tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48768822927577466322024-03-13T23:42:53.332-07:00The Burger SnobDiscovering the world, one burger at a time.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-51090352884251469782014-11-18T08:18:00.002-08:002014-11-18T08:18:23.629-08:00Not bad, despite the misnomerThe irony of a place called Islands, is that it's originally from Southern California. I suppose, perhaps that's not really as ironic as it is perhaps cliched, but I think you get my point. That being said, we stopped over here for dinner on the way home from a retreat. I had seen one of these near where I am in Northern California and was always curious. My SoCal friends said that it was a fairly generic burger chain from their neck of the woods. That being said, it still intrigued me.<br />
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As you may have already figured out, I generally go for the slightly spicy burgers. I enjoy a good kick to go with the burger, so I'm never averse to trying a burger with hot peppers and/or hot sauce. I think the contrast in flavor profiles makes the burger that much more enjoyable. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't like non-spicy burgers. That being said, I opted for ordering the Kilauea, which, incidentally was the spicy burger of Islands Restaurant.<br />
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The burger was encrusted with black pepper and jalapenos, that immediately was clear. The burger patty itself had a nice crusty texture to it. It made it a tad on the saltier side, but that's what you kind of come to expect in any sort of encrusted burger. The patty itself was fairly substantial, probably closer to 1/2 lb than 1/3 lb, and well-prepared. There was pepper jack cheese, chipotle aioli, and your typical shredded lettuce and sliced tomatoes. The jalapeno crusting was really just fried jalapenos on top. Overall, the burger was quite good, and the concept was sound, though I would argue some of it is redundant. The danger your run whenever you crust a burger with anything, is that the crust flavor overpowers everything else, which this burger had a slight tendency to do, so the chipotle aioli was at best, very subtle. Personally, I understand the ease of assembly using shredded lettuce, but I think if you want to be classier you'd want to use green leaf. Unfortunately, you also have to time it better with the green leaf because if you let it sit too long then the patty will begin to cook the lettuce, and that's no good. So shredded iceberg was a safe choice, albeit not my preferred. That being said, it didn't detract from the burger at all.<br />
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The fries were fries. Your typical frozen, prepackaged, already fried fries. They were good and well made. I think all-in-all if you're looking for a safe place to go without offending too many palates, and you happen to be looking for burgers, you certainly could do worse than Islands. It's a good fallback/safety option. However, I don't really think it's exceptional enough that you HAVE to make a special trip of it. Unless they get bottomless fries. Even then, it's only a maybe.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-79981662298847162692014-10-30T12:48:00.003-07:002014-10-30T12:48:59.192-07:00Huh, they figured it out...The mushroom burger is a fairly common burger. In fact, most places have gotten it worked out to some kind of mushroom and a Swiss cheese of some sort. Once you've sauteed the mushrooms and melted the cheese it provides a nice contrast in texture and flavor from the beef. That being said, I think someone's kind of figured it out. Ironically, that someone isn't a burger place. That place, may just be Boudin SF.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>For those of you that don't know, Boudin is a bread store from San Francisco, and there are a chain of Panera-type restaurants that have opened across the Bay Area. I happened to go to one of these and noted that they had burgers. I'm not surprised, them being a bread store, despite being more known for their clam chowder sourdough bread bowls, trying their hand at something of a burger. I opted then, for the mushroom and Swiss.<br />
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So the fact that the burger was served on more of a baguette than a roll didn't really deter me, because I've seen relatively successful burgers in such a format before. I have to say the burger was well made, the meat was juicy, the mushrooms (cremini I believe), were sauteed and provided a nice earthy contrast. The slight bitterness of the mixed greens and the sourness of the balsamic vinaigrette made for a really nice full, rich flavor. Normally, I'm not a fan of multi-grain type breads when it comes to the bun part, but the contrast of flavors and textures, including the grainy solidarity of the bread made it quite an enjoyable experience. While I would normally prefer the roll shape to the longer baguette halves, that's just being nit-picky at this point. The other stuff makes up for it.<br />
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Now, I typically don't mind being healthier, and substituting a green leaf salad for some deep fried, starch filled tubers is quite a bit healthier, a burger just isn't the same without fries or onion rings or something of the sort. Small knock there. Sorry.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-71998973875747441012014-10-09T12:06:00.001-07:002014-10-09T12:06:29.089-07:00Utter SmashSo this place looked interesting. It had all the earmarks of a mid to high end burger chain. I knew it was a chain because I saw one under construction in New York as well as in California. So this time around, it was finally open, and so I decided to give Smashburger a go. It was nice, it was clean, the staff was friendly, the ordering was pretty straightforward, with a handy-dandy screen for you to review your order too.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Being that I'd had no previous impressions regarding Smashburger except for the nice clean look the logo and store front had, I really wasn't sure what to expect. That being the case, I decided to not experiment and simply try their namesake, the Classic Smash.<br />
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The burger was prepared as best as it could be I suppose. I surmise that the patties were frozen and held relatively high fat content given that it wasn't really juicy, but it kind of gushed when you bit into it. I've read other reviews that had it being greasy, but it wasn't REALLY greasy, but it wasn't the kind of liquid you really expected or wanted to gush out of your burger. Despite the freshness of the fixings (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles) it really couldn't offset the overall pedestrian quality of the meat. The fixings were supposed to be some combination of ketchup and something they called Smash sauce, which looked and tasted suspiciously like mustard. It wasn't that the burger was inedible. It was just that it was expensive for what you got and being a burger snob, having had better burgers for cheaper, having made my own significantly better burgers, the whole experience just couldn't be justified in regards to what you're paying for.<br />
