the point of being not good. Maybe people in Castle Rock just know how to make burgers. Anyways, my impression of this burger ran pretty much into the realms of something I'd slap together super quick at home. The patty doesn't taste awesome, but it's not super processed, it's roughly the equivalent of a decent pre-frozen patty you might purchase for a family BBQ from say like Costco. The bun is your run-of-the-mill French style roll, and the fixings weren't super fresh, but passable. The A1 tastes pretty much like the bottle of A1 Thick 'n Hearty I used to have in my fridge, which I like, but it really isn't something that stands out, and certainly not something worth paying extra money for.

As for the sides, Burger King does get bonus points onion rings free of charge, but not a whole lot as the onion rings aren't superlative by any means, but still, they are onion rings. However, my beef is that the boxes are puny.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: C+
Bun: B-
Fixings: C
Condiments: B-
Sides: B-
Price: $4-10
Overall rating: C+
Recommended Burger: A1 Steakhouse XT Burger

The McWhopper... sort of... I think...

Castle Rock Shell Cheeseburger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

It's been 3 years since I've been to this place, and for good reason, because it's out in the middle of nowhere (no offense, but off Exit 49?). It left a pretty good impression, a lot of it I think was the dipping sauces for the fries, they had something called Fry Sauce, branded Chadalee Farms. It's essentially the same as the Campfire Sauce that Red Robin serves with their onion rings. I like it. The burgers are made fresh, though the patties might be of the bulk order, pre-made variety, I know the fries are. This burger joint really isn't a burger joint, but rather a grill inside of the food mart of a Shell gas station. Yeah, I know, how good could gas station food be? But this place was good enough to be memorable. Probably the fry sauce.

Anyways, the patty was a mite on the thin side, essentially, it was a pretty good Whopper with something equivalent to McDonald's special Thousand Island sauce from their Big Mac. The meat quality was not discernibly good or bad, probably because it was so thin, but from what I could tell, it was fairly decent. The bun was a typical sesame bun and the fixings weren't super fresh, there was a good variety though. The sauce was pretty good too, I liked the tang, went well with the pickles. If you're ever driving down to Oregon, it's not a bad place to stop by. Probably something with bacon might've been a good touch.

The fries are kind of run-of-the-mill frozen cringle cut fries, which are good. Ask for fry sauce.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: C+
Bun: B-
Fixings: C+
Condiments: B-
Sides: B
Price: $4-10
Overall Rating: B-
Recommended Burger: Bacon double cheeseburger

It's a place to go to say you've been there

Dick's Deluxe
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

This place supposedly has the endorsement of Bill Gates, which kind of just leads me to believe that Mr. Gates should stick to computers, no offense. Anyways, Dick's Burgers is something of a staple in the Seattle area. You can find them all around the area, so most people around here will know what you're talking about. The nice thing about this place, besides it's kind of old-school, local, drive-in kind of vibe is simply that it's relatively inexpensive, but I really have to say that's about all it really has going for it. On the plus side, you can't really go wrong, but then again, you can't really go right with Dick's.

The meat quality is alright, the burger in and of itself was on more of the insubstantial side, so it's easy to see why people go in ordering burgers in pairs. The meat isn't anything to write home about (if you're visiting) but it's better than the run-of-the-mill fast-food joint but nothing out of the ordinary. The bun is your typical enriched white bun, In terms of fixings, there isn't much, just some shredded lettuce, maybe some relish type stuff. The condiments is a kind of house-sauce, a sweetish kind of Thousand Island sauce, which is pretty good, was kind of watery when I had it though.

Fries were decent, of a soggier nature, but it's pretty good. Works well with the meal as a whole.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B-
Bun: C
Fixings: C-
Condiments: C+
Sides: B-
Price: $1.50-$7
Overall Grade: C+
Recommended Burger: Dick's Deluxe

Is the burger supposed to be high tech?

iBurger 1/3lb Cheeseburger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

If I heard correctly, iBurger was originally a burger-joint that was opened in Snoqualmie area and they just opened in Lake City this past week. It's in a rather interesting location, does look rather like a drive-in kind of place, but there's not much parking. Anyways, they have some seafood, chicken, there're some interesting things. I think I'll have to come back and try one of these specialty burgers, and of course a shake.

