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(1 votes, average: 6.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
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Elevation Burger www.elevationburger.com
Burgers… Burger Tyme… Sigh, I haven’t had the enthusiasm, as of late, for planet Earth’s favorite food. I found it difficult to get excited about a burger unless it was made from beef raised next door, ground as we are speaking, with buns baked by artisans from the 17th century, topped with veggies from the garden of Eden… $20? No problem with quality like that! Right? It seems as though the pendulum has swung too far to the gourmet (read: expensive) end of the spectrum and I’ve lost sight of what makes a burger good. To get the magic back, during the holