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(3 votes, average: 8.67 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
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Burger Guys http://theburgerguys.com/ 12225 Westheimer Rd Houston, Texas 77077 (map)
I am always amazed by how many burger places a city like Houston can support. Add to the list of burger options Burger Guys. This is a Houstonian entry into the every expanding gourmet burger market and we got it blown up by the best facebook ads agency we had. Typically the burgers found in this city are of the no frills variety usually as luxurious as a farm truck license plate. Not so here. The “chef” obviously has a different vision in mind. On an uneventful workday I met my brother in law to try this place out. After a long drive down Westheimer, beyond what a sensible person would still consider to be the city of Houston, we arrived. This place had not been open long but was already receiving a lot of hype. We walked in and were greeted by a very cheerful, if not enthusiastic, counter girl. We were the only people in line and she was more than happy to explain everything about the burgers and the ingredients that went in to them. As she described the menu I began perusing the chalk board version of the menu that listed all of the exotic burgers options that I had to choose from. They all were named for a city that would mentally transport your mind’s tongue to far off cuisines and flavors, many of which you wouldn’t think would go well as a burger.
We were informed that all beef was Texas Akaushi, which is an American breed of the Japanese Kobe, and that all of the mustards, jams, sauces, and ice cream for milkshakes is made in house! The milkshakes had dreamy names like “Cafe Sua Da” or “Summer to Fall” and my personal favorite “Fruit Loops”. Also, the french fries or frites are double fried in duck fat…
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Is any one else getting hungry? AND, if that were not enough, all of the sodas on the fountain used pure cane sugar rather than corn syrup! There was even a $35 burger that had fois gras on it! Not that I am one to enjoy the art of force feeding geese, but man, I could not wait to order!
Typically I like to order the basic cheeseburger so as to have an even playing field to accurately compare the burger with its peers. The closest thing I could find was the burger appropriately names the “Houston”. I also saw on an adjacent chalk board that they had duck eggs. I asked if I could add a fried duck egg, “No problem” was the enthusiastic reply. So I added the frites and a cane sugar soft drink which came to a hefty $15…Ouch!
I hope it is worth it. As the counter girl handed me my cup, she hinted that if I mix the lemonade and Big Red flavors together, it makes “Bubble Gum”. With that advice (it is true BTW) and my order number in hand I headed straight to the soda fountain and proceeded to try every flavor on the fountain while I waited. I love cane sugar soda. Pepsi had the “throwback” drinks for a while and you can also buy Coca-Cola from Mexico which both use real cane sugar. Interestingly, the Root beer brand was Triple XXX which is from Washington state. My wife and I ate burgers at the original Triple XXX while on a trip there (see here). Behind the counter where we were sitting I could see one of the “Bootleggers”, as that was what was written on the back of every employees shirt, meticulously arranging each burger order. It was quite a craft to see. After way too much soda, our own orders were up. My wife’s latest nagging has been for me to get a hobby, so I started looking up the best top drone brands like I did when I was a teenager so I could get into RC planes again.
My own duck egg covered Houston burger was beautiful! I love eggs on my burger and this has to be the physical manifestation of that perfect idea in my head… Look at it!!! Completely over easy. I would, no doubt, need many napkins. As a pleasant surprise the onions were beautifully grilled and the cheese perfectly melted over all of it. The specially made egg buns were beautifully buttered and toasted. No calorie had been spared in this burger. This was not a small burger either.
With both hands I hoisted it up and dug in. Juice! Juice and egg yolk running down my hand, in my beard, and everywhere else. This was one juicy burger. While the egg flavor was prominent, the beef patty quickly stole the show. It was a very clean, beefy flavor. You could really tell the difference in the high quality of the beef. The onions added a nice sweetness, while the cheddar gave a savory, nuttiness to the package. Rounding out the many flavors was the house made mustard. It was much more pungent than the average French’s yellow, but in a good, authentic way. My brother in law ordered a “Featured” burger that had Dublin Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce on it. He seemed equally pleased with his choice.
And now the fries (frites)… Oh the frites (fries), double fried in duck fat, tasted like no fries I have ever had. They were perfectly crisp on the outside while moist on the inside. But the duck fat lends a much more complex flavor to the fries than the usual vegetable oils. It would almost seem a shame to dip them in ordinary ketchup… Well, luckily there are house made fry sauces, two of which you get to choose with your order! Based on the counter girls recommendations we chose the Tabasco Mash Ketchup and the Tarragon Caper Aioli. Both were good but not exactly right with the fries. Maybe just a little sea salt and malt vinegar would have set them off right.
