I still posit that In-N-Out is still the best deal around for burgers, but given that I do not have access to a double-double, this may have to do, probably not. Anyways, when P.C. Catering gives you a BBQ bacon double-cheeseburger (called the Texas Cheese) with fries for $5, you figure you'd give it a go.
Anyways, everything is pretty run-of-the-mill. Patties I think were frozen. Bacon is bacon, add some BBQ sauce, some grilled bell peppers and onions, melted pepper jack cheese, you get... well, the Texas Cheese.
Same could be said for the fries. Frozen, from a bag, into a deep fryer, add some Jack's All-Purpose Seasoning, and you get, fries. Good, not great, and sometimes, that's good enough.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
O rly?
I'm pretty sure that the people who made the sign post that says dbl chz combo have no idea what lolspeak is, but that doesn't make it less funny. That being said, I find it sad that I used to like this place. Maybe because I just had lower standards back then, or maybe because it's a franchise and this particular one wasn't very good. All in all, Herfy's Burgers was pretty disappointing to say the least.
The patties were your run-of-the-mill fast food burger joint type patties. Not the worst I've had, not the best. Comparable to say, somewhere between Dick's and Wendy's. The bun is your typical sesame seed bun, contains the burger, not much more to say about it. Fixings were normal, I like the melty cheese, but American is a little overpowering in a sense, and condiments I really couldn't tell what was on there. I think fry sauce, but when your fry sauce is just a mixture of ketchup and mayo then I don't really consider it a special condiment, because it's just premixing two condiments I would normally put on a burger anyways.
Bonus points for kringle fries, but that's about it. I can tell they stay in business by attracting students who want burgers and there being no other place around. In my book, it's somewhat overpriced if that's the consistent quality you're getting. So if you're craving a burger and there's nothing else in sight, then go for it. I personally, will opt for something else next time.
The patties were your run-of-the-mill fast food burger joint type patties. Not the worst I've had, not the best. Comparable to say, somewhere between Dick's and Wendy's. The bun is your typical sesame seed bun, contains the burger, not much more to say about it. Fixings were normal, I like the melty cheese, but American is a little overpowering in a sense, and condiments I really couldn't tell what was on there. I think fry sauce, but when your fry sauce is just a mixture of ketchup and mayo then I don't really consider it a special condiment, because it's just premixing two condiments I would normally put on a burger anyways.
Bonus points for kringle fries, but that's about it. I can tell they stay in business by attracting students who want burgers and there being no other place around. In my book, it's somewhat overpriced if that's the consistent quality you're getting. So if you're craving a burger and there's nothing else in sight, then go for it. I personally, will opt for something else next time.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
I don't think this is quite Apple approved...
I know, I know. I've been here before. I've reviewed a burger here before, but before you start. I've decided that I'm rating the merits of each burger rather than the merits of each burger joint. That being said, I decided (since it was in one of the more convenient locations that I drive by regularly) to give iBurger and Shakes another try. Why it's called iBurger, I have no clue, I'm sure it has some deeper hidden meaning or is something along the lines of trying to hop onto the Apple fad of putting a lower case "i" in front of everything to try to make it cool.
For some reason unbeknownst to me, all foods California are defined by avocado, so naturally, a Cali Burger must have avocado on it. This burger is no different. The patty was a typical 1/4 lb affair, well grilled, and the buns were your typical sesame seed affair, also well toasted. Neither were bad, but neither did either one stand out in good way. The fixings, as previously discussed, include sliced avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, and swiss cheese, all fresh. The smooth creaminess of the avocado was nice. There was a hint of smokiness in the house sauce that I liked, but there was a lot of other stuff going on so it was somewhat elusive pinpointing that flavor. I liked it, but I would've liked more of it.
The fries are your typical bag-of-pre-fried-frozen-potato-sticks affair thrown into a deep fryer. Can't really go wrong with that. All-in-all what sells this place is the location. It's convenient, though the knock on the location is that it is a ridiculous pain to find parking there. If you happen to just need a meal passing by, it's not a bad stop off, and this isn't a bad burger. Albeit a little pricey for what you get, but I've seen worse.
For some reason unbeknownst to me, all foods California are defined by avocado, so naturally, a Cali Burger must have avocado on it. This burger is no different. The patty was a typical 1/4 lb affair, well grilled, and the buns were your typical sesame seed affair, also well toasted. Neither were bad, but neither did either one stand out in good way. The fixings, as previously discussed, include sliced avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, and swiss cheese, all fresh. The smooth creaminess of the avocado was nice. There was a hint of smokiness in the house sauce that I liked, but there was a lot of other stuff going on so it was somewhat elusive pinpointing that flavor. I liked it, but I would've liked more of it.