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By the way, the second thing that bugs me, and this is more I suppose a personal idiosyncrasy than anything else, because I can understand the rationale behind it, is that you have to pay extra for the sides. I also opted to order another namesake, Smash fries, which were tossed with rosemary, garlic, and olive oil, yes, very fancy sounding. I want to give you a tip when tossing fries or any sort of side in a sauce. Know what flavors you're looking for, don't use too much liquid, and if you have an excess of liquid don't dump it out into the serving tray with the food. Lots of olive oil, negligible garlic, enough rosemary to be conspicuous, overall forgettable. The fries were also the thin cut, not quite shoe-string fries, which get really crispy really fast, but honestly, don't have the substance that I prefer in my french fries.<br />
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Normally, this is the part of the post where I say that maybe I ordered the wrong thing. Or perhaps that's normally on my Yelp reviews. That being said, given that this place is called Smashburger, you figure that anything you name after your establishment ought to have some standard of excellence, something that I unfortunately cannot honestly say that I found at this establishment. Given the price point, it's simply not worth it, if there's no other burger place around, I'd honestly recommend you try something else, somewhere else (like Mexican or something) and try burgers another time. Johnny Rockets, you have new competition in the overpriced, poorly executed, under-thought burger joint.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-41156643276594608392014-10-07T17:41:00.001-07:002014-10-07T17:41:18.367-07:00"Insert something witty about rebirth and heat"So, last time I was in San Mateo I was told there are two burger places I had to try. Last time I tried one of them. This time I tried the other. Apparently Godfather's draws a lot of comparisons to Jack's Prime when it comes to the age old debate of "greatest burger in San Mateo". I know all of you are riveted by that topic of conversation. Since last time I had Godfather's, my friend decided this time I needed to try Jack's Prime. He indicated that it was perhaps in a more accessible location, and was bigger overall so he went there more often. I, however, being a self-proclaimed burger snob, must then go by the actual burgers themselves, no matter the convenience.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>So the burger I got was called the Phoenix from the Flames. An impressive name, for what I had hoped would be an impressive burger. Maybe I got the wrong thing, I'll always be the first to admit that. I was slightly disappointed. Well, more than slightly. It was unfortunate.<br />
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So the burger itself was very juicy and well-crafted. Most of the ingredients were quite fresh, though the lettuce did look like it was out for a little while, but it was a late lunch, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one. Unfortunately, very similar to another experience I had in Seattle, the peppers weren't really that hot. A lot of the ribs and seeds were removed and so there wasn't really any heat in the burger, which just made it taste like, well meat and peppers. It wasn't that it was bad, but it wasn't really memorable. As for the chipotle mayo, I didn't mind it, but it was sort of globbed on, and so you only tasted in parts where there was more of it. Unfortunately, while I didn't dislike the burger, it didn't leave really much of an impression for me. Certainly, I do not begrudge it its convenience, but I don't think it's significantly better than a well-established chain, certainly, not really something I'd go out of my way for. Of course, I reserve the right to have my mind changed about this place. Maybe I ordered the wrong thing.<br />
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I liked the option to replace fries with onion rings or sweet potato fries, albeit at a premium. The onion rings were good, except that they generally serve you by the volume of the plate, which means if you got some bigger rings, you got fewer rings. While I enjoyed them, I may stick with fries next time. I snuck a bite of one of my friend's sweet potato fries, it was quite good, though I'm not sure there was enough flavor in the dipping sauce for my liking, mainly on the onion ring front.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-13302522849246718872014-09-22T09:22:00.004-07:002014-09-22T09:22:58.371-07:00I don't get the pretzel bunSo on a whim, and mostly because my mother had a coupon, we decided, that it would be nice to go to Ruby Tuesday for lunch. Honestly, it's not really because we think Ruby Tuesday is great or anything, more that it was just in a convenient location and everything. I'm not going to go out of my way to criticize it, but honestly if it were another store (i.e. TGIF or Chili's) and my mom had a coupon, we'd probably go there as well. That being said, they have a relatively comprehensive burger selection on the menu so I decided to give it a go.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Interestingly enough they had a whole section dedicated to pretzel bun burgers, which I suppose is a thing around here. I guess the premise is that you have the texture and the density of a pretzel with something like a burger in the middle. I kind of get it but not really, it honestly doesn't work to hold the burger very well, and it doesn't add a whole lot to the burger itself, in my opinion.<br />
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So I opted for the Spicy Jalapeno Cheeseburger which boasted fried jalapenos, a chipotle mayo, pepperjack cheese, I think bacon, and the normal par for course of lettuce, tomatoes, and onions. The jalapenos were cut into strips and fried in some sort of chili-powder based batter which I suppose was supposed to make them something akin to spicy onion straws, honestly speaking spicy onion straws would have likely had the same if not better effect. The preparation of the jalapenos basically extracted the ribs, the seeds, and essentially the flavor from the peppers, and thus the chili-powder based batter sort of masked everything, from the peppers to the chipotle mayo. The burger itself was fairly well prepared, and the pepperjack is always a nice touch, but the chili-powder was a little overpowering.<br />
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The fries had a nice sort of unseasoned, fresh-cut sort of taste to them, which was nice. As it usually is with these places the burgers typically are a safe bet, but they're typically not very extraordinary either. So I guess, if you have a coupon and it's convenient, you could do worse.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-29608737223296554802014-09-18T08:20:00.001-07:002014-09-18T08:20:17.592-07:00An Offer I Couldn't RefuseAt this point in time this little blog has become something of a novelty to my friends. They know I keep it and thus are always encouraging me to post more, oftentimes going out of their way to recommend burger places to go eat just for the sake of my blog. It's not a bad thing. Frankly, given my love of burgers, I personally don't really mind that much. It saves of thinking of another place to have to go eat. Thus, during another visit to the Bay Area, my good friend indicated that when you're talking about burgers in the San Mateo/Peninsula area two places invariably pop up, generally in comparison to one another. I only went to one, so I can only write about that one, granted in the context of all the other burgers I've had. This place was called Godfather's, named and themed after the hit 1972 Francis Ford Cappola film.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Now, it seems for some reason, many of my excursions this trip were planned around the opening time of these restaurants and so the wait time was rather short. The ambiance was quite nice and while the venue was quite empty during our little trip, I could see how it would be a popular dining location. Of course, you're all more interested in what I thought of the burger than what I thought of the ambiance. That's the important thing.<br />
