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(2 votes, average: 6.50 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
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Champ Burger http://champburger.net 304 Sampson Street Houston, TX 77003
Thursday came and I was craving a burger. The weather was really nice in Downtown Houston and was perfect for a Burger Tyme. One of the founding members of Burger Tyme suggested Champ Burger. It was not far from downtown so I rounded up four other Burger Tymers and headed out. We made our winding way to 304 Sampson Street between Harrisburg & Canal, south of downtown. When we arrived I noticed that Champ Burger was an outside walk up burger establishment that had a park like seating area connected to it. The manicured trees and clean sidewalk gave it quite a charming atmosphere given the surrounding warehouses and industrial buildings. Champ Burger has been around for 40+ years so I was getting a little excited for a burger that has lasted that long. The menu was full of many options including the highly touted “Texas Steak Sandwich” which is basically chicken fried steak on a bun. As good as that sounded I was here for a burger! There was a number of people coming and going at champ burger. That’s a good sign for a place that is a little off of the beaten path.
I walked up to the window and placed my order for a Champ Burger with cheese and everything on it. The Champ burger is a 1/3 lb fresh ground patty. I also ordered fries and a medium chocolate shake. Many of those I was with ordered the onion rings. We were given our numbers and were able to find a picnic table that was in a nice bit of shade. After a short while our numbers were called and we were each given our orders in individual white paper bags. I unpacked mine and beheld one of the larger burgers I’ve had. Now this was due mainly to the size of the bun. The patty filled out in the bun but at the expense of thickness. This made the patty not particularly juicy. The bun was fresh but seemed like a basic store bought burger bun. The same was for the veggies. They were fresh enough but not particularly great. Fortunately this was an instance where the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. The flavor of the burger overall was pretty good. The fried was pretty good too. My fellow Burger Tymers also really enjoyed the beer battered onion rings. The milkshake was quite good and provided a good, sweet contrast to the savory burger and fries.
Champ burger has been around for a long time. The overall experience showed me why. The service was friendly, the dining area was nice, and the food was good. Fortunately this was an instance where the whole was greater than the sum of the parts. The flavor of the burger overall was pretty good while the ingredients weren’t wonderful. The portions were huge and by the end of everyone’s meal, we all needed a nap. I think that any one near the area should definitely give Champ Burger a try.
Hint – If you like Orange cream soda, orange push-pops (ice cream treat), or dreamsicles try the Orange Milk Shake! It’s amazing!
(4 votes, average: 7.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
Little Bigs http://www.littlebigshouston.com 2703 Montrose Boulevard Houston, TX 77006-2732
It was getting late on Monday night and my wife and I had not eaten yet. We decided to run our wonderful Australian Shepherd around Memorial Park in Houston, TX and by the time we were done we were too tired to cook. I suggested we try out Little Big’s based on a few recommendations from some people at work. She thought that was a good idea so we cleaned up an headed to the corner of Montrose and Westheimer. There amidst the other brightly lit signs in the area stood a large black and white sign of a giant hamburger being lifted by a little man. It was night time and the weather was amazing! It was cool, not humid, and there was a slight breeze. Fortunately, Little’s Big’s has a very large outdoor patio which was made from Resin Bound Kits and it has plenty of picnic tables and a TV that had the Bulls v Celtics game on. Another good sign was that the place was busy, even at 9pm. I was really getting excited. We made our way inside and got in line. The food menu was simple. 3oz Sliders… Beef, Chicken, or Mushroom…. with or without cheese…. “4 minute fries”. That’s was it. You order their sliders typically in threes but you can get them individually too. Their drink menu was much, much larger. Fortunately for our decision making time and my wallet, we don’t drink, so we ordered a soft drink and chocolate shake.
I placed my order for a trio of all beef sliders and “four minute fries”. We were given a number and found ourselves a picnic table outside. Did I mention how nice the weather was? The Little Big’s employee who brought everyone their food was basically running from table to table bring out everyone’s orders. It was interesting to watch because she was busing the tables at the same time without delaying bringing out the orders. It was pretty impressive. She brought our orders out it was a sight for hungry eyes! A whole row of cute, little burgers. Before I could enjoy them, however, I took them over to the toppings bar where I added lettuce, small slices of tomato, ketchup, and mustard. The patties, though small, were very juicy and tasty! Every burger comes with sauteed onions which were especially good. The buns were a yeast bun similar to a dinner roll. They were soft and nicely chewy. Though these burgers are small, three 3oz patties is more than 1/2 lb and was plenty to fill me up. The fries were very good too. They were hand cut and fried to a nice crisp. The Milkshake was also one of the best I’ve ever had. It was a “fluffy” milkshake, if that makes sense. It wasn’t to heavy or thick.
