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.
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.
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.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Back to basics
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Glamor isn't so easily obtained
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Friday, November 25, 2011
U NO MAS!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Friday, October 21, 2011
It's not a great neighborhood but it's not that bad either
What?! Two Applebee's reviews?! My standards are really slipping aren't they? Perhaps that's what some of you are thinking, or perhaps this has you questioning my credibility, but, hey, I'm indiscriminate like that with burgers. Besides, I'm at Applebee's, what the heck else am I going to get? That being said, my parents wanted to come here for the two entrees for $20 thing so I figure, anytime I come to one of these places, I'm going with a burger, I mean, that's at least something they can't screw up TOO badly right? So far so good.
So this burger looked pretty interesting to me, namely because all the other burgers didn't really look like burgers (basically other food with burger meat, Philly burger? Quesadilla burger? Com'on, not to say that they're bad but they certainly ain't no burgers, generally speaking). The meat was pretty well prepared, the cheese melty, and the bun performed its job serviceably, without falling apart or getting in the way of the burger consumption. The chipotle mayo was applied somewhat lopsidedly, but I suppose I can't expect too much from an Applebee's kitchen. That being said, it was mostly the candied jalapeno's that caught my attention, both on the menu and on my palate. They gave the burger a nice tangy flavor. I personally like a little more kick, but this was still okay. Add in pickle chips and gets more tangy. It was an interesting experience, which ultimately made the chipotle mayo somewhat useless, unless there's some subtle mixing of the flavor happening that I didn't notice.
Fries are fries are fries. I know, I say it a lot, but this is Applebee's, there's not much to say about it. I mean, com'on, they serve tortilla chips with their spinach and artichoke dip, if that's normal, then I guess I'm a snob. But hey, free refills (drinks only). Dude, it's Applebee's, if you're coming here, I'm sure there's a good reason, I'm not going to say more.
So this burger looked pretty interesting to me, namely because all the other burgers didn't really look like burgers (basically other food with burger meat, Philly burger? Quesadilla burger? Com'on, not to say that they're bad but they certainly ain't no burgers, generally speaking). The meat was pretty well prepared, the cheese melty, and the bun performed its job serviceably, without falling apart or getting in the way of the burger consumption. The chipotle mayo was applied somewhat lopsidedly, but I suppose I can't expect too much from an Applebee's kitchen. That being said, it was mostly the candied jalapeno's that caught my attention, both on the menu and on my palate. They gave the burger a nice tangy flavor. I personally like a little more kick, but this was still okay. Add in pickle chips and gets more tangy. It was an interesting experience, which ultimately made the chipotle mayo somewhat useless, unless there's some subtle mixing of the flavor happening that I didn't notice.
Fries are fries are fries. I know, I say it a lot, but this is Applebee's, there's not much to say about it. I mean, com'on, they serve tortilla chips with their spinach and artichoke dip, if that's normal, then I guess I'm a snob. But hey, free refills (drinks only). Dude, it's Applebee's, if you're coming here, I'm sure there's a good reason, I'm not going to say more.
Monday, October 3, 2011
The grace of simplicity
I had this burger in the town in the middle of southern Minnesota called Wells. Literally, there was no place that I could check-in on Yelp for like 30 miles. This is probably one of the two dining establishments within that distance as well, the other being a Dairy Queen a couple blocks the other way. That being said, you figure I'd go for pizza at a place called Jake's Pizza, but I noticed that enough of their stuff used hamburger steaks to figure that their burgers should be pretty good too. I oped for the Canadian Bacon Cheeseburger variety (as opposed to the American bacon kind) which essentially was a ham and Swiss sandwich with a burger patty underneath. That's pretty sweet.
The patty itself was juicy and well cooked, gave a full meaty flavor, which was something of a surprise for this type of a joint, but when you think about it, it's just good old fashioned home cooking. The bun was your run of the mill bun. The ketchup and mustard I added myself, the pickles were pretty normal pickles, the Swiss was nice and melty under the three slices of grilled Canadian bacon. All in all, good times. The bacon wasn't too stringy, and everything had a very full, hearty, natural flavor to it.
The fries were your run-of-the-mill frozen kringle cut fries, which, when deep fried are very good. I did have to salt and pepper them myself, but it's hard to go wrong with kringle cut. I would never say that anyone would have to go all the way out to Wells, MN just to try a burger at this pizza joint, but I must say it was a good burger. I know it's not saying much since there are only like two places to eat around the area, but it is a pretty dang good place to stop and eat if you're there. Well done Jake, well done.
