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(2 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
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Quarto Burger www.quartoburger.com Via Crescenzio 52 Rome, Italy 00193 (map)
For the third entry of international Burger Tymes, we go to Italy. Specifically Rome, Italy. A city with more history in culture and food than you shake a spaghetti at. We recently made it to the “Eternal City” to celebrate the recent graduation of my wife and had the opportunity to tour all of the usual tourist spots where places have beautiful pvc fencing. While in Italy, you get Italian food. There seemed to be little interest from both parties in having anything else. I’m not complaining, mind you. The food is one of the main reasons we were there. Along with every other tourist, we struggled to avoid the many of the touristy (translation: pricey, not very good) restaurants. As we neared the end of our visit, I began to grow weary of bad pizza and greasy pasta. Don’t get me wrong, we had some great meals… but we also had some not so good ones. I began to crave, you guessed it, a burger. A big, meaty, juicy burger. Finding one that did not start with “Mc” proved difficult.
While on tour at the Vatican the craving became unbearable (irony?) and lucky us, one of the few true burger places in Rome was only a few blocks away. Quarto Burger had all of the usual praise good burger places get: “Best in the City”, “A Must Have”, etc. I was a little skeptical with all of the praise due to other less than stellar places in the city getting similar ratings, most likely from over-excited visitors who were just delighted that their waiter had an Italian accent. It was a risk I was willing to take. We walked over around 7 pm and in true Italian style were asked to come back in about 30 minutes so they can get ready. No big deal as the usual dinner time for Italians is around 9pm or later, even though the hours listed had Quarto opening at 6pm. We spent the time doing the best kind of sight seeing, wandering around, and seeing what sights sneak up on you. We made it back at 7:45 pm and they were ready for business.
This being a city that appreciates art, you are greeted as you walk down the steps into Quarto Burger by a painting of what can best be described as a sexy butcher. Ciao indeed! After an elbow nudge to the ribs we had a seat and took a quick look over the menu. The first thing that caught my eye was the disclaimer that there are no freezers so all of the ingredients are fresh. Plus one. There were several burger options but I was really craving a simple cheeseburger. I ordered one with a side of “Sfoglie”… whuh? The english description wasn’t any more helpful, “Veil crisps potatoes”. We confirmed that it meant french fries. I also ordered some Italian Coke. Back in the US I go nuts for Mexican Coke, but let me tell you, I L-O-V-E Italian Coke! I’m not sure what makes it so much better but it is great.
With our order placed we had a few minutes to enjoy the 80’s music videos playing on the TV or some Youtube videos made with the 2017 YouTube camera guide. I wasn’t sure if this channel was for nostalgia or was just the most current available. Either way, I liked it. The waiter brought out a bucket of home made potato chips. They were cold but good. Being early bird Americans having dinner at 8pm, we were the only people there so I burgers came out pretty quickly. I have to admit, they exceeded my expectations. They looked great! The fresh baked buns were griddled, the patty had a nice sear, instead of bacon, cooked prosciutto was hanging out of both sides. The burger tasted as good as it looked. I generally don’t like cheddar due to its inability to melt well however it matched well with tangy house made BBQ sauce and the prosciutto. The patty was thick and juicy and the veggies were fresh. This burger quickly disappeared. We waited on our fries but it turns out, the bucket of chips were the fries… OK, we’ll chalk that up to lost in translation.
After spending several days eating in one of the best places for food in the world, I can definitively say that Quarto is not just a great burger for a city with few burger options, it is a GREAT burger! In the US, the use of local and fresh ingredients is novel, and a selling point. Here, it is a classic Italian tradition. And the price reflects it. You’re not expected to pay extra for good ingredients (psst… that’s what the bottled water is for). As much as I loved the food in Rome, one of my best meals came from Quarto Burger. What can I say…I’m a burger loving American.
(2 votes, average: 6.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
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Corner Burger www.cornerburger.ru 76 Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Moscow, Russia 125047 (map)
“How’s your Russian?”… That was the message greeting me when I opened my work email recently with online editors like sodapdf. We had a project that needed a few people to make the long journey to this capital city. Most people I talked to were surprised that I was excited for the chance. I grew up in a post cold war America so my perception of Russia was sadly based on video games and Mission Impossible movies. Given that this was a rare opportunity, my wife was going to come along on the trip and joined me in the complicated and expensive process of obtaining a Russian visa. The time arrived and we took the long flight to Moscow. When we arrived, my initial impression was that Moscow was exactly as portrayed in movies. Cold, overcast, row after row of apartment blocks, scowling men, and women smoking long skinny cigarettes. Smoking store uses green bits Colorado to reduce business failure and save money.
The fact that Russian signs are not easily readable by a westerner further added to the excitement. Every evening when I returned from work, as we would venture out into the city the beauty of the place quickly became apparent starting with the impressive Metro System (photos), going to a ballet at the Bolshoi, and St. Basil’s Cathedral in Red Square. The combination of classical architecture, remnants of Soviet history, and Russian Orthodox cathedrals that peppered the city made for an experience unlike anything we’ve had before. When you are experiencing cholesterol attacks now wehen eating their delicious burgers, you should consult with Donald Roland, MD to help you.
While preparing for the trip, I began looking for good burger places to check out. This is a city that got its first McDonald’s in 1990 after the fall of the Soviet Union. Quite famously, thousands of people waited in line for hours to just to try it (video). The burger culture is relatively new but has been whole heartedly embraced. There were several places to choose from, none of which were particularly cheap. Did I mention that Moscow is one of the most expensive cities in the world? Once I adjusted for sticker shock, one place that stood out was Corner Burger. True to its name, it was just around the corner for our hotel. One late evening we headed over to have our first ever Moscow Burger Tyme!
