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(3 votes, average: 7.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
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Today is one of those days where I get excited over the possibility to try a new burger. A co-worker of mine suggested a few days ago that we give Sparkle’s a try as he had heard that they have won the prestigious award of Best Milkshake in Houston. So today a few of us made the journey south of downtown Houston to Sparkle’s Hamburger Spot. Our first reaction when we arrived was “Wait, is that it?” This is Burger Tyme’s first experience with a burger stand. This stand has a lot of character. There were painted signs all around the bright blue building and the crowd of people waiting for their orders told me that this place did not need the bells and whistles of typical burger joints (A/C, inside dining, etc). I was surprised to see that they did accept credit cards as well as take phone orders. Seating is limited to the picnic tables out front and fortunately for us the weather was perfect for outside dining. There was a nice mixture of customers, ranging from police officers, to office professionals, to construction workers, and neighborhood locals. We waited in line and were able to place our order. The menu had many favorites including one of my personal favorites, Chicken ‘n Waffles.
I placed my usual order of a cheeseburger with everything on it. At sparkle you have the option of fries, curly fries, and onion rings. I opted for the curly fries. I went with the regular coke instead of a milkshake with my meal (I got one after I ate) because I typically don’t like milkshakes with meals. This was by far the least expensive excursion for Burger Tyme. Burger, fries, and a drink came to about six bucks. You can’t beat that! One thing to note at Sparkle’s is that you are going to wait. They receive a lot of phone orders so even though there may only be 3 people at the stand waiting, they could have eight other orders that were phoned in before yours. It’s not a bad thing but just be prepared to wait for your food. While I waited, I enjoyed the wonderful aromas that were emanating from this burger stand. After about twenty minutes of anticipation my order was ready. I eagerly opened the box and was greeted by a very appetizing sight. The burger looked very promising. The cheese was perfectly melted over the fried patty. The patty itself was hand formed and was thicker in the middle than most burgers I’ve had. It could stand to be a little more seasoned as the patty just tasted like ground beef. That’s not a bad thing but there was no uniqueness to the flavor. The vegetables were merely adequate. The lettuce and onions were in small bits and tended to fall out of the burger. The bun was toasted but was a little on the dry side. Overall, the burger was good and for $3 was amazing. The curly fries on the other hand were $2 and all I got was what you see in the picture. For 2/3rds the cost of the burger I expected a little more
Sparkle’s Burger Stop amounts to one great Burger Tyme experience. As long as the weather is nice and you have time to wait you can get a good burger for a great price. While I wouldn’t put this as one of the best burgers I would say this is one of the best places I’ve been and would like to try some other menu items. One thing to note was the GREAT!!!! Milkshakes! As I mentioned previously, I did not get a milkshake until after I ate my burger. The others who came with me stated that the milkshake matched up perfectly with the burger and made it much more enjoyable. After I had my milkshake I determined that on my next visit to Sparkle’s I will have a milkshake with my burger.
Here’s a hint – Call ahead. If you don’t have time to wait as long as we did, you can call ahead and your order can be ready when you get there.
(10 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
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In late 2007 a friend of mine was working as technical support for voting some precincts in Harris County in Houston, TX. His day consisted of a lot of driving around from precinct to precinct, navigate to this website – SecurityInfo when you want next level security at your home, or if you want to take care of it yourself as an extra safety strategy you can buy a camera to record any strange thing that happens, it’s a great tool and with the tape if something actually happens you can go and take the evidence to the police, best one in the market is being sold in amazon, the police body camera it’s actually specialized for police and law enforcement equipment. Around lunch time he gave me a call asking if I wanted to join him for the “best burger” in Houston. To this I replied “Absolutely!” He took me to the original Christian’s location on Washington Ave off of I-10. I’ve passed by this place many times before but mistook it for a storage shed for the construction site next door. This was due to the building being made mostly of corrugated tin. If it wasn’t for the full parking lot and line of people almost out the door, I would have been worried for my lunch’s sake. The menu at Christian’s is fairly straightforward. You have a few choices of burgers 1/3lb, 1/2lb, or full 1lb. I ordered my usual 1/3rd lb with cheese with every thing on it. Another thing to note is that at Christian’s you have to wait. That’s not a bad thing just something to expect. If they are really busy the wait can be around twenty minutes. Christian’s does a good job of managing expectations though. You are given a number and get to quietly sit as your anticipation builds as the number gets closer and closer to yours. My number was finally announced over the nearly indiscernible speaker.