The burger looks to be well-made, it was thick and juicy, the fixings are fairly fresh, I like the sweet pickles, which I believe that they also use in their house sauce, which is sort of a Thousand Island kind of shindig. Additionally, there was some ketchup and stuff so that was good. The bun was a nice toasted sesame bun, the only problem was that the bun was a little too wide for the burger patty, so that was a kind of a bummer.

The sides were okay, the fries seem like a mix of frozen stuff they throw in the deep fryer, so it's hard to get wrong.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: A-
Bun: C+
Fixings: B
Condiments: B+
Sides: B-
Price: $6-$10
Recommended Burger: 1/3 lb. cheeseburger

More campus food

Husky Burger By George
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

Alright, so I haven't had a burger in a while, decided that since my bus wasn't coming around for a while, I'd get around to this place. By George is probably the only other place on UW campus outside of Pickles and Fries at the HUB that sells burgers, and is probably one of the few dining commons that hasn't undergone major renovation. While By George is probably technically comprised of various establishments, it's essentially one single cafeteria with multiple dining options, much more what you'd consider to be typical collegiate cafeteria dining experience. The burgers are stored at "The Grill" (very unoriginally named), and everything is pretty much pre-made, you just go and grab what you want and pay on your way out.

The Husky Burger is a poor shadow of its counterpart sold at The Ram. Essentially, what it strives to be is something along the lines of half of a Big Mac. The meat quality though is significantly better than that of McDonald's. I also like the tang to the Thousand Island sauce. However,, aside from that, it's a fairly uninspired burger. The fixings aren't exactly fresh and the bun is a generic (slightly over toasted) sesame bun. Overall, it could've been better, but it could've been worse.

The fresh cut style fries are quite nice, but overall, it's more a dining experience of convenience than anything I'd go out of my way for.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B-
Bun: B-
Fixings: C-
Condiments: B-
Sides: B
Price: $3-$6
Overall Rating: C+
Recommended Burger: Husky Burger

An aptly named establishment

A Burger Place Double Cheeseburger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

I remember when this place used to be a teriyaki shop. I don't think it was a very good one because it subsequently closed and became this place, A Burger Place. It's well known enough that when I tell people, "I went to A Burger Place to grab food" they'll ask if I mean just "a burger place" or "the A Burger Place". I've generally always been fairly fond of this place, in terms of quality of the burger, on the Ave, I'd have to say it's probably one of the best. I don't know if that's really so much of a kudos to the establishment as it is a testament to the lack of selection and quality of what is available there already.

This place is the very first kind of "customize-your-own-burger" type of establishments that I've ever been to. When you walk in, you see a counter with the grill behind it, and on the counter is a simple checklist. Fill out the checklist, hand it to the cashier, and your order is in. Unlike the other checklist establishment I reviewed, here prices are determined by what is checked, while certain things are free, things can add up so you might want to be a little careful of what you get.

In regards to the burger itself, it's fairly well done, and the meat is of good quality. It's got that nice hearty, beefy flavor without being excessively greasy. The bun is a well toasted sesame bun, which you can't go wrong with. I like how the fixings are very fresh, though they are a little skimpier on the lettuce than I personally prefer. Their condiment selection includes the typical ketchup, mustard, and mayo with additional options of teriyaki sauce, a house sauce (I think ranch-based), and hot sauce. There may be one more, but I don't really remember. I got the hot sauce and mayo, I like the hot sauce flavor, but I didn't really feel like there was enough of it there. Application is just as important as quality, even if it's really good you can't tell if there isn't enough of it and you defeat the purpose of condiments if there's too much of it.

The sides are good, they have a selection of regular, curly, steak fries, and onion rings. It's good, a little pricey, but generally good. I like steak fries so I get steak fries, they are more expensive than regular fries. In general, it's a good experience, a bit pricey for what it is, but it's good.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B+
Bun: A-
Fixings: A
Condiments: B-
Sides: B
Price: $4-$12
Recommended Burger: Make-your-own

All I really have to say about it is: "I tried it"

Husky Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

It's kind of one of those things that I really don't have much else to say about it. I tried it because I heard so much about it. The only reason I remember coming to here was so that a large group could share dessert for somebody's birthday. They'd give you the mud pie with a candle in it, for free, if it was somebody's birthday. Generally speaking, I'm not a huge fan of The Ram. Apparently, they're a chain, spanning Illinois, Idaho, Indiana, Oregon, and Washington, so I guess I can't really tag this as a local joint. Anyways, I figured when I went that I'd go for the Husky Burger, and that was affirmed by my friend who said, "Being a Husky alum, you should have the Husky Burger at least once." So I did. Can I say I'm really better off for it? No, not really. I've had burgers here before, but this was before the advent of The Burger Snob so I guess they don't count quite as much.