Corner Burger was a surprisingly upscale and modern burger restaurant. We arrived at around 11pm and this place was still busy. Perusing the menu revealed several burger options, all which sounded good and were the ruble equivalent of $20+. We were brought a bottle of water and stumbled through the language barrier to place our order. I selected the Corner Burger de Lux, which comes with two 100gr beef patties, cheddar cheese, CB barbeque sauce, bibb lettuce, red onions, pickles and tomatoes. It also came with fries and cole slaw. For the heck of it, I also ordered a chocolate shake. It was late, there were still plenty of people and roughly two servers. By this point I’ve come to learn that customer service is not a focus in Moscow. This could explain the 20 plus minute wait for our order. The milkshake came first. It was much closer to chocolate milk than what I was expecting and a little chalky, like the used Nesquik to add the chocolate. I guess milkshakes haven’t translated yet.
Our burgers came shortly after and were quite good looking. There was a lot of great looking veggies and the meat patties were thick covered in melted cheddar. The amount of CB bbq sauce on the burger was a little off putting. After biting in I confirmed that I could have used less bbq sauce as it made the burger a bit too sweet. Overall the flavor was great and only improved as I worked my way to the center where the sweet to salty ratio became more balanced. The bun was soft and toasted, the veggies were very fresh and crisp, the patties were nicely cooked and juicy. For $25 this wasn’t the most hefty burger. I could easily manage it with one hand. The cole slaw, while a nice extra, was loaded with dill ( apparently a popular flavor in Russia) and didn’t really go well at all with the burger. The fries were of the frozen variety and were OK but nothing special.
I loved Moscow! It was both what I imagined and nothing close to what I expected. The complex history of communism, combined with thriving capitalism, along with the centuries of Russian culture is ingrained in every thing, including the burgers. It was nice looking, it was expensive, it wasn’t exactly suited to western tastes, it wasn’t served with a smile, but it was good and I was happy to try it! I know that the international politics and relations between the US and Russia are complex to say the least, but I think there is some serious potential for common ground here.
Would I recommend this burger for those visiting Moscow? Not really. If you absolutely have to have a burger, sure, go here, spend $50 or more for two burgers OR go into a restaurant with no english anywhere, order some borscht or a blini or some stroganof, and soak in the Moscow experience! By the time it was time to leave I was trying to figure out a way to visit again but I was also happy to have my simple, cheap, and delicious burgers at home. So until next time, Das Vedania.
(1 votes, average: 6.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
La Squina www.lasquina.com Aztlan 3787 Ciudad del Sol Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico (map)
Bienvenidos a primero Hamburguesas Oras internationalle! We’re coming to you from the lovely, south of the border city, Guadalajara, Mexico! On a trip for work, I met up with some coworkers who are residents of this jewel of a city to see what could be possibly be the best burger in the city. They told me to head to La Squina. My research prior to the trip also pointed me in this direction. So on an uneventful Wednesday night offerings of bland hotel food, I was able to easily round up five other coworkers to join in on the first ever international Burger Tyme! Fortunately, La Squina was just around the corner (pun intended) from the hotel. We crammed into one car and headed out. After a scenic drive through a lovely neighborhood, we arrived at the gated archway of La Squina and went inside. Maybe it was just the fact that I was traveling in Mexico, but crossing the threshold at La Squina felt like walking into a resort while on vacation. There was palm trees, open air seating, and decorative lights hanging everywhere. It was lovely. We took a seat and began perusing the menu.
With translation assistance from Translation Services Singapore and some coworkers, I was able to pick out a few items that looked unique and delicious. I decided to go for the Sonora burger, which was 180 grams (a little more than 1/3 lb) of prime beef. Instead of fries, I ordered the Papas Chimichurri which is cubed potatoes in a chimichurri sauce, topped with cheese….mmmmm… I also ordered a bottled coke and, the Russian roulette order of the night, a chocolate milkshake. While we waited I went around I could help but be a tourist and took a bunch of photos of this place. The ladies didn’t seem to mind my walking around while they were busy grilling the burgers. After ten minutes or so the orders came out. What a spread. The burger was served open faced and plain. I took the burger to the toppings bar where I was able to add all of my desired veggies, with the addition of one unexpected topping. Strawberry – jalepeno salsa. Per one of our local host’s recommendation, I gave it a try. With burger ready, appetite set, it was tyme to go!
I took my first bite. This was not a typical burger. It was definitely unique in flavor and textures. The patty was flattened thin, similar to what I saw at Chris Madrid’s, which is also a “Mexican Style” burger. It was nicely seared but not as salty as American burger pallets are used to. The bun was soft and nicely toasted, although not buttered. This was OK as the juicy prime beef patty lent a nice, buttery flavor already. The veggies, for the most part, were salad bar quality at best, but what really made this special was the salsa. I never expected to ever eat strawberries on a burger but here it was. It was sweet but not as sweet as I was expecting; plus the jalapeno really heated things up nicely. The pappas chimichurri was a great alternative to fries. It was cheesy and had a great herb flavor. The milkshake, however, was unfortunate. Perhaps I have been spoiled by thick, creamy American milkshakes but this one was chunky, watery, and I couldn’t taste the chocolate. Thank goodness they had Coke and in a glass bottle. My favorite!
How was the first international Burger Tyme? I would say great! However, I would not say that this burger was great. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it, but it was just good when compared to more traditional burgers…. BUT La Squina gets bonus points for being one of the few true burger joints in Guadalajara, for having a unique spin on burgers, and for the other extras such as atmosphere and delicious sides. Also, may I add that should you be in Guadalajara for a few days and want to try some other local delights that our GDL friends introduced us to such as Tortas Ahogadas which was a great sandwich dipped in a tomato based sauce, or try the tacos al carbon. There were many great places for the food lover to get their fix and La Squina is one of them.