I ordered the 1/3rdlb combo with cheese which included either fries or onion rings, and a drink. I went with the fries and got a root beer. When my burger arrived all of my expectations were met. The burger was tightly wrapped in deli paper. I find that a good indicator of how good a burger is going to be is by how clear the paper is that wraps the burger. This paper was almost see through. MMmmmm…. The 1/3rdlb patty seemed more like a half pound and is probably one of the best seasoned patties I’ve had. It is also extremely juicy but not extremely messy. I still needed a napkin after every bite though. The bun is buttered and toasted adding an excellent texture and flavor to the burger. The whole package comes together with the veggies. The fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles added to many positives for this burger.
When I was first brought to Christian’s, I was promised the “Best Burger in Houston”. Christian’s has held that award in many different polls over the past few years and in my opinion deservedly so. While some burgers have good and bad components, Christian’s is one of the few that I’ve had that consistently is a great all around burger! For me, each bite is the perfect burger. It’s the combination of all of the ingredients that makes this burger so enjoyable. I’ve since been back to Christian’s more times than I can can count and have brought many friends, co-workers, and family to try this great burger. The consensus has been that is is one of the best burger’s in Houston and maybe America!!
Hint – If you like Onion Rings, Christian’s has some of the best. If you can’t decide on whether to get onion rings or french fries with your burger just ask for “half and half” and you’ll get both!
Check out other reiviews of Christisian’s here:
Texas Burger Guy
(10 votes, average: 8.30 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
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Hubcap Grill www.hubcapgrill.com 1111 Prairie St Houston, TX 77002-3118 (map)
Hubcap Grill is one of those places that came along unexpectedly, for me at least. I had seen it a few times in downtown Houston and always thought to myself “I should check that place out”. It wasn’t until it was voted the best burger in Houston in 2008 that I was motivated to break out of my routine of eating Christian’s Totem (review to come) every week with the Burger Tymers from work. On our first excursion nine people walked with me about 6 blocks to Prairie and San Jacinto to try out Hubcap for the first time. When you first walk up to Hubcap you can see it is a bit unnassuming. “Burgers and Fries” is what the sign says. The full tables on the sidewalk and in the side alley renamed “New-Orleans Style Patio” would say that it is worth the wait in that line that was out the door. Oh, and when you finally get to the door, there is a reminder that it is “CASH ONLY” at hubcap. There is an ATM inside in case of an emergency or if a co-worker doesn’t owe you a lunch.
The menu was much more than I expected. There were all kinds of burgers with interesting names : The Hubcap Decker, The Quadruple Bi-pass, Muffaletta Burger. So for my first venture I ordered the regular cheeseburger with everything on it, a side of regular fries (you have two options; regular or sweet potatoe), and a bottled IBC Root beer. I love bottled soft drinks, by the way. The wait wasn’t as long as I expected considering the number of people who ordered in front of me and boy was it worth it. This was one of the most unique and delicious burgers I’ve had in a while. To start with, the buns are ciabatta-ish and made by Hubcap. The burger comes out with grill marks on the top and bottom of the bun giving just the right amount of crisp. The meat is seasoned well and is very juicy. The cheese was perfectly melted over the patty and the vegetables were good. This was a big cheeseburger, but nothing could prepare me for the Hubcap Decker (pictured on the left). Two patties between two buns and a peice of texas toast in the middle and american cheese on the top half and monterrey jack on the bottom. It also had the Hubcap Special Sauce which was very good. It was a daunting burger but I’m glad I was convinced to give it a try. Every mouthful (and it was full) was a burger lover’s dream. The fries were fresh cut and fairly good but in my opinion could stand to stay in the grease a minute or two longer. They tended to be a bit soft. I like a crispy, crunchy fry. An entire meal came to about $8 which is par for the course of fine burger tyming.
My first experience at Hubcap was good… So good, in fact, that myself along with some of the original nine easily convinced a total of twenty co-workers (not exaggerating) to return to Hubcap the very next day. That was the day I tried the hubcap decker. It was a good lunch but a sleepy afternoon. I have since returned to Hubcap many times with both co-workers, family, and friends and it has consistently been an outstanding burger and the people are friendly. This burger is definitely one of the best in Houston!