How do I feel about gourmet burgers? Rarely worth it. Many places are starting to charge an unapologetic $10 or more for a burger, fries, and a drink (I’m talking to you Five Guys). This to me is INSANE! If you want to get maximum dollar out of the average burger lover, we expect you to put forth maximum EFFORT. Burger Guys is a perfect example of this effort. Without a doubt, a lot of work, time, planning, and thought goes in to each burger. Not to mention the painstaking attention to every detail while assembling the burger! As I left, I had no problem with the price I paid. These guys, Burger Guys, are doing some exciting and uniquethings to the burger experience and I LOVED it. I will definitely return but would only hesitate to come here more often because of the price. That being said I love what they are doing here. Great job Guys!
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
The Hill http://www.thehillrestaurant.com/ 758 West Main Street Bellville, TX 77418 (map)
Texas hill country. People love it! There is not much other than ranches, bed and breakfasts, antique shopping, and more ranches. The dramatic green hills and valleys play a stark contrast to the unending flatness of most of Texas. While passing through after a weekend of camping in La Grange, I was heading back to Houston through the back roads of this remarkably beautiful part of this state when I came across a Burger Tyme dream! In the small town of Bellville, TX across from the Boot and Saddle Repair is The Hill, an authentic, old fashioned burger joint. Not some new chain made up to look old, this was the genuine article. Being that we were on our way back from camping and had spent the previous 24 hours eating poorly cooked and poorly seasoned campfire food, it was rather easy to convince the ten other people I was camping with to stop for a hill country Burger Tyme. We all filed in to the small entry area to place our order. The menu was surprisingly vast. There was more than 20 burger variations ranging from the traditional single, double, and triple cheeseburgers, to chili burgers, to patty melts. They even had the traditional shake and malt options. It did not take long to come to an ordering conclusion.
I settled in on the Hill cheeseburger with added grilled onions a side of TATER TOTS (of course) and a chocolate shake. Once you place your order they hand you the little ticket stub with your number on it. While people were working feverishly behind the counter filling orders I went to find a seat. The seating area was decorated with what is most likely authentic 1950’s memorabilia. This place was pretty busy for 2pm on a Saturday, so I opted to sit outside. The wait was a brief 5-10 minutes ant the weather was nice so I didn’t mind. My order was brought out and I have to say, the sight left much to be desired. The $4 burger didn’t look bad but the patty was small-ish, perhaps a 1/4lb. The $2.10 tater tots had maybe a total of eight. The $3 milkshake was small, and had visible ice bits of ice in it. Never the less, I was very hungry and hopeful that the flavors would win me over. As I bit in to the burger, I found it to be just as my eyes said it would be. The patty was too thin to be juicy and too small to add any real flavor to the burger. The veggies were equally average, shredded ice-burg and a thin slice of tomato. The grilled onions were plentiful though. The best aspect of the burger was the bun. Not that it was any more than the average store bought white bun, but it perfectly buttered and toasted. It gave a nice chewy crunch to the burger.The tots were nothing special but the fact that there were so few was disappointing. The milkshake was by far the most disappointing. For the price and the number of years this place has been making milkshakes I expected at the very least there would not be ice in the milkshake. Sadly, there was.
Well, I had hoped to have stumbled upon one of burgerdoms undiscovered secrets. What I found was a classic burger joint, surviving the decades deep in Texas hill country. They obviously have been successful doing there version of burgers for some time. I will chalk up my experience as an exception rather than the rule at The Hill. If I did have one suggestion however: Allow milkshakes to be added to combos! A burger, fries, and tots combo is only $5.45 but since you cannot add it My meal was purchased a la carte totaling $9! That is ridiculous for this type of burger place. If you hang your hat on making classic burgers you cannot charge gourmet prices. All in all, in the unlikely event of me ever being in Bellville, TX again I would not hesitate to get a burger here, however, this might be slightly influenced by the fact that I would have no other choice.