The fries are your typical bag-of-pre-fried-frozen-potato-sticks affair thrown into a deep fryer. Can't really go wrong with that. All-in-all what sells this place is the location. It's convenient, though the knock on the location is that it is a ridiculous pain to find parking there. If you happen to just need a meal passing by, it's not a bad stop off, and this isn't a bad burger. Albeit a little pricey for what you get, but I've seen worse.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Simplicity sometimes is key
So I remember coming here when it used to be a pseudo-Hawaiian burger joint. In fact, Rain City Burger still has the same mahalo trash can that the old place (I can't remember the name for the life of me) used to have. After perusing their menu (which mind you was relatively extensive but to me honestly fairly run-of-the-mill) I ultimately decided to go with what they call the Huskies Burger, which I assume was named for some reason for the UW Huskies.
The burger in and of itself was fairly well made. A 1/4 lb patty with 2 large onion rings on it. The patty itself, being only 1/4 lb, was somewhat overwhelmed by everything else on the burger, but from what I could taste, the meat was good quality beef. The bun was your typical sesame bun. The fixings were lettuce, tomatoes, and onion rings. The onion rings I could tell were fresh, which were nice. They weren't super crispy which gave an interesting (in a good way) flavor and texture to the burger as a whole. There's supposed to be some sort of "Rain sauce" on the burger, but honestly, the onion rings sort of overpowered everything.
The fries (which you have to get extra) were pretty good, your run-of-the-mill semi-soggy stuff. Some people like it, some people don't, I personally don't mind. I always have a soft spot for burger joints that carry malt vinegar as a side condiment. All-in-all, it's not a bad joint, but there's nothing outstanding about it either. It's pretty much what you see is what you get. So if you're ever wandering around the neighborhood, and are looking for something to eat, this isn't a bad place to stop.
The burger in and of itself was fairly well made. A 1/4 lb patty with 2 large onion rings on it. The patty itself, being only 1/4 lb, was somewhat overwhelmed by everything else on the burger, but from what I could taste, the meat was good quality beef. The bun was your typical sesame bun. The fixings were lettuce, tomatoes, and onion rings. The onion rings I could tell were fresh, which were nice. They weren't super crispy which gave an interesting (in a good way) flavor and texture to the burger as a whole. There's supposed to be some sort of "Rain sauce" on the burger, but honestly, the onion rings sort of overpowered everything.
The fries (which you have to get extra) were pretty good, your run-of-the-mill semi-soggy stuff. Some people like it, some people don't, I personally don't mind. I always have a soft spot for burger joints that carry malt vinegar as a side condiment. All-in-all, it's not a bad joint, but there's nothing outstanding about it either. It's pretty much what you see is what you get. So if you're ever wandering around the neighborhood, and are looking for something to eat, this isn't a bad place to stop.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
A lapse in sound judgment
So my buddies decided to take me out to try this thing for my birthday. The Behemoth at the Ram was a fairly new item and I approached it with mixed feelings. I have to say though, the food at the Ram has significantly improved as of late, maybe I should go back more often.
Anyways, the burger itself wasn't anything special, besides the three patties, the excess fixings made it actually quite difficult to eat. Overall, the lack of condiments other than mayo meant you could experiment with whatever stuff was on the house, I stuck mostly with A1 and BBQ sauce. The beef was good, but not exceptional, it was good enough to keep me going for a little while. All-in-all I don't really recommend trying this unless you really want to for some reason.
Fries were good. Not much else to say.
Anyways, the burger itself wasn't anything special, besides the three patties, the excess fixings made it actually quite difficult to eat. Overall, the lack of condiments other than mayo meant you could experiment with whatever stuff was on the house, I stuck mostly with A1 and BBQ sauce. The beef was good, but not exceptional, it was good enough to keep me going for a little while. All-in-all I don't really recommend trying this unless you really want to for some reason.
Fries were good. Not much else to say.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
The price is right, very right
Yeah, I can't think of any witty titles anymore, but I'm hoping that's not really why you read the blog. I suppose my writing is somewhat inconsistent at least in quality, but I'm hoping that I make up for it with my readability and witty exposition (or so I like to delude myself into thinking). That being said, I was in the Bay this weekend for a wedding and decided to visit an old haunt of mine, a local sports bar by the name of St. John's Bar and Grill. Why do I like this place? Simply put, because they have great deals. Every day there is something half off on their menu. From cheesesteak to chicken sandwiches to appetizers, and most importantly, to burgers. Saturday happened to be burger day, and when you're paying almost as much for your beverage as you are for your burger, you know you're getting a good deal (as well as getting fleeced on the beverages, but I guess that's true everywhere). They have a fairly large selection of burgers, all of which are pretty good, so I opted for the jalapeno burger this time.