Anyways, onwards. It's kind of ironic that I had this after Denny's Classic Cheeseburger, because if I think about it honestly, that's all this pretty much is, a giant one pound version of Denny's Classic Cheeseburger. Maybe next time I try the Angus Prime burgers, but I really can't say I care a whole lot for the quality of the product that comes out of the kitchen. It's okay, but not something I'd really go out of my way for. The meat was okay, had the full, hearty, meaty flavor you look for in a burger, the fixings were fairly fresh, and the bun was decent. Again they didn't put any condiments on to begin with, so overall, so you add your own. I probably should've asked for some A1, that would've made it better. Oh well.

I actually kind of like the fries, if they came out a little fresher I think I'd like them more, but in general, I liked their texture and flavor.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B+
Bun: B-
Fixings: B
Condiments: C
Sides: B+
Price: $8-$14
Overall Grade: B-
Recommended Burger: Tumbleweed Burger

Not quite a "grand slam"...

The Classic Cheeseburger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

But hey, let's say maybe a ground roll double? Okay, enough with the bad baseball analogies. I usually don't come to Denny's much, and to that extent I really didn't have much in terms of expectations. My general experience with Denny's has mostly been with brunch/breakfast type deals, and overall I wasn't very impressed, well as much so as a chain of American style diner type deals that are open super almost 24 hours a day can be. My experience, not with Denny's specifically but with establishments much like it was that the burgers weren't great, passable, but nothing to really write about, well here I am now, writing about a Denny's burger. I have to say, it's pretty good. I'm not going to tell you that it's the "best burger ever" and I'm not going to guarantee that every Denny's is going to be the same, this could as well easily be an outlier as not.

Anyways, this thing was on their 2,4,6,8 value menu thing at $6 and they add a drink for 99 cents, so I figure, "Hey, why not?" When you think about it reasonably, for a comparable burger type meal at a fast food joint, the price is pretty comparable, really it kind of is, especially for some of those fast food places you see out there. Okay, so it's a very simple burger, literally just meat, lettuce, tomatoes, I think some onions, and cheese. When I first saw the burger I was a little disappointed... At this point in time when I see the patty it's almost like falling apart, I'm pretty sure it probably did during the cooking of the burger and they tried to keep it together, and it... kind of worked? At the very least I knew that it was kinda hand pressed, but it didn't look very good. When I bit into the burger though, it was really quite a pleasant surprise.

The quality of the meat was actually quite good, it was beefy, not overly greasy, though I kind of like it a little juicier, but overall it was good. The patty itself, though disheveled for lack of a better word, was actually fairly substantial. The bun was a normal sesame seed bun, well done, and the cheese well melted. Now I know people that prefer it this way, but shredded lettuce to me just never seems as fresh, the tomato was pretty good though. The down side that I realized after the first bite was that they don't put condiments on the burger. Of course they give you ketchup, mustard, Cholula hot sauce, and Tobasco, but you have to apply yourself, a word of warning. I mean, I like this stuff, but the application of it yourself kind of makes it feel like it doesn't count.

As a final side note, the fries were okay, I don't know what's special about the kringle-cut fries deal was, except maybe the functional purpose of greater surface area for frying, making it extra crispy. They're nothing to rave about, but its a good compliment to the burger.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B+
Bun: B+
Fixings: B-
Condiments: C
Sides: B
Price: $6-$12
Overall Grade: B
Recommended Burger: Mushroom and Swiss Burger

Ah, good old school lunches

The Big Cheeseburger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

I'm really not being very discriminate about the burger places I venture too, I don't want to be. I used to foray this place a lot in my undergrad years, in fact, I knew people that worked here and could give me some really nice hookups. Though, I hear they practically give away the stuff around closing. Anyways, the place is called Pickles & Fries in the Husky Union Building (HUB for short) on UW campus. Yes, I am reviewing essentially cafeteria food.