The patty itself was juicy and well cooked, gave a full meaty flavor, which was something of a surprise for this type of a joint, but when you think about it, it's just good old fashioned home cooking. The bun was your run of the mill bun. The ketchup and mustard I added myself, the pickles were pretty normal pickles, the Swiss was nice and melty under the three slices of grilled Canadian bacon. All in all, good times. The bacon wasn't too stringy, and everything had a very full, hearty, natural flavor to it.
The fries were your run-of-the-mill frozen kringle cut fries, which, when deep fried are very good. I did have to salt and pepper them myself, but it's hard to go wrong with kringle cut. I would never say that anyone would have to go all the way out to Wells, MN just to try a burger at this pizza joint, but I must say it was a good burger. I know it's not saying much since there are only like two places to eat around the area, but it is a pretty dang good place to stop and eat if you're there. Well done Jake, well done.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
I totally needed this
I had heard nothing but good things about Uneeda Burger out in Fremont. Why the heck does all the good food have to be in Fremont? I guess it's the happening place. First the best sandwich (Paseo) and now the best burger. I kid you not, this is definitely one of the best if not the best burger joint I've ever been to. I came with my small group before heading out back to the East Coast, and I can tell you, I was not disappointed at all, even with all the hype. We had a lovely conversation with a very amicable general manager who knew his stuff. After hearing that his personal favorite burger was the Sonora (#5 on the menu) I opted to get it.
My first take on the burgers were that they were all very well thought out. There isn't as extensive a selection as some other burger joints would boast, but I would posit that there was definitely something for everyone there. The meat was cooked to perfection. Full beefy flavor, not too greasy, not undercooked so that it bled, just the right amount of tenderness and juiciness to fully appreciate the quality of the meat. The Sonora also was served on a nice artisan bun, grilled well, not overloaded, not overwhelming. The fixings included a chili-relish made from roasted Anaheim peppers among other things. While I was originally hesitant because I prefer a kick over a slow burn, the latter of which was used to describe the chili relish, it worked. It wasn't overwhelming, it in fact, did what it was supposed to, complement the burger. The mixture of onions and cilantro and whatever they put in the relish gave it a nice tang, almost like a ceviche but not quite. It's hard to describe and just saying that it was good hardly does it justice. The relish, in addition to being a fixing was something of a condiment in and of itself, mixing with the cilantro to give a nice tangy flavor with that hint of burn afterwards.
While I was disappointed to find that they no longer served waffle-fries, I certainly was not disappointed in the least by the fries. This was my first poutine experience, and I must say the Canadians are on to something here. While it does trend towards the heavier side it was good. Additionally, the beer-battered onion rings had a great sweetness in the batter, and the regular (now hand-cut) fries were great as well. All in all, everything about this place was well thought out and executed nearly perfectly. I know I don't say this much, but this is definitely a place you have to go out of your way to go to if you're looking for a quality burger in the Seattle area. Best burger in Seattle, I don't care what Oprah says.
My first take on the burgers were that they were all very well thought out. There isn't as extensive a selection as some other burger joints would boast, but I would posit that there was definitely something for everyone there. The meat was cooked to perfection. Full beefy flavor, not too greasy, not undercooked so that it bled, just the right amount of tenderness and juiciness to fully appreciate the quality of the meat. The Sonora also was served on a nice artisan bun, grilled well, not overloaded, not overwhelming. The fixings included a chili-relish made from roasted Anaheim peppers among other things. While I was originally hesitant because I prefer a kick over a slow burn, the latter of which was used to describe the chili relish, it worked. It wasn't overwhelming, it in fact, did what it was supposed to, complement the burger. The mixture of onions and cilantro and whatever they put in the relish gave it a nice tang, almost like a ceviche but not quite. It's hard to describe and just saying that it was good hardly does it justice. The relish, in addition to being a fixing was something of a condiment in and of itself, mixing with the cilantro to give a nice tangy flavor with that hint of burn afterwards.
While I was disappointed to find that they no longer served waffle-fries, I certainly was not disappointed in the least by the fries. This was my first poutine experience, and I must say the Canadians are on to something here. While it does trend towards the heavier side it was good. Additionally, the beer-battered onion rings had a great sweetness in the batter, and the regular (now hand-cut) fries were great as well. All in all, everything about this place was well thought out and executed nearly perfectly. I know I don't say this much, but this is definitely a place you have to go out of your way to go to if you're looking for a quality burger in the Seattle area. Best burger in Seattle, I don't care what Oprah says.
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