The meat was a full, hearty (estimated 1/3 lb) patty. Very juicy, well cooked. The bun was a lightly toasted onion bun, typical thing that you can find at the supermarket, but it does add a nice flavoring to the burger. The fixings consisted of your typical iceberg lettuce, a slice of tomato, and rings of white onion, plus sauteed jalapeno peppers. The peppers were pretty fresh and gave the burger a nice kick. I think there was some mayo and mustard (possibly ketchup) in the burger, but the flavor of all the ingredients made it so you didn't need a whole lot in terms of condiments. The jalapenos gave that kick but weren't overbearing in that it was too hot to handle.
Typically they don't give sides, so my friends ordered an order of garlic fries to split. Very heavy on the garlic, pretty good stuff. The normal side is a small bag of Lays chips, but hey, if you're paying less than $4 for these burgers, it's okay if fries aren't included. Great joint to catch games and just get some affordable grub. Good burgers, great deals. Even at full menu price it's not out of this world expensive. If you're in the area, I'd say it's a place to drop by.
The meat was a full, hearty (estimated 1/3 lb) patty. Very juicy, well cooked. The bun was a lightly toasted onion bun, typical thing that you can find at the supermarket, but it does add a nice flavoring to the burger. The fixings consisted of your typical iceberg lettuce, a slice of tomato, and rings of white onion, plus sauteed jalapeno peppers. The peppers were pretty fresh and gave the burger a nice kick. I think there was some mayo and mustard (possibly ketchup) in the burger, but the flavor of all the ingredients made it so you didn't need a whole lot in terms of condiments. The jalapenos gave that kick but weren't overbearing in that it was too hot to handle.
Typically they don't give sides, so my friends ordered an order of garlic fries to split. Very heavy on the garlic, pretty good stuff. The normal side is a small bag of Lays chips, but hey, if you're paying less than $4 for these burgers, it's okay if fries aren't included. Great joint to catch games and just get some affordable grub. Good burgers, great deals. Even at full menu price it's not out of this world expensive. If you're in the area, I'd say it's a place to drop by.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Just because it's "organic" doesn't make it better
Now I'm not here to bash on the whole "organic" thing. I'm sure it's better for you, but that is not indicative of it tasting better, and honestly, when I buy food, that's what I care about more. So, while I know Portage Bay Cafe is all about being sustainable and organic and local and all that, I can't say I was huge on what they simply dub Burger on their menu.
Overall, the whole natural ingredients thing do taste better, but just because you have good ingredients it doesn't necessitate a better burger. I liked the char and the full beef patty of the hand-pressed patty, and it was substantial, a little over-cooked for my liking, but it was beefy. The lettuce and tomato were fresh and the bun was a nice doughy local baked concoction (reminded me of those "pub buns" that you can buy at the supermarket, I liked them) which were good. I think there were supposed to be some red onion sauce or something on the burger, but honestly I couldn't taste it. All in all, it's not a bad burger, but it's essentially a very nice thing that comes out of a backyard BBQ, not necessarily something I'd go out of my way to get. Tack on the fact that cheese and bacon cost an addition dollar a piece, it's not really worth it.
The sides were basically home fries sauteed with chili powder/taco seasoning, nothing extraordinary. I think I like regular fries better, but this is more of a breakfast joint, so I guess they get a break on this one.
Overall, the whole natural ingredients thing do taste better, but just because you have good ingredients it doesn't necessitate a better burger. I liked the char and the full beef patty of the hand-pressed patty, and it was substantial, a little over-cooked for my liking, but it was beefy. The lettuce and tomato were fresh and the bun was a nice doughy local baked concoction (reminded me of those "pub buns" that you can buy at the supermarket, I liked them) which were good. I think there were supposed to be some red onion sauce or something on the burger, but honestly I couldn't taste it. All in all, it's not a bad burger, but it's essentially a very nice thing that comes out of a backyard BBQ, not necessarily something I'd go out of my way to get. Tack on the fact that cheese and bacon cost an addition dollar a piece, it's not really worth it.
The sides were basically home fries sauteed with chili powder/taco seasoning, nothing extraordinary. I think I like regular fries better, but this is more of a breakfast joint, so I guess they get a break on this one.
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