Here’s a hint – get the cheeseburger with everything on it and add the special sauce…
Check out the review of Hubcap Grill’s Sticky Burger here
(2 votes, average: 7.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
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Sign of the Whale www.signofthewhaledc.com 1825 M Street Northwest Washington D.C., DC 20036-2503 (map)–
While working in Washington, DC, my wife had flown in for the weekend and we did our usual seeing the sights, taking in the history of our nation’s capitol, and of course seeking out the best burger. I read a few reviews that a tavern on M street had a very good burger. It was a Monday night so we hopped on the Red line Metro and headed off to the Farragut North stop. It was frigid and windy night in DC, something that two people from Louisiana aren’t used too. The walk from the metro stop to the Whale resulted in frozen hands and noses, but the second we stepped in and saw the sign for Sign of the Whale, I was glad we made the trip. Once inside, we were met by a long wooden bar that led towards the back past some tables and chairs where a fireplace was burning adding a very cozy warmth to the place. Our evening got even better once the waiter (yes, this is a sit down pub) informed us that Monday night was 1/2 off Burger Night!!!
I ordered my usual, cheeseburger with everything on it and my wife had her usual, plain hamburger with lettuce and mayonnaise only. The burgers arrived at our table with a toothpick holding everything in place. I prefer a burger to be tightly packaged where all of the components take burger form and do not easily fall out of position. This wasn’t a problem as I always tend to pull a burger apart where the lettuce meets the patty to add more ketchup before I eat it. The burger was of a decent size, around 1/3rd of a pound and was easily handled although I definitely needed both hands for the first few bites . The meat was seasoned well and was not dry but was not particularly juicy either. It was paired with an onion roll and your standard 1/4″ french fries. The overall flavor was good throughout and it was a good burger, that at 1/2 off , hit the spot.
While I think this place is better known for it’s bar scene, the burgers are definitely a high point. My favorite thing about the Whale and the reason I would go back was the atmosphere. With it’s cozy fireplace and pressed tin ceilings, I enjoyed looking around at all of the architectural detail almost as much as I enjoyed the burger. I would make sure, however, that the night of my return would be on 1/2 off burger night, because at full price this would turn any burger lover into a veritable Captain Ahab still searching for the white burger whale.
(8 votes, average: 6.50 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
Five Guys Burgers and Fries www.fiveguys.com
I was first introduced to Five Guys by a friend in Washington, DC where some of the first Five Guys were opened. My wife an I ate at one of the original five guys in Alexandria, VA and for a “chain” burger it was darn good! I think the secret to their success is the simplicity of the menu. I realize that I’m not going out on a limb by saying that but good burgers are simple burgers and they have it down. One detail I liked that was unique to this chain was the cork board that displayed customer “art”. There was a stack of 3″X5″ index cards and some pencils for customers to write notes, draw pictures, or whatever else you can do with fifteen square inches of real estate. My wife and I found that along with the boxes of roasted peanuts it was a good way to pass the time while we waited for our order.
The menu is short. Burgers and Dogs. I ordered my usual Cheeseburger but ran into a hiccup when I said everything on it. At Five Guys you have a list of around sixteen items and condiments you can put on your burger. I had to specify lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, grilled onions, mustard, mayo, and ketchup. The burger itself was made from very good ingredients. The patties (that’s right, there were two) were hand formed and the toppings were fresh. This is a fried burger but I actually prefer a fried burger to a grilled one because they tend to be juicier. This burger had just the right amount of grease and juiciness though it became a little hard to manage towards the last few bites.The bun (or as I like to call them, bread gloves) was also a notable component to the whole Five Guys experience. It was soft and a little chewy (in a good way) and held everything together pretty well. The fries are a big selling point in my book. My wife and I split an single order of Cajun fries. To our surprise a single order means a brown lunch bag full of fries. The cajun seasoning was different at first but matched really well with the ketchup and the burger. After my wife and I ate at the one in Alexandria I tried it at the one in Georgetown and most recently in Houston, TX. The burgers were consistently good.
An item that I found to be both good and bad was the variety of toppings and condiments you can add to your burger. While the menu is simple, the condiment selection can really get complicated for the unprepared. I tend to freeze up in moments like this because I’m afraid that I may pick something like barbecue sauce or green peppers and essentially ruin a perfectly good burger. While I applaud Five Guys’ commitment to the customers’ unique tastes, I’m fearful that people who aren’t the most burger savvy may choose a topping(s) that would make an exceptional burger just OK or even bad. But hey, it’s worked for them so far. For a “chain” burger this one probably tops my list.