Little Big’s was great! All the elements combined that night to make it one of my favorite Burger Tymes! It helped that I was really hungry, it helped that the weather in Houston was AMAZING! It helped that the NBA playoff game was an Overtime, Nail biter. But what helped it the most was that these little burgers were really good! I definitely will be returning and bringing more Burger Tymers with me.
Hint – When ordering your trio of sliders, you can mix them up and get one of each kind, beef, chicken, and mushroom! and get a milkshake!
Stanton’s City Bites 1420 Edwards Street Houston, TX 77007 (map)
Stanton’s City Bites came upon a few recommendations. One of my co-workers interned with the owner’s daughter. I tried to gather the usual group from work to join in on this Burger Tyme. Unfortunately only two could come. When I google mapped the location the street view only showed a house with a sign saying Stanton’s. It didn’t quite make sense but I figured google can’t be wrong… right? So anyway, the three of us drove down Washington Ave, out of downtown to Houston St. Sure enough, the house from google street view came into sight. I parked right in front and we made our way in. It was surely a sight to behold. This hearkened to an era past where corner groceries were more common than the nearby Target. They had just about every beverage you could imagine and more snackfood than an eight year old could hope to eat. To the right of the entrance was what appeared to be the deli. We were greeted by a nice guy named Kyle who helped us put in our order. Stanton’s menu is rather impressive. They had a wide variety of sandwiches, burgers, and daily specials from which to choose. I also noticed that they had the distinguished honor of being voted the best burger in Houston for 2005 and 2006. This looked more and more promising. While we mulled over the choices to be made, there was a constant stream of people picking up phoned in orders. There were signs all around stating that the burger was “worth the wait”. Another thing that became apparent was the lack of seating. We inquired if there was anywhere to sit and eat. We were politely told “Not currently”. Maybe they have plans to add a table or two.
So I placed my order for a cheeseburger with everything on it and tots. Now, I was informed that all burgers come with bacon. I asked for them to hold the bacon because I generally don’t care for bacon on my cheeseburgers. I then began the wait. After about twenty minutes our order was ready and we selected our drinks, paid, and made our way to find somewhere to eat our Stanton’s burgers. After a short drive back to downtown, we found some seating at Jones Plaza and delved in. My anticipation level for this burger was pretty high. It looked good, it smelled good, and after my first bite, it tasted good too. The patty was nice an thick, 1/2 lb. It was very juicy, but not messy. The veggies were exceptionally good. The lettuce was not your run of the mill iceberg but a nice dark green lettuce that was fresh. The tomatoes and onions were also nice and fresh. The bread could have been better. It wasn’t that the bun wasn’t fresh but it was the buns were toasted in a toaster as opposed to toasted on the griddle. This gave the bun a slightly crunchy and dry texture. The tots were good. I tend to choose tots over fries when given an option.
Stanton’s City Bites was an interesting Burger Tyme. It had a few unexpected surprises. The lack of seating gave us the option to make our dining experience as nice as we were willing to drive to. The wait gave me plenty of time to browse the many drink options they had. To my surprise they had something I had never seen before. “Tall Boy” versions of popular soft drinks. The price was not bad. Total for burger, fries, and a tall boy was about $7. I enjoyed bringing a few people there but was glad we did not have our usual larger group as we would have had trouble finding somewhere for all of us to eat. With a little planning, Stanton’s can be a great alternative to typical burger outings.
Hint- If you like soft drinks and you like brown paper bags, Stanton’s has you covered with their large selection of sof t drinks. As a bonus, all drinks are packed in a brown paper bag.
Frostop Root Beer www.frostop.us 402 Government Street Baton Rouge, LA 70802 (map)
When I think back to my first memories of a burger joint, I think of Frost Top on the corner of Range and Florida in Denham Springs, LA. I remember the chocolate dipped ice cream cones. I remember the super, huge cookies. I remember root beer floats. Most of all I remember their amazing color changing jukebox that played 7″ vinyl records. Unfortunately that Frost Top location is now a Walgreen’s but one still remains in Baton Rouge! On the last day of my Easter Vacation, I managed to gather four Burger Tymers from our Baton Rouge chapter to join me in experiencing nostalgia in its fullest. The location in downtown Baton Rouge has been around since the 50’s. Now, Frost Top’s claim to fame is their root beer, which I will talk about later, but we were there for a burger! The interior of this location was not as childhood, dreamy as I remember the other one being but it had it’s own appeal. From the big root beer mugs on the side of the road to the the black and white checkered tile, this place is classic! It was reassuring that when we arrived a little after noon that the parking lot was full. We walked in and got in line to place our order. There are a few options at Frost Top including poboys, burgers, sandwiches, and even gumbo. Frost Top classifies their burgers as “Lotaburger” and “Wholotaburger”. That translates in to 1/4 lb and 1/2 lb respectively.