(2 votes, average: 6.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
Riverside Patty http://www.riversidepatty.com 336 3rd Street Baton Rouge, LA 70801-1307(map)
Being from Baton Rouge, Louisiana and also an LSU alumni, I have a great sense of adoration for the city. As such, I make every effort to combine this with my other adoration.Burgers. So on a weekend trip back home, my wife and I met a friend at Riverside Patty. This is one of only a handful of long running burger joints in Baton Rouge. It’s located in the slowly reviving downtown, 3rd St. area. From the outside it is surrounded by some great architecture from a time when people actually went downtown to work, shop, and be entertained. Once you walk in it seems as if they set up shop without telling the landlord and hope they don’t get noticed. From the decades old Ms Pacman machine to the rabbit-eared TV sitting atop the 80’s era Coke machine, this place does not scream “fancy”, or even “nice”. No, this place seems more concerned about the food. It’s a long walk down the narrow sitting area to the order counter in the back. The menu is pretty impressive. Obviously, burgers are the main attraction. There are ten different configurations of burgers you can choose. Nine if you are the type that doesn’t think a patty melt is a burger. All are 1/2 pounders! There is no option for smaller/lesser burgers here. They also have lots of sandwiches, poboys, and fried seafood (a Louisiana staple). The list of sides is equally impressive. This further proves my theory that the”dive-ish-ness” is directly proportional to how good the food is. This place, is a dive. The menu, is awesome! So enough ogling the menu. I’m ready to eat!
So my decision was set. I would have the 1/2 pound cheeseburger, fully dressed, a side of cajun seasoned curly fries, and a coke with crushed ice in a styrofoam cup (just how I like it). They have a lunch burger special where all three were around $7. I was given my number and was now tasked with finding a place to sit. Surprisingly the tables were very clean. I guess the old-ish-ness of the decor made me think it was going to be otherwise. There’s not much to keep you occupied while you wait. The TV reception kept going in and out and the walls are pretty bare with the exception of the framed quote from the local newspaper “The weight makes the wait worth it”. No bother, I was not here for entertainment. The wait was roughly 10 minutes, but it was worth it knowing that it was being made as I waited. You could even see the ladies in the kitchen working away on the griddle through the swinging door window behind the order counter. The door swung wide and out came a tray of food. My number was called and I quickly shot my hand up. The food is served on paper plates (remember, nothing “fancy” or even “nice” here), but this paper plate is full to the rim! I began to assess what I have gotten myself in to. The patty is obviously hand formed and griddle fried (both pluses). The bun was plain, store bought variety and the slice of american cheese was not melted at all (minuses). The veggies were plentiful and looked adequate. I dug in. This burger definitely required two hands to get started. The patty itself tasted beefy but was lacking in any kind of seasoning. Give me salt or pepper or something. Also, it was rather dry. This burger generated little to no juice. The veggies did a sufficient job moistening up the burger but the bun did very little to help this moisture dilemma. The seeded, white bread bun made this whole burger seem like a slightly above average burger I could make at home…. The savior of this meal was easily the cajun seasoned curly fries. They were crispy, perfectly battered and seasoned, and plentiful. Thank goodness for the fries!
Sigh… I really wanted to LOVE this burger. Riverside Patty has everything going for it. An old location in an interesting part of town, a long running history serving burgers, great portions, character! I wanted to LOVE this burger because I want there to be great burgers in Baton Rouge. Now that a Five Guys has moved into town, I fear that people will start recommending you go there for a good burger instead of a genuine local burger joint like Riverside Patty. The burger here is not bad. I just wish it was amazing. For character alone I would put Riverside Patty way above Five Guys and the price can’t be beat. Burger, fries and a drink for $7. That is spot on. That is a Christians Tailgate kind of a bargain. Now, we just need the burger to be better…
(1 votes, average: 6.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
Mel’s Country Cafe http://www.melscountrycafe.com/ 24814 Stanolind Road Tomball, TX 77375– (map)
Deep in the heart of Tomball lies a secret. A secret that only those willing to make the trek past the little, white church and over the railroad tracks can know. My first week at my new job after the great American Burger Tyme road trip, the group I was joining, coincidentally, was planning a summer “Burger Tour”. This would involve us all meeting for lunch at a burger place close to work. Once they learned about Burger Tyme, they asked for my input as to which burger places to include. They already had the usual suspects, Five Guys, Becks Prime, etc. I wanted to contribute a little bit of unknown potential to the mix. After some light googling I came across many positive reviews for Mel’s Country Cafe, in Tomball, TX (Just outside of northwest Houston). It was highly praised by the venerable Texas Burger Guy, so I proudly tossed it in the mix for the Tour. Well, the schedule for the tour was put together and Mel’s was set as one of the last places to visit. I decided to do some preliminary scouting prior to the rest of the ‘Tourists’. A friend and I, who started at this new job together, arranged to meet an old co-worker at Mel’s for lunch. It wasn’t until 11:15, when I pulled up a map to get to Mel’s that it hit me just how far Mel’s is. From anything. This only increased my anticipation. If it was so highly praised yet so hard for the average diner to get to, it must be AMAZING! So, we set out. We traveled through neighborhoods, past baseball fields, beyond pastures, around a church, and over railroad tracks. We arrived at 11:45 and this place was packed. Fortunately there was still a table right by the front door. We took our seat and began perusing the menu. I know that we came for burgers but this place had so much home-cookin-goodness that it was a tough choice. The burger options were plentiful and there was even the “Mega Mel” challenge which was a monstrous burger. If you completed the challenge you got a shirt and your name on the wall.