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So I got the Untouchables burger, which consisted of roasted peppers, pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and a chipotle aioli. Everything was quite good. The burger was well prepared and nice and juicy, and the fixings and condiments complemented the flavor of the burger well. I might've liked a little more flavor to the aioli, but overall I can't complain. Additionally, the sides also came with some chipotle aioli and that had quite a bit of kick. So I'm not sure if they're different (I don't think they are) or perhaps the jalapenos sort of masked the flavor a little. That being said, all in all, it's a good burger, I'd definitely put it up at the top of my list in the Bay Area that I've tried so far.<br />
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They had a mix of sides, I got the standard side of fries and my friend got the sweet potato fries. Both were quite good. The chipotle aioli was good too. I have to learn how to make that. My own aioli that is of course.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-23242877919632438792014-08-15T10:55:00.001-07:002014-08-15T10:55:03.716-07:00Tex Mex Burger... Interesting...I'm not sure this really counts, given that even though the place is called a tex mex place, it's pretty much all BBQ. Of course, I'm probably ignorant of whatever it is that makes things either Tex Mex or BBQ. We had stopped by Kettleman City for a lunch break during a drive down from Northern California to Southern California, and decided, that perhaps it would be worthwhile to try out Wild Jacks Tex Mex BBQ instead of In-N-Out. While I have had mixed feelings regarding whether or not BBQ places can really make good burgers, I did opt for the WJ Tex Mex BBQ Cheddar Cheeseburger over the normal BBQ fare. Others ordered the more typical ribs and brisket sandwiches, but I decided to give this a go.<br />
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Okay, so this burger had on it BBQ pulled pork, roasted peppers, and cole slaw, in addition to the burger itself. The meat of the burger seemed well cooked, however, the pulled pork sort of drowned out the flavor, so it was sort of difficult to tell for sure. I liked the blend of flavors between the BBQ pulled pork and the peppers, but it made it something more of a pulled pork sandwich than a burger. It blended well with the creamy freshness of the cole slaw, but honestly, the burger was pretty much covered up by the whole of the BBQ toppings on top. Overall, I enjoyed it, and perhaps I could get a better gauge on exactly the quality of the burger itself if I had only gotten the original burger. That being said, given my experience with the WJ Tex Mex BBQ Cheddar Cheeseburger, I'd have to say that you'd probably be better off getting the normal BBQ fare while here. I'll stand by my stance that burgers aren't really BBQ and BBQ doesn't really include burgers.</div>
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The sides are sold separately, but I must say that the sweet potato fries and the onion rings were very well made. I thoroughly enjoyed them. I'd come back, but really more for the BBQ than for the burgers. It's new, so I don't know if that means that they'll peter off in terms of quality down the line, but let's give them the benefit of the doubt and say that it is a solid BBQ place, decent burger place. Go if you like BBQ. Go if you like meat. Not really worth it if you're just looking for a burger.</div>
GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-77197265761731846542014-04-20T05:26:00.001-07:002014-04-20T05:26:32.755-07:00Almost DeluxeIt was a simple burger. It's not really a knock on it, but I can't really say that it stood out either. When a burger comes without condiments I'm usually half-scared and half-excited. Why? Simply because they either expect the burger to be good enough without any condiments or they expect you to use ketchup. Nothing against ketchup, I like ketchup, and sometimes the goodness is in simplicity, and ketchup is the base condiment that is safe and you can always fall back on. However, everyone can get/use ketchup. Even when you make your own burgers at home. So that being said, Jimmy's Deluxe Burger at the Colonie Diner was a good burger, a good homemade style burger.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>The burger in and of itself was well prepared. The meat was cooked well, it was topped with grilled onions and mushrooms and came with lettuce and tomatoes, all on a toasted bun. The meat was juicy and flavorful (beefy), but aside from the excellent preparation, there really wasn't anything tremendously distinct about it. That's not exactly a bad thing, a large portion of how good a burger is, is largely determined by preparation, and a lot of places with a lot fancier burgers often get it wrong. However, the other part that goes into a burger is the conceptual portion of it. Maybe this is making me too avante-garde, or too much of a burger snob/savant, but I can't honestly say that I'd be overly impressed with a burger that I could normally make at home. Don't get me wrong, it's a good burger, but not something you'd go out of your way for. Especially since you can get its equivalent at Five Guys.<br />
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The fries were your typical fries. Frozen, pre-packaged, and then deep fried. Not overdone, not underdone. Also came with a side of cole slaw. All in all, as safe a bet as you can get when ordering here. It's a good item to get at a good place to eat. Just don't expect anything fancy.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-21645703442934683922014-02-22T08:45:00.005-08:002014-02-22T08:45:48.006-08:00Not quite the heat I was expecting...To celebrate a friend's birthday, I decided to grab lunch at Smokey Bones BBQ, which I now realize is something of chain. The main reason I didn't realize that at first was simply because I've only seen the one I went to, which is just outside of my apartment, so that worked out for me. I'd been here before with a friend because I had heard that the food was pretty good and he had a coupon. I also picked this place subsequently for this particular outing because I too had a coupon available. We started with an order of fried pickles, which were quite tasty, but you're here about the burgers, so let's jump into that.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Okay, so as per usual I enjoy burgers with a kick, because I feel that the "spicy" burgers often are more interesting in how they blend the various flavors of the burger components together with the spicy condiments and fixings. In short, I like how it tastes, and it gives me a good baseline on how I can evaluate the burger. On this occasion I opted for the Southwest Scorcher, which included salsa, jalapenos, and pepperjack cheese for good measure.<br />
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I'll be honest, most of these places I go don't really make a burger with a significant kick, which, while sometimes disappointing to me is understandable as it's not necessarily for everyone, and I've conceded, as strange as it seems to me, that I probably have a higher spiciness tolerance than the average person frequenting a burger shop. The interesting thing about Smokey Bones is that they also give you a selection of a type of bun, and I, deciding that I would be adventurous, opted for the pretzel bun, that may have been a mistake on my part.<br />