To be honest, I wasn't really expecting a whole lot coming into this review, but I was fairly pleasantly surprised by how well it turned out. I can't say that it's somewhere I highly recommend going out of your way for, and to be honest, it's frankly ridiculously overpriced. However, I was fairly impressed with the quality of the meat, it was almost as good as Jack-in-the-Box. It wasn't super greasy, but it still was kind of beefy. In terms of the fixings, those were, well, rather hurting. The lettuce and tomatoes weren't fresh at all. I actually didn't taste any pickles, though that was what I recalled always tasting in the older burgers. The condiment was a kind of sweetish Thousand Island mayo/aioli type of deal, which was pretty neat, though a little over flavored, a mite sweet for my liking. The bun isn't anything fancy, but it's not horrible either.

The sides aren't horrible, but they're not stellar. Frankly, the cost of everything is just so high it makes it seem not worth it, making the whole experience worse than it probably really was.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B+
Bun: B-
Fixings: C-
Condiments: B-
Sides: C
Price: $4-$10
Overall Grade: C
Recommended Burger: The Big Cheeseburger

I guess I didn't know Jack

Sirloin with Swiss and Grilled Onions
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

When I first saw this, I wasn't really sure what to think of it. Needless to say, my expectations weren't really high, what after my previous experience with nationwide fast food "fancy" burgers. I have to say, my experience with Jack-in-the-Box has been limited, generally I only ventured for the Jumbo Jack or the dollar menu stuff, or breakfast. Anyways, I was actually really pleasantly surprised at how good this burger was. Okay, it's not like a phenomenal, blow-your-mind kind of thing, but for something that you'd consider to be franchised fast-food that you expect to be on par with other franchised fast-food, this is a good burger, the side of jo-jo's is a nice touch, as opposed to the fries, well... I suppose the curly fries would've been nicer, had they not charged extra.

So the meat was actually surprisingly well seasoned and full-flavored. It wasn't quite as beefy as I would've liked it, but it's actually pretty good quality, it might be something people like. If I were to draw a comparison it'd probably be a little closer to In-N-Out than Five Guys per say. It's got good texture and fullness to it. The fixings were a little, not fresh, let's say, and the condiments were okay, nothing special. Now, I'm not a huge fan of potato bread, but the potato bread bun was a nice touch, and well done too at that. I really don't have much more to add, so... sorry for those of you who are inexplicably riveted by my writing. All in all, a good call, I was surprised, especially since the Jack-in-the-Box I went to I wasn't really expecting much from anyways. Nice.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: A-
Bun: A-
Fixings: C+
Condiments: C+
Sides: B
Price: $1-$10
Overall Rating: B
Recommended Burger: Sirloin Cheeseburger

All that hype...

Double-Double Animal Style w/ Chopped Chilis
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

So I took a visit down to California yesterday, and of course, as everyone should do in California, or so everyone says, is to visit probably the most hyped burger joint in the nation: In-N-Out. It's not that I've never had it before, but I've never had it during the short life of this blog, so it's a good excuse to go out and get my burger fix. I had a friend whose co-worker was saying that if it's my first real visit down to California in a while, then it's only appropriate that I get my fair share of In-N-Out before I leave, which I did. Now, from my perspective, the very first thing that I noticed when I went to In-N-Out (the actual first time I went) was that it lived up to the hype, it's one of those things that becomes legendary in the East Coast. You have conversations along the lines of:

"Oh, you went to California? Did you go to In-N-Out?"

"Oh yeah."

"How was it?"

"It was awesome."

I have to say, in my experience with In-N-Out, it is quite good. Even now, after dubbing myself "The Burger Snob" I must say, it is probably the best fast-food burger deal you'll find anywhere. The quality you get for your money is so worth it. Of course, there's also always the fun of ordering all the off-menu stuff.

Anyways, you're here to read about what I think about the burger, right? Well, at least I hope so. This one particular In-N-Out was one I used to frequent often, as it was the one closest to my apartment, it was rather crowded, and I'm not sure I got the best quality service that I've experienced at In-N-Out, either the demand has forced quality control to go down,or it was just an off day, I hope it's the latter. Overall, it's what you expect, the meat was generally a good quality, it's not quite as greasy as most other burger joints, but the quality is good enough that you do get away with it. The patties are on the smaller side, which is why I generally recommend a double-double. The bun is well toasted, nothing fancy, but it serves the job, well. The fixings are fresh and they really add a lot to the burger as a whole, generally speaking while you do need the lettuce, tomato, and cheese, what really adds to the burger are the optional fixings, i.e. grilled and/or raw onions and chopped chilis. Keep in mind though, if you try to be "healthier" and get extra lettuce and extra tomatoes on your burger, you may run the risk of overwhelming the burger with veggies. Of course, what's most renown I think about In-N-Out is the animal style sauce, which essentially is a fancy Thousand Island dressing with onions grilled inside. All-in-all, a very good burger, and honestly, it's cheaper than most burger places you can find, yes, that does include McDonald's. Now when I say cheaper, I don't mean that it's less expensive than if you shotgun order off the dollar menu, but if you're getting a value meal, In-N-Out has them all beat.

A quick blurb about the fries, they're good since they're literally just deep fried strips of potatoes (some fancy one from Idaho I hear). Apparently, you can get them "well-done" which means fried again, as the batch you normally get are still a little raw. I like them, but they're not my favorites.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: A-
Bun: B
Fixings: A
Condiments: A+
Sides: B
Price: $3-$7
Overall Grade: A
Recommended Burger: Double-Double Animal Style with Chopped Chilis

What's with Seattle and the color red?

The Jack Daniels BBQ Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

Seriously... what's the deal? But I digress. I had actually heard about Red Door before, but as my forays into the Fremont area are rather sparse to begin with, I didn't really have an opportunity to go there. However, I managed to get out recently to meet up with a friend that worked in the area and grab some grub, 'twas good. The place looked like a good old-fashioned sports bar, a place where a lot of locals gathered to grab food and beverage and just enjoy a meal in a fairly chill atmosphere. The actually dining area being smaller than the 21-and-over bar area kind of gave me that sort of impression, that and the fact that it was relegated to the back corner of the establishment like the smoking sections of restaurants in the 1990s. Maybe that's not an entirely fair assessment, but it didn't really take away from the dining experience, so I won't make any more of a fuss about it, just go, you'll like it.

The menu was pretty typical of a typical American restaurant/sports bar type of establishment. Sandwiches, salads, appetizers and some burgers. Obviously, I came for the burgers. After a quick perusal of the selections, I decided to go for the Jack Daniels BBQ Burger, it sounded good from the menu. The menu boasted a 1/3 lb burger, but after seeing and experiencing the 1/3 lb post-cooked weight burgers at The Counter, I can't say I was exactly expecting a whole lot out of it, still, I suppose it's something I'll just have to get used to, as I'm pretty sure the only way I can something close is if I get a full pound burger somewhere else, I guess. Anyways...

The burger overall was good, though as expected, the patty wasn't all that big. The meat of the patty was good, it had a full beefy flavor. I really enjoyed also the fixings, of course you can't really go wrong when you have bacon. The lettuce didn't seem too fresh, but the tomatoes and onions were a good addition. The bun was also well managed, toasted but not too dry or tough, mixing well with the burger as a whole. Finally, I actually really enjoyed the BBQ sauce, but the problem was that it wasn't really well spread across the burger. My general impression of the burger was good, but the overall eating experience was... well, "uneven" for lack of a better term. What I mean by that is that there were parts of it where I was like, this is a good burger, but other parts where I wasn't really sure what to make of it, I wasn't sure what exactly I was eating. Like there were patches of the burger where I got a lot of bacon, parts where I felt like there was a fullness of onion flavor, a place where I thought I could taste some of the BBQ sauce, but it was inconsistent, there were parts where I wasn't really sure what I was eating, it was just kind of like, bun and stuff, since honestly, the meat while nice, is fairly nondescript.

That being said, the fries definitely had a very nice fresh cut and fried kind of flavor. That definitely adds to the experience.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B
Bun: A
Fixings: B
Condiments: B-
Sides: A
Price: $9-$11
Overall Grade: B+
Recommended Burger: Jack Daniel's BBQ Burger

Let down...