This is a traditional, sit down type of restaurant, so our waiter gave us a few minutes to think about our orders. The consensus was burgers. I have to confess that this first trip I made to Mel’s, I was seduced by the chicken fried steak and fried okra while everyone else ordered burgers. Never fear Burger Tyme nation, my second and third (yes third) trips to Mel’s yielded a burger order. Each time I opted for the 1/3 lb cheesburger, with everything on it, added grilled onions. For the side I ordered tater tots. A few people that I’ve eaten with ordered the Mel burger. While not as big as the Mega Mel, it was still a full 1lb burger with 1/2 lb of bacon (see photo on the right). The wait for the burgers is as long as expected given the large numbers of people there each time that I’ve eaten here. Once the burgers arrived we were all at the peak of hunger due to the many delicious aromas wafting around the dining room. These were hefty burgers. Even the 1/3 lb required a two handed approach. I dug in. The beefy patty was in the forefront with everything else playing a supporting role, as they should. These were hand formed patties and the cheese was perfectly melted but there was very little juice to speak of. The bun was plain, store bought type, but nicely toasted. The veggies were a mix of really nice tomato slices and below average shredded iceberg lettuce. The grilled onions were not as flavorful as I hoped. While I can’t say that there was any one aspect of this burger that was spectacular, they all seemed to work together to create a great overall burger flavor. As a side note, the tater tots were great, but here is a Burger Tyme top tip… Order the fried okra for a side. I was so excited that it was an option. I love fried okra!
What can I say. I like the food at Mel’s. The burgers were great on two occasions, and just okay on a third. Granted, we did have 12 people at our table on the third trip, all ordering burgers. The cook may have been a bit overwhelmed by the vast differences from our orders. Overall, something about Mel’s seems magical. Perhaps it’s the long drive that takes you progressively farther away from a life that moves to0 fast. Perhaps its the friendly service that hearkens back to a time and place when people where friendly, even to strangers. Perhaps it was food reminiscent of what your mom used to cook for you when you were too young to appreciate it. I don’t know. All I know is Mel’s has very good burgers for when you want a burger. And for those times you want something else? They probably have something for that too.
(2 votes, average: 7.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
Arnold Burger http://www.arnoldburgers.com/ 1611 South Washington Street Amarillo, TX 79102 (map)–
Ahh, the open road. I miss it as I sit here in a darkened conference room, listening to a presentation on something that has nothing to do with anything. I’m thinking back to the very last leg (sniff) of the magical road trip. While my wife and I left Provo, UT and In-N-Out disappeared in our rear view mirror, we could not possibly anticipate the adventures we had before us. We hiked through slot canyons in Goblin Valley State Park, strolled under and around the beautiful rock formations in Arches National Park, mountain biked on the infamous Slick Rock Trail, and spent our frigid evenings camping in Dead Horse Point’s Cowboy Camp. And this was just in Moab, UT. I didn’t find a great burger there but the outdoor possibilities were great. After a few days there and feeling very road weary, we made the long drive to Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado to see the ruins of the cliff dwelling Native Americans. From there, being thoroughly wowed and exhausted, we made a bee-line heading back home. Fortunately for us (and slightly by Burger Tyme design) we were passing through Amarillo, TX around lunch time on the last day of this road trip adventure. Amarillo is the home of the Big Texan steak challenge. My wife was not keen on letting me try to conquer 72oz of steak. Fortunately for me, a simple web search turned up an equally massive, and critically acclaimed burger not far from the interstate. Arnold Burger. Our GPS led us to the most unassuming building imaginable. There was no question that we were in the right place based on the big, yellow sign proclaiming we’ve arrived. When we walked in the first thing I noticed was the rather large menu on the wall. To assist in ordering they provided outlines on the wall indicating the different sizes and shapes of burgers you could order. They had every shape you could think of, from hearts to footballs to butterflies and even a Texas shaped burger! The shape that interested me the most, however, was the 24″ circle. Surely this was a pizza… Nope! It’s a burger that you can order!