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I don't know if it was the greasiness/juiciness of the meat or that they perhaps grilled the bun or put the bun on the grill or something, but simply put, the burger itself was nigh impossible to handle, which forced me to, perhaps only for the second time in my life, approach this burger with flatware. All in all the flavors were pretty good, I was pretty pleasantly surprised at the quality of the burger and how well it was made, simply because from my previous experiences, BBQ places generally tend to focus more on smoking meats and such. While they utilize a grill, they rely more on the smoking process to get them flavor and thus sometimes can neglect the actual cooking process, something burger relies on entirely. The ingredients were fresh and the burger well cooked, but the inability to enjoy it as a burger definitely was a knock against it.<br />
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The fries were well done, they were crisp on the outside and fluffy within, which is really what you're looking for in french fries. Ultimately, I don't know that I'd specifically go to Smokey Bones for a burger, but maybe it deserves another go. This is not to say that I would never go to Smokey Bones again, I would just reconsider the pretzel bun.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-36342630904354745362013-12-01T05:09:00.001-08:002013-12-01T05:10:12.569-08:00There is some doubt<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/10719341615/" title="No Doubt Stout BBQ Burger"><img alt="No Doubt Stout BBQ Burger by jaceman4" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2825/10719341615_d88434af6f_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/10719341615/">No Doubt Stout BBQ Burger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
So as a final pit stop in my recent visit to Seattle, I decided to meet up with a bunch of friends at a fairly centralized locale (for us) to grab dinner and generally just hang out. That place was Elliott Bay in the Lake City area, which was newer (relatively), meaning that it wasn't there when I left (about two years ago). It was a fairly typical brewery type restaurant, which meant generally pub type food. I decided that since they were a brewery to get the No Doubt Stout BBQ Burger, which is made from their No Doubt Stout ale.<br />
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Everything was fairly well prepared, the burger came with cheese, onions straws, lettuce, tomato, onion, and BBQ sauce. Unfortunately, this particular burger proved (at least for me) that burgers aren't really BBQ items. While you might cook a rack of ribs or brisket on a grill like a burger, the flavors you are going for are different. That being said, while I like meaty burgers, I also understand that you don't want your burger to be too dense, otherwise it becomes kind of bogged down and dry like a meatloaf sandwich. That's part of the reason you don't necessarily want to use the leanest cut of meat for your burgers. Now, it wasn't that the meat here was dry, but rather that the BBQ sauce was designed for something slightly tougher, such as a brisket or a tri-tip, not a burger. It wasn't that the sauce was bad, it just didn't fit the burger schema. In short, the BBQ sauce was too sweet, the flavor really overwhelmed everything else on the burger. Maybe some people like it that way, but for me, it made things really hard to taste on the burger, and thus, sort of ruined the burger experience.<br />
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The fries were good, not much else needs to be said here. It's pretty hard to ruin fries. Nothing special, but sometimes simplicity is best. I'm not going to say Elliott Bay is a bad place to eat, from what I saw of everyone else's food, it all looked good. Conceptually, this burger made sense, it was safe, but unfortunately, execution marred the concept.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-65964602806922738682013-11-06T17:59:00.001-08:002013-11-06T20:20:29.543-08:00Sort of a burger<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/10714908185/" title="Godzilla Attack"><img alt="Godzilla Attack by jaceman4" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3801/10714908185_6f0c8db641_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/10714908185/">Godzilla Attack</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
There's a lot to like about Katsu Burger. Really, there is. Yet still, a small part of me feels like this is more of a Chick-Fil-A type joint rather than a burger joint. I suppose, that's what makes me a burger snob, because I'm certain there are a ton of people that would consider Chick-Fil-A a "burger" place as everything is on a bun, but I think it's more than that, but that's not something I'll get into a whole lot now.<br />
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While the patty itself was beef, it was deep fried in the Japanese katsu style. Now, I'm a huge fan of katsu, but it's not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when I think burger. So the texture itself kind of threw me off. There were jalapenos and a slaw as extra fixings on the burger which offset it really well. I don't know if it's a hang up for me, but ultimately, it still didn't really "feel" like a burger simply because it didn't really have that sort of substantial feel that you would come to expect out of a burger. Not to say that it wasn't good, it was good. The beef was high quality and well done, just, don't go expecting a traditional burger, which is pretty much what they're going for here.<br />
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It seems weird that I feel like I'm knocking this place when I like burgers and I like katsu, but I'm trying to be honest with my reflections. I liked the nori fries, though personally I like a little more substance (perhaps that's what I'm looking for) in my fries, so I like crisp as opposed to crunchy (I don't know if that makes sense), but I like heartier fries with a firm edge, as opposed to smaller fries that are kind of crunchy all around. They also had some pretty cool and unique house-made dipping sauces. That being said it was all in all a good experience, just don't expect a typical "burger" when you come here.<br />
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BTW, the shake was good too.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-9862472927257013632013-08-19T18:31:00.001-07:002013-08-19T18:34:54.134-07:00If only it were happy hour<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/9552000812/" title="The Pub Burger"><img alt="The Pub Burger by jaceman4" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3792/9552000812_156f56c0df_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/9552000812/">The Pub Burger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
So it's kind of weird to me that the most anticipated blog post I've probably ever had on this blog is going to be about a burger I had at a supermarket. Okay, so it's not exactly a supermarket, but rather, a dining establishment that was attached to a supermarket. Long story short, I was visiting Rochester and my friends decided that we ought to try The Food Bar at Wegman's, and because their burgers were supposed to be pretty good, and I had a burger blog, I should review it. We went, and it was a nice place, the more I think of it the more it actually was designed kind of like a bar than an actual restaurant (given the wine dispensers in the dining area).<br />