Bayou Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

Maybe it was just that my expectations were high, but unfortunately, my late foray to Red Robin was quite disappointing. I came originally expecting to be able to dub this place the "best burger originating in Seattle" and either nostalgia has fried my brain or quite simply they don't make these things with enough consistency for me to make such a broad sweeping proclamation. Alas and alack.

Part of it I think is the fact they are cycling through their menu, and perhaps part of my let down of the experience was the fact that they are phasing out my favorite burger on the menu, the A1 peppercorn burger. That being said, I quickly decided to get the bayou burger.  Though it was a rather hasty decision as I was still kind of reeling at the discontinuation of my burger of preference.  That's not to say that I'll boycott Red Robin from now on, but simply, it was a shock, not a good one either.

To be fair, it was a decent burger, but there's nothing I can say about it that was exceptional. The burger had a couple of slices of pepperjack cheese, some peppers, some grilled onions, and of all things I think like coleslaw, minus the mayo, and some kind of sauce, all on a kind of kaiser bun. Overall the meat flavor was pretty good, butt it seemed a little overcooked this time around, the fixings were pretty good, there was a good kick to it, subtle but complimenting the burger well, something I haven't really seen in a pepper burger in a while. The bun is something of a kaiser/hoagie like bun, overall, 'twas good, but didn't add anything outstanding to the burger. Overall, it's a pretty safe burger so to say, you won't be dissatisfied with it, and Red Robin is generally not a bad place to go if you're craving some decent burgers.  I may have to amend my review, come back another time, I hope this was an exception, not a trend.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B
Bun: B
Fixings: A-
Condiments: B+
Sides: A+
Price: $7-$10
Overall Grade: B+
Recommended Burger: Whisky River BBQ Burger

Choose-Your-Own-Adventure, with burgers

So, I had actually been intending to try this place down in Palo Alto, needless to say, I was fairly surprised when I heard that there was one in Ballard. It's seemed a little out of the way as we wandered around in the dark driving towards the warehouse district by the water. I had heard good things about The Counter and how they were known for their ultra-customizable burgers, so needless to say, I was very much looking forward to it. I was honestly expecting more of a kind of fast-food joint, well, not fast-food in the conventional sense, but something like the local places I'd find around here, like Red Mill or something. So, I was a little surprised to see that it's something of a sit-down affair. I'm not one to talk much about ambiance, but I was struck at how it's kind of like an old '60s diner meets modern Japanese sushi club/joint, it's hard to describe, you kind of just have to experience it.

Anyways, we're here about the burger. If I were to describe the burger in one word, it would be: beef. Seriously, it is a beefy burger. My friend mentioned that they use a Oregon-raised beef, which I suppose is supposed to be of high quality, and it was. That was some good beef. Now, with that said, this isn't a burger for the faint of heart, it's hearty and honestly, I think those intimidated by a large quantity of meat in one sitting might find it a little overwhelming. The beef wasn't really seasoned in any special way, but the quality of the meat really is at a level where it's not really necessary. What is so outstanding about The Counter's burgers is simply this: the weight of the burger on the menu are POST-cooking. Yes, the burgers weight either 1/3 lbs, 2/3 lbs, or 1 lb AFTER they've been cooked. That means it's MORE beef than that before it's actually cooked. That's beefy.

In terms of the fixings, I'm a little peeved that you only get to pick four and that lettuce, tomatoes, and onions each count as one "topping", but that aside, everything is really fresh. They also have a really good selection of stuff to choose from. It's hard for me to really say a whole lot more about it, as the experience of each individual burger will not be lacking because of the quality of the ingredients. My main caveat with eating at a place like this is that you really need to have a pretty clear idea of what exactly you're looking for in terms of a burger, otherwise, you kind of just mix everything together and get a mess. If you go over the prescribed number of toppings and stuff, they do charge extra, and certain premium ingredients cost extra as well. They do have some pre-constructed burgers on the menu as well, but honestly, half the fun is in making your own burger.