So we made it through the line and I placed my order for the “Lotaburger” with cheese and everything on it. I also ordered a side of fries and of course, the Frost Top Root Beer. While paying for the order I inquired as to whether they made their own beef patties and was informed that in fact they do. While waiting for our order I enjoyed the frosty mug of root beer that I ordered (more on this later). Our number was called after a few minutes and we sat down to a very good looking burger spread. Every element of the burger was pretty good. The bun was fresh as were the veggies. The 1/4 lb patty was a not particularly flavorful or juicy. The cheese was not as melted on the patty as I like. As you can see, it was placed under the patty on the burger which is not that big of a deal, but I like to see the cheese slice draped on top of the patty, like a burger patty shirt. The fries were adequate. They were freshly fried which was good but were of the frozen, not fresh cut variety.
Everything combined at Frost Top for a good burger but not a great one. The atmosphere and the history of Frost Top were very cool and make it worth checking out. While there was nothing wrong with the burger, nothing quite stood out to make it great. The 1/4 lb patty was a little thinner than I would have liked. Perhaps I should have opted for the “Wholotaburger”. All in all it was a good Burger Tyme for around $6 including burger, fries, and a drink. Oh, and what a drink. The Root Beer at Frost Top is AMAZING!!!! They keep the mugs chilled in a freezer which as the root beer leaves the tap and hits the glass, begins to frost up in the mug. It creates a thick layer of root beer ice around the mug which I loved! It was like drinking candy! I may return to Frost Top if only for the burger but I will DEFINITELY return to Frost Top for the Root Beer. It’s that good!
Hint – Frost top also had great milkshakes. My wife and I ordered a large chocolate shake to split which was about $4. It was HUGE! Between the two of us we could only drink about half. My sixteen year old, high school football player younger brother, however, was able to drink the whole thing.
(6 votes, average: 6.83 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
Cheeburger Cheeburger, though hard to say, has been a favorite of my parent’s in Baton Rouge, LA for the past few years. I took a few days off of work for Easter so my wife and I made the 5 hour drive to stay in Baton Rouge for the holiday. Our first night here I rounded up a few willing family members and headed out for my second Burger Tyme in as many days. Cheeburger is a 50’s diner themed burger chain that allows people to customize their orders to an almost obscene amount. From the dozens of burger combinations to the 78 different shake options, an unprepared customer has a lot of decisions to make. When we arrived we were greeted by the milkshake “bar” were the milkshake orders are filled. Cheeburger Cheeburger prides itself on their delicious milkshakes of which I’ve heard good things but we are here for the burgers. There is a disclaimer on the menu stating that orders are cooked fresh when you order and that you can expect to wait about 15 minutes while they prepare your burger. I’m OK with that. I can wait for a good burger. This place is more of your typical sit-down restaurant with a waiter who takes your order as opposed to most burger joints where you wait in line, place your order, and then find a place to sit. Once I opened the menu and viewed the list of options for the burger, I knew I had my work cut out for me.
Given the plethora of options I was not intimidated. I managed to order my usual 1/3rd lb cheeseburger with what I consider typical toppings; lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, mayo, mustard, ketchup, and American cheese. Fries come separate at Cheeburger. We ordered a large basket to split for the table of four. True to their word, we waited about fifteen minutes and our burgers were delivered to our table. The patty was very thick and juicy. It was made of fresh ground beef and was adequately flavorful. The cheese was nicely melted over the patty. The veggies were OK but were unevenly spread on the burger. The bun, I thought, was good. It was soft and slightly chewy (in a good way). One problem I had was that the bottom bun was slightly soggy which in my mind makes the initial bites unpleasant. Once I bit in I was delighted by the combinations of all the flavors as they worked together well however they all began to slide around and juices were running down my arm. I guess what I’m saying is, this is a good but messy burger. Fortunately they provide each table with an entire roll of napkins! The fries were exceptionally good. They were fresh cut and fried to a nice crisp.
I’ve had Cheeburger a few times before but this was the first time I went with the goal of finding great burgers! As I previously mentioned, this is a favorite of my parents and I can see why. Everyone that came with us was pleased with their burger orders of various combinations. Some had onion rings and honey mustard, while another had Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces on their burger. We ordered shakes too but I’d have to say that for the cost, skip the shakes unless you want a dessert. They are thick and not really drinkable while you’re eating your burger. Another thing to note is that Cheeburger Cheeburger was one of the more costly Burger Tymes. While the burger and fries were very good, the burger, fry, and regular drink combo is going to run you about $10 or more.
Here’s a hint – if you like onion rings but want fries too, you can order “frings” which is a basket of half fries and half rings.