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Anyways, I'm not a big drinker, actually, I don't drink (alcohol) at all. However, I know that generally speaking happy hours are great places to get burgers, and in all honesty that's really what this burger was, a happy hour burger. Don't get me wrong, the burger was well done, the ingredients were fresh and it was prepared quite well. Served with the slice of tomato, leaf of lettuce, melted cheese, and Thousand Island, there was a certain elegance to the simplicity of the concept. A burger, made well. However, that being said, the burger kind of took that concept to the extreme. Beyond that, you were really paying full menu price for a happy hour burger The meat was well prepared and hearty, the Pub Burger being a 1/2 lb patty, however despite the simplicity of the ingredients it was something of an underwhelming burger in all honesty. The main detraction I had was that the bun was more of a roll than a bun, meaning that it was a bit airier than the typical bun which, while not a huge detraction, was not typical for a burger. Additionally, the heavy char used on the burger and the grilled bun, again, while a nice addition, completely stifled the flavor from the Thousand Island.<br />
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Part of what makes going out to eat a treat is partially that you don't have to really work to prep the food or clean up, but another part of it is largely to get what you can't really make at home. While I don't believe necessarily that I can as consistently crank out a burger this well prepared, I believe that I can get close enough. Again, I want to reiterate that this was a well-done burger, but what makes the experience largely not worthwhile is simply that the product is not worth the price. Normally at this point of the review I'd be making some generic comment about the fries, which I cannot do here, because the burger doesn't come with any, and I'd already paid for a full meal for just the burger and a drink. I know it's a nice half-pound patty, but the mark-up was pretty ridiculous in my opinion. While I know this is a blog about the quality of the burger, the price tag does markedly affect the overall perception and dining experience. It's a nifty dining experience, and it's good, for a supermarket, but in all honesty, if you're in that plaza hankering for a burger, you'd probably do better at Cheesecake Factory.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-76044716761167250112013-06-23T09:16:00.001-07:002013-06-23T09:17:39.996-07:00The Onion Burns Bright<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/9110004414/" title="XL Texas Heat"><img alt="XL Texas Heat by jaceman4" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2807/9110004414_f4ebb8fac4_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/9110004414/">XL Texas Heat</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
Well, I was in Seattle for a wedding and my friends and I decided to go to Blazing Onion for dinner before catching a movie (not on the wedding day). I was informed that this place had good burgers (and bottomless fries, which never hurts). I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but the overall ambiance of the place seemed nice and the burger menu looked very legit.<br />
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I was ultimately torn between the Wild Boar, Buffalo, and Texas Heat burgers, because, frankly, they all looked good and the concept of wild boar meat was intriguing, and I knew for a fact that buffalo meat was good. However, I stuck with the Texas Heat as it was my first time here and I wanted to get a good gauge of the place overall as a burger joint. As they were 1/3 lb patties, I opted for an XL (2 patties). The first notable difference from the typical burger was that it was served on an Asiago onion bun rather than your typical bun or roll. While this added a nice touch, I didn't notice it making a significant impact on the burger itself (maybe it was too subtle for me). The patties were really juicy and well cooked. The burger was topped with Chipotle mayo and salsa as well as the normal fixings as well. Overall it worked pretty well as a whole. However, generally speaking, I didn't really taste any salsa, and the only real noticeable thing about it was that it made the burger kind of runny.<br />
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The fries were solid, they added some nice seasoning on the first batch and the next few batches after were at the least fresh from the fryer. Overall, I would say that this place is a solid place to go out and get a burger. Definitely better than Red Robin has been in recent memory.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-32438451651055846972013-04-24T14:24:00.001-07:002013-04-24T14:25:45.970-07:00Not a bad special<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/8670637744/" title="Bacon Pepperjack Burger"><img alt="Bacon Pepperjack Burger by jaceman4" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8543/8670637744_106b43dd07_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/8670637744/">Bacon Pepperjack Burger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
Usually at most places I'm a little leery of the seasonal specials. Especially big corporate chains like Denny's. However, this special burger they had during their bacon special was quite good, surprisingly so. Maybe it was because it was at a Denny's, though, I've come to the point of realizing where if you don't have super high expectations for Denny's when you walk in, you probably will usually be pleasantly surprised.<br />
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Overall, the meat was cooked pretty well, albeit a little on the drier side (as they don't serve anything more rare than medium-well). They had an interesting tangy sauce to go with the bacon and pepperjack cheese, which I thought worked quite well. All-in-all, not a bad thing.<br />
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Apparently they added seasoned fries to the menu. That being said, they did take the burger off of the cheaper, value menu slot, and this was a special anyways, but still it wasn't that bad of a deal. It's Denny's so you're pretty safe overall. I'd imagine this would be amazing at like 2AM.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-8749802918314086552013-03-16T15:18:00.000-07:002013-03-16T15:18:50.289-07:00It Translates Quite Well<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/8563367938/" title="Southwestern Steak Burger"><img alt="Southwestern Steak Burger by jaceman4" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8094/8563367938_7fb7192fd1_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/8563367938/">Southwestern Steak Burger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
So, back on my burger quest, I had heard about Morrette's King Steak House online in regards to having a fairly good burger. Namely, because it was considered one of the places one could procure one of the finer cheesesteaks in the area, and the beef used for the cheesesteak and the burgers were the same. So, given that incentive, and it being fairly conveniently located around where I normally venture, I opted to go for it. Wanting something with a bit more variety than your typical All-American Cheeseburger (read: just lettuce and tomatoes and onions) I picked one of the newer items on the menu (it said "new" next to the item, though the menu itself was kind of old), the "Southwestern" Steak Burger.<br />
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All in all, it was pretty good. You could tell that the beef was used for making cheesesteaks as it was generally pretty lean. For a place that had kind of an old diner feel, the lack of greasiness in the meat was fairly nice. It gave a full beefy flavor. This burger was then topped with cheese, which being a cheesesteak place was melted quite nicely, grilled onions, a hickory BBQ sauce, and jalapenos. Overall the execution was pretty good, though I do have to say that the concept behind the burger itself wasn't extraordinarily well thought out. The ingredients sort of clashed for flavor, and for the first few bites I couldn't quite decide what to make of the contrast between the jalapeno kick and the sweetness of the BBQ sauce, which in and of itself I thought was slightly overpowering. Overall though, I thought the burger pretty good.<br />
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The fries were pretty "well-done" for all you In-N-Outers out there. They were left in the fryer a little longer and came out crispy, but not overly so, which was good. Overall, a pretty nifty novelty place, what with all the historic pictures on the wall and that, but I'd probably go with the steak sandwich more than the burger next time.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-87003434196605570002012-11-18T15:30:00.001-08:002012-11-18T15:31:29.803-08:00Juicy is good<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/8191182981/" title="Cajun Burger"><img alt="Cajun Burger by jaceman4" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8060/8191182981_b6ce3a6931_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/8191182981/">Cajun Burger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
Invariably living now in the Capital Region (of New York) I got the great idea of looking up the best burgers in the Capital Region on Google. This place came up a whole lot. Before I jump into the review as a whole, I want to break down the general premise that I have going into a brief thing about what I look for in general from a burger joint. There are two basic things that I look at going into a burger joint: concept and execution. The concept is the amount of thought and consideration that goes into the creation of the menu. It's easy in particular for burger joints to create a generic menu of five or six burgers that most places generally will have. I have nothing against that, but there is something to be said about consideration for originality. The second is how well this is pulled off, this is generally what I'm reviewing when I'm talking about the overall taste and each component of the burger, essentially, how well they pull it off. As of right now there is only one place that has done both well, unfortunately, Juicy's Burgers and More was not one of them. However, if this is the best that the Capital Region has to offer, they could certainly do a lot worse.<br />
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The burger was done really well, that much is true. The burger was in fact quite juicy. The Cajun Burger that I got was done well, it was well spiced to bring out the overall flavor of the burger. I'm not sure if there was like a special mayo on it, but hey it was good. The other fixings were quite well done, it had some tang with the pickled chiles. The bun was a kind of hard roll which was well done. Kind of light and fluffy, but well toasted.<br />
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The fries were pretty run of the mill, though they were called Yukon Gold fries so I'd imagine those were type of potatoes used. Overall, it's a good place to go and grab a burger. It's a little pricier than what I think is warranted as everything is paid for separately (i.e. burger, fries, and drink), there are no real combos, but hey, the burger is good. I'd come out for it again, sometime. Should probably try the other sides too.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-5770606311059425822012-10-24T14:17:00.001-07:002012-10-24T14:18:18.743-07:00Sonic Bust<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/7909378454/" title="Sonic Cheeseburger"><img alt="Sonic Cheeseburger by jaceman4" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8296/7909378454_db340c0c1b_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/7909378454/">Sonic Cheeseburger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
So I was in the Baltimore area visiting a friend, and I noticed that there was a Sonic in the area, so we decided that it wouldn't be a bad idea to stop by there before hopping on over to Annapolis to visit the Naval Academy. I mean, after all, I had spent all of a couple of years in California watching those commercials for the place, which may have been a bad thing.<br />
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Overall, the burger was about as plain as you can get. I mean, it could've been worse, but it definitely wasn't on par with what I would consider top tier fast food (i.e. In-N-Out and Five Guys). Very, very forgettable. Not even the roller skating waitress made up for that, she looked about as excited to be there as I did after having my burger. Everything was just plain, which is again, not to say bad, but I'm not exactly going to go out of my way for backyard BBQ type stuff. Then again, I may have just insulted a bunch of backyard BBQers with that comparison.<br />
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Fries were the normal fries like you'd get at a Burger King or generic local burger joint. Nothing worthwhile. Overall, I have to say, major disappointment. Can't really say I understand the appeal of the place.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-31707278721215893972012-08-09T18:16:00.001-07:002012-08-09T18:17:03.635-07:00It's only doubled nominally<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/7743647376/" title="Brewhouse Deluxe Double Cheeseburger"><img alt="Brewhouse Deluxe Double Cheeseburger by jaceman4" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8447/7743647376_de8b9bb610_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/7743647376/">Brewhouse Deluxe Double Cheeseburger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
Okay, so as a slight disclaimer, I split this burger four ways. It wasn't that I couldn't finish it, but it was more because there was also a large deep dish pizza and an order of pot roast sitting on the table at the time, which we decided we would like to split (between four of us). That being said, the main reason I wanted to go to BJ's Brewery was more for the pizookie than a new burger review (though I did want to do a new burger review). <br />
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However, only having a quarter of the burger was sufficient for me to get a good idea of the burger. The onion straws were good, the bacon was a good touch. The patties were well cooked, but I did notice a major disparity between the first and second patties, not necessarily in quality but in size, the second was significantly smaller. They supposedly had a special brewhouse sauce on the burger, but the flavor from the onion straws kind of over powered it. <br />