There's also a good selection of condiments and the same kind of caveat applies as it does with the fixings, though you are limited to one condiment, not including ketchup, so I recommend trying something a little different. Most of the stuff there is sort a specialty kind of condiment anyway, it's served on the side, so you get to ration the flavor as you choose. In terms of the bun, it gets a little messy at 2/3 lbs, but the 1/3 lb burger seems relatively manageable. The bun is toasted well, but aside from that it's not really anything brag about. They do also offer options of English Muffin and a "Market Selection" specialty bun (when I went it was an artisan bun) but honestly, I personally would consider the normal hamburger bun to be the best option of those choices.

I know that I normally just talk about the burgers, but I do rate the sides as a component of the overall burger experience. I was a little disappointed in the fries and onion strings, and they actually don't come with the burger, they need to be ordered separately, making it a little more on the pricier side. Well, pricier in my book for burgers. The quality of the product wasn't bad, but it wasn't outstanding either. That being said, I regret not getting the sweet fries.

Rating of the Burger:

Meat: A+

Bun: B-

Fixings: A-

Condiments: A+

Sides: B-

Price: $8-$15

Overall Grade: A-

Recommended Burger: I really can't.

Unfortunately over-hyped...

Red Mill's Verde Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

It's very unfortunate, it really is. Adam Richman from Man vs. Food has failed me, well, perhaps it's part of the experience, I can't really say for sure. Honestly though, if this is supposed to be the consensus best burger in Seattle, Seattle hates burgers. I'm not saying that it's bad, but it's nothing really special. I'm going to come out and say this out front right now: I know Seattle has better burgers. So if you're in Seattle, it's okay if you don't come here for a burger, even if Adam Richman says you must, I don't think you do, then again, maybe you don't want to take my word on it, don't.

Before I compromise my integrity as the "Burger Snob" any further, I suppose I should get on with the review. Red Mill Burger is a small shop that looks to be a former pharmacy. There's a Starbucks next to it too if you get thirsty. The menu is pretty straight forward, what you'd expect from a burger joint. A list of burgers, a list of chicken sandwiches, a list of veggie-burger alternatives, some sides, some beverages, etc... It gets pretty crowded but overall, nothing overly problematic for a burger place, I mean, you don't HAVE to eat it there. From all appearances, it's fairly unassuming, kind of quaint. If you go, I hope you're not claustrophobic.

I ordered the Verde Burger because I was intrigued since they stated that they peeled and roasted fresh Anaheim peppers daily, and the Verde Burger was the burger with Anaheim peppers. I've historically been a little disappointed with the lack of flavor of Anaheims and honestly this time I was kind of disappointed again. You get the tang of a peppery kick but it's really just a tease, there's nothing really more. Overall, I thought it was a fairly well balanced burger, the meat is good, but again I would say it's more on the nondescript side, so it's not really anything worth gushing about. The fixings are fresh, as I mentioned with the peppers, but honestly, again, they don't really make the burger stand out significantly. To be completely honest, the peppers take up too much of the burger, taking away actually from burger because they themselves are a little on the flavorless side. The bun was kind of like a large roll, it's different from the normal burger, it was toasted well, and was a good balance to the rest of the burger. In terms of condiments, the Mill Sauce is supposed to be the kind of thing that sets the burger apart. It was a subtle, smoky flavor, but I honestly would've liked a little more of it. In my opinion, it was a little too subtle, but maybe that was the point. I think I would've liked more Mill Sauce.

As a side note, the onion rings were good, but not exceptional. They're supposed to be good beer-battered ones, but it's nothing I'd go out of my way for.

So I'm going to do something unprecedented thusfar, I'm going to recommend a burger I haven't actually had.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: A-
Bun: B+
Fixings: B+
Condiments: B
Sides: B+
Price: $6-$10
Overall Grade: B+
Recommended Burger: Red Mill Deluxe Cheeseburger

It's something of an afterthought...

Wendy's
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

Wendy's was always considered that "other" fast-food burger place growing up. Maybe it's just me, but my family only ever really debated over whether to go to McDonald's or Burger King for fast food, with the occasional Taco Bell craving thrown in there, however, whenever it came to fast food burgers it was always McDonald's or Burger King. Not to knock on Wendy's but honestly other than the commercials with Dave Thomas in it, I really didn't know a whole lot about the franchise besides it selling burgers. I remember my uncle saying he liked it more than McDonald's or Burger King after having it a bit during a cross-country drive.