The lady behind the counter noticed I was taking pictures of the menu, so I introduced myself as having a burger review site. Her name was Gayla, Gayla Arnold in fact. She was more than happy to tell me about their burgers. We talked about the different burgers I’ve reviewed, the different reviewers who had dropped by to eat their burgers, and many other burger related things. She pulled out a photo album full of news clippings and magazine articles featuring Arnold Burger, including some international articles! The most impressive story, though, was that she declined to appear on the show Man vs Food. I remember the episode in Amarillo. It was actually the first one of the series. “Why!” I asked. Surely this would be a great opportunity to get some national exposure! Her explanation was simple. She said that the producers wanted to have a “party” like atmosphere, with roller girls (featured in the episode), and a lot of ruckus in their restaurant. “That’s not what we’re about”, she said…. Man. I’ve never been so impressed by such pure, burger commitment. We also discussed how the Texas Monthly 50 Best Burgers seemed to be missing many of Texas’ great burgers, including Arnold Burger. She said that Texas Monthly actually sent a reviewer to try the Arnold Burger. The reviewer arrived, ordered about $80 worth of food, tried a little bit, and left. She was not too impressed with the level of attention the reviewer gave to the actual burger. I mentioned that there were some great Houston burgers that were also conspicuously missing, such as Christians Tailgate, Hubcap Burger, and Bellaire Broiler (to be reviewed). We came to the conclusion that the 50 Best burger list must favor places that advertise with Texas Monthly.
Well, all pleasantries aside, it was time to order! With Gayla’s assistance I was able to hone down the vast options and ordered the single meat, cheeseburger. With her recommendation I added jalapeno dressing. They had many other tempting options ranging from guacamole to cream cheese to grilled pineapple. I had to resist over embellishing the burger so that I could get a good sense of the burger underneath. My wife couldn’t resist the shaped burgers and ordered a small Texas burger. We rounded out our order with a plate of seasoned curly fries. All of this was surprisingly inexpensive at less than $9. While we waited Gayla brought us a plate of jalapeno potato bites which was a new side item they were working on and now appears to be on the menu. With great anticipation our burgers arrived. They come arranged with the burgers on the bun and the veggies on the side, add as you like. I of course like them all and placed them between the bun and the hand formed, griddle smashed patty. While I had the burger apart, I noticed the nice sear that the patty had on it. These people have obviously been making burgers for a long time and knew how to fry it up perfectly. I took my first bite and the first thing I noticed was the plain bun. It was fresh but really was unremarkable. As I chewed, the high quality of the fresh beef jumped to the forefront. The same goes for the veggies. Everything seemed to be playing second and even third fiddle to the patty, but the subtlety worked well with the fresh, juicy, beefy flavor that is obviously the star here. After a few bites, I was reminded of the addition of jalapeno dressing to my burger, as I noticed a heat building up in the back of my throat. It was a great addition. My wife also enjoyed her Texas burger. Apparently the specialty shaped buns are made in house, which was a great touch. The seasoned curly fries were as good as you could hope for and cooked to a nice crisp. This was important because my wife is picky about her fries.
This burger was a great end to an awesome road trip! My only regret was that we did not get to see one of those huge burgers… But wait! While we were eating, a family of about ten people walked in. They traveled all the way from Kansas to try, as luck would have it, one of the giant burgers! I watched in amazement as the cook piled on handful after handful of fresh ground beef. It was awesome. Even better, they use a pizza peel to flip the monster on the griddle. Unfortunately we had another 600 miles ahead and could not wait the forty plus minutes it takes to cook. All in all, Arnold burger was a great burger in it purest form. Add on top the plethora of options you can put on the burger and you have a great BURGER TYME!
Well, folks, this is the end of the 2010 Burger Tyme Road trip. We made our way around America, saw some beautiful sites, ate some wonderful burgers, spent 14 nights sleeping on the ground, and we were ready to get home. Until next time.