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They have wedge fries, which are always a plus, which are essentially jo-jos, which are a plus. Jo-jos are always a plus.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-10334213158110440062012-08-07T08:37:00.001-07:002012-08-09T18:17:18.347-07:00Big name to live up to<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6989113270/" title="The Hoss"><img alt="The Hoss by jaceman4" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/6989113270_de5dd8a81b_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6989113270/">The Hoss</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
Granted I understand that this is a BBQ joint, being called L.T.'s Grill, it makes sense that I should've ordered BBQ (i.e.pulled pork) of some sort instead of a burger. However, I ordered a burger because, well, I'm a burger snob. Understandably, The Hoss, was a big burger, as its name somewhat indicates. Not that BBQ places can't make good burgers, but it's just not their go-to thing, so I can't say that I was disappointed as I wasn't really expecting a whole lot.<br />
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The burger in and of itself was pretty well made, the patty large and juicy, and it was grilled (duh) with a nice char. However, after that, there really was absolutely nothing to distinguish this burger from its smaller counterpart found at a local picnic BBQ. It was just a hunk of ground beef cooked on a professional grill. Served with lettuce tomatoes, two large cups of ketchup, and a side of fries. Not bad, not great, certainly not worth the price. So if you ever venture here, get some BBQ, not a burger.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-85425224965020714932012-05-01T14:08:00.001-07:002012-05-01T14:09:08.851-07:00Conceptually Sound<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6938273362/" title="Quarter lb cheeseburger"><img alt="Quarter lb cheeseburger by jaceman4" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/6938273362_451ccb486b_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6938273362/">Quarter lb cheeseburger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
Okay, granted I went to a service station off the highway which is only marginally better than eating at the airport, but still, I have yet to see a Roy Rogers not in a service station off the highway. Now I had remembered generally good things about Roy Rogers but I suppose I'm such a burger snob now that I must inevitably be disappointed by something like this. Theoretically it's a pretty nifty concept, it's basically Arby's meets Wendy's meets a condiment bar. Execution however, was lacking, I'm going to blame the service station.<br />
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Yes, there is a patty under there, it wasn't phenomenal, but it was pretty good. You can't really rate the fixings or condiments a whole lot when you kind of pick your own, the selection overall was pretty good, with banana peppers added to the normal selection of pickles, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes. I opted for mayo and their BBQ sauce, which was nice and tangy. Otherwise, a generally forgettable meal.<br />
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The fries were pretty typical of a fast food joint, let's say comparable to Wendy's, good not great. If you find a Roy Rogers not in a service station I'd like to know where so I can go. Otherwise, it's not really worth making a trip for.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-87385213500952578012012-05-01T14:04:00.001-07:002012-05-01T14:08:56.972-07:00Is it a burger, is it a sandwich?<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6810493870/" title="Reuben Burger"><img alt="Reuben Burger by jaceman4" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6810493870_80efcac74c_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6810493870/">Reuben Burger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
I do get good burgers at work, that I have to say. The special for the day was a Reuben burger which to me is intriguing because it's sort of up to interpretation in regards to what exactly would be a Reuben burger. Is it a burger with a Reuben sandwich on top? While generally everyone agrees that you need to have saurkraut and Russian dressing and Swiss cheese, do you include the pastrami/corned beef or do you just use some kind of seasoned ground beef patty? Do you use grilled rye bread or a standard bun? Well, my place opted to go with the former on the first and the latter on the second.<br />
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It was a good burger, Bob, the expert burger maker in the cafeteria does a great job of making sure my burger is done just right somehow by just poking it. I don't know the secret either. Maybe he has a magic finger thermometer. All in all it was a good burger, though the cheeses and sauces my work cafeteria use are of a more mild flavor in general. The fixings are always fresh, the saurkraut good but also a little on the mild side for my tastes. Overall it's what I've come to expect from the place, good, high quality burgers without a lot of fuss or frills. <br />
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The fact they have freshly fried steak fries does make for a good side as well. If you ever do visit while I am working, I will make sure you can try one.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-4009310600585747782012-03-04T11:29:00.001-08:002012-03-04T11:36:43.848-08:00Aged to... well relative tastiness<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6953110811/" title="Cabot Aged Cheddar & Sautéed Mushroom Burger"><img alt="Cabot Aged Cheddar & Sautéed Mushroom Burger by jaceman4" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7210/6953110811_48a2b8cc9c_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6953110811/">Cabot Aged Cheddar & Sautéed Mushroom Burger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
Okay, I know, I went to Uno's and I decided to get another burger, but this time, I did decide to get the one with the fancy name. Part of me is generally convinced that my previous poor Uno's burger experience generally had more to do with the Uno's (namely the kitchen preparing it) than necessarily Uno's food itself. I was only partially wrong about that. Partially. Which is to say that this second burger was better, not really to the extent that I thought it was worthwhile, but better. I know, it's not saying much.<br />
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Typically, the mushroom-cheese pairing on these kind of burgers has been portabella and Swiss, but I guess they opted to either go cheap or go American, or both, and go with normal button mushrooms and Cheddar (albeit Cabot aged cheddar, which honestly doesn't say much to me except "fancy"). At first I thought that it, like my previous burger experience would be lacking in the condiment department so I got A1 to put on it, but I did find, to my surprise, they had a pleasant, tangy house sauce (not dissimilar to McDonald's Big Mac Thousand Island) underneath the patty. The beef was cooked fairly well, the mushrooms added a little juiciness from the sauteing and the cheese tasted like, well normal cheese. Honestly, I couldn't tell a huge difference made by the Cabot aging, but maybe that just means I'm not a cheese connoisseur.<br />
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The fries were again typical, bulk-order, frozen, restaurant-style fries, which were not overdone, so that was good. Again, this isn't something I'd recommend you going out of your way to get, but if you happen to be at an Uno's craving a burger, this probably would be one of the better choices.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-10549160597329709872012-01-15T12:58:00.001-08:002012-01-15T12:59:47.759-08:00Back to basics<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6667427753/" title="Angus Steak Burger"><img alt="Angus Steak Burger by jaceman4" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7168/6667427753_91c13ecf83_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6667427753/">Angus Steak Burger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>