Anyways, when I did start going to Wendy's more (but not often) in college, it was more for the cool stuff on the 99 cent menu. You just get four things on there and it was a pretty good meal. I think part of me didn't have a great impression of Wendy's because I had a friend who commented that in the commercials the square patties were always depicted as "edges-to-the-bun" whereas in actuality it was "corners-to-the-bun". My most recent experience showed me something in the middle, the corners (though there were only really 3 of them, so it wasn't really a square) were a little past the bun but the edges weren't quite there yet either.

About the burger itself, I don't know that the burgers are significantly different aside from the number of patties and what goes on them. In terms of the patties, I thought they were decent, but in all honesty, a little on the flavorless side. I was trying to think of something to comment about in regards to the meat while I was eating it, and I honestly couldn't really figure out what exactly was going on inside of my mouth. It tasted like... stuff... Really, I have no other words for it. The packaging has a little label on it that says "Always Fresh Never Frozen" or something along those lines, and I can see how that's true, but honestly where it applied really was just the fixings.

I felt that the lettuce, tomatoes, and onions were pretty fresh, and honestly, I was looking forward to finding them more in my burger than the burger itself, since that's where a lot of the flavors were. In terms of the condiments I thought it was pretty unnoticeable, not really subtle, just not really there. I can't honestly say I remember there being ketchup, mustard, or mayo on my burger, except for the fact that I think I remember seeing it of all things. The bun is a kind of a kaiser bun kind of thing, I thought it was good, a nice change from the kind of normal mushier enriched white-bread bun. Overall, not a bad burger, but it's so nondescript and unremarkable that it's pretty much... well, I guess I kind of think of it as just "another fast-food chain" like I used to, the only difference is that I don't think of McDonald's and Burger King first.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: C
Bun: B
Fixings: B+
Condiments: C
Sides: C+
Price: $0.99-$8
Overall Grade: C+
Recommended Burger: 1/4 Pound Single

Mrs. Lu, you ought to be proud

Mr. Lu's
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

I recall when this place used to be a different place, but I don't remember what it used to be, maybe a gyros place? Anyways, now it's this bright orange hole-in-the-wall place called quite simply Mr. Lu's Burgers and Seafood. It's a rather interesting combination, but not really when you think of it, I guess, kind of budget surf-n-turf, though I don't know that they really have that kind of a combo as a menu item, but considering the target demographic is in fact college students, that shouldn't be too big of an issue.

I had a friend who refused to eat here because of the color of the shop, I think she finally had it at one point in time but I never got around to asking her what she thought of it. The menu is a fairly straightforward chalkboard affair. They have a variety of little side things (like I noticed they were offering green tea milkshakes which sounded interesting), but the brunt of the menu are food items. The menu can be aptly divided into 3 different categories: burgers, other sandwich items (such as chicken), and seafood. The first and third items here are obviously part of the name so you figure you gotta try one of those. The burger selection is fairly diverse, but also nothing so out of the ordinary that you wouldn't have seen it at another burger place, the typical specialty burgers like Hawaiian, bacon, jalapeno, etc... All burgers come with a side of fries but drinks are extra, not sure if there are free refills, so I usually just get some water.

Anyways, I came to write about the burgers and about such burgers will I write. The burgers here are actually of a fairly good quality. They have that good kind of homemade feel to them. The concepts are safe and fairly well thought out, though some burgers, such as the Cajun burger, are a little over the top with the sauce and stuff, but I mean that in a good way. The meat quality overall is pretty good, but there's nothing really special about it, it's a tad on the greasy side, but overall it brings out the flavor of the meat. The bun again is nothing to brag about, but it doesn't detract from the burger either. The fixings are fairly fresh, though somewhat sparse depending on the burger you order. They do bacon pretty well, but it's hard not to, it compliments the burger quite well. The condiments likewise have the same effect, you're going to have to try the different burgers for the different ones, but like the Cajun burger is a good Cajun sauce mix. I like it. It's hard to say a lot about the burger, because, honestly, it's a fairly nondescript burger, and again, I mean that in a good way. When you look at something on the menu and order it, it's pretty much what you expect.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: B+
Bun: B-
Fixings: B
Condiments: B+
Sides: B
Price: $6-$10

Overall Grade: B
Recommended Burger: University Deluxe Burger