So, I work now at the corporate headquarters of Price Chopper supermarkets, and they have a subsidized cafeteria, which, is run by the locally well-known Mazzone group, a management group that runs several gourmet restaurants in the area. I've heard the burger was good, so I opted just for a simple straight forward cheeseburger.<br />
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Well, the burger was well made, the fixings were fresh but plain, and the bun just a straight-forward burger bun. I added ketchup and deli mustard myself. It was interesting that they used a mild white cheddar when I asked for cheddar. Overall, it was a good burger, but nothing exceptional. The meat was good and well cooked, but it lacked some kind of flair, some kind of distinction, but I'm not going to get super nitpicky about this.<br />
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Unfortunately, while waffle fries were exciting, they were overcooked, and super crunchy. I know they fry these with their homemade chips and stuff, but it wasn't pretty. You can visit if you want some, but all in all, I'd say, lets go somewhere else for a burger.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-27090718110994994212012-01-04T17:48:00.001-08:002012-01-04T17:49:53.884-08:00Glamor isn't so easily obtained<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6576600217/" title="Monterey Cheeseburger"><img alt="Monterey Cheeseburger by jaceman4" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7159/6576600217_83ecb96293_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6576600217/">Monterey Cheeseburger</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>Well, now that Cheesecake Factory has a whole page dedicated to its self-titled "Glamburgers", I'm not really sure what to make of it. On one hand, they're pretty good, and they're something I'd consistently get at Cheesecake Factory should I consistently go, on the other hand, they're not as good as the single Kobe Burger item that was on the original menu. Nonetheless, I applaud their efforts in making their menu more appealing to the masses.<br />
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The Monterey Burger pays its homage to the state it references, California, with its large hunk of avocado on top. It's supposed to also be topped with arugula, monterey jack cheese, and a chipotle mayo I believe. Overall, I enjoyed the light char of the burger, and the meat quality was excellent. The bun was well toasted, the arugula fresh, the cheese melty, and the avocado smooth and creamy. However, despite the excellence of each individual component of the burger, it is the combination of these components that really determined the quality of the burger, and that unfortunately, is what makes this burger only mediocre. It was really hard to taste the chipotle mayo over the creaminess of the avocado, additionally, the way the avocado was sliced, made the burger itself somewhat difficult to manage. Furthermore, the Monterey Jack cheese was far too mild to compliment the arugula, while the avocado helped a little with the texture, to match the crispness and slight bitter flavor of the arugula you really need a crumbly more pungent cheese, such as gorgonzola or bleu cheese (and I typically don't like bleu cheese). While the ingredients and execution of each individual part was excellent, the burger was inherently flawed at the foundational level of the concept.<br />
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You can get sweet potato fries with their burgers here, which is a plus, but that being said, you're not reading this blog for the fries but for the burgers. It's Cheesecake Factory, so you know you'll go there, or at least you know that NBA players will. Burgers are a safe bet here, the Monterey Burger wasn't for me, but maybe you'll like it, personally, I don't recommend it. Unlike many of the other burgers I've reviewed, it was the idea, not the execution that fell short this time.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4876882292757746632.post-82996466577461798252011-11-25T07:25:00.001-08:002011-11-25T07:26:02.755-08:00U NO MAS!<div style="float: right; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; padding: 0; width: 240px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6376169485/" title="BBQ Burger with Bacon and Cheddar"><img alt="BBQ Burger with Bacon and Cheddar by jaceman4" src="http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6116/6376169485_3e9fb632e1_m.jpg" /></a><br />
<span style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/6376169485/">BBQ Burger with Bacon and Cheddar</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaceman4/">jaceman4</a> on Flickr.</span></div>I don't know if people will get that title, I thought it was witty, but in retrospect it may just be contrived, and now I don't feel like putting in the effort of trying to think of a new one. So, I know, when people hear that I went to Uno's for a burger they'll be wondering why I ordered a burger at a pizza joint. I had some good luck with Jake's and I knew that Uno's does more than just pizza. Unfortunately, as it is with chains that have been around for so long, the quality tends to deteriorate. While they tried to spruce things up with those new booklet menus like Cheesecake Factory, the essential product delivered was still the same; that is to say, not as good as it could've or should've been.<br />
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The burger as you can surmise, was a burger, with bacon and cheese and BBQ sauce. So let's go back to the basics, the meat was okay, but for a place this pricey, the portions were undeniably stingy. The patty was okay, nothing fancy, a little on the greasy/watery side, which either means frozen or poor quality (too high fat content, 15-20% depending on means of cooking is ideal) meat or both. The bacon was bacon, and the cheese was cheese, they neither added to nor detracted from the burger. The lettuce, onion, and tomato were not exceptionally better than something you might find at Applebee's or even a nicer fast-food chain like Five Guys or In-N-Out. The sauce was well, overly sweet, and kind of runny, though I couldn't tell if that was the sauce or the burger. Supposedly it was supposed to be their signature "Wowza" sauce made with Sam Adams lager, but frankly, I really didn't taste a whole lot that differentiated it from something slightly fancier than Kraft BBQ sauce from the supermarket. Maybe I just don't know my BBQ sauce. Overall, it didn't mix well with the burger, but rather overpowered a lot of the other flavors. It really was an immemorable blur.<br />
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The fries were... well, what you'd expect from a high school cafeteria; bulk purchase, frozen, and deep fried. It's pretty hard to get these wrong, I'd have been sad if they did. At the very least, because some people have a hard time understanding what my dad says in English, I got a free BBQ chicken pizza out of it. It wasn't that good either, but it was free. Uno's? Well, I wouldn't go there for their burgers, though nowadays, I'm not sure I'd go there for anything else either.GnachSanojhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09944281413028149521noreply@blogger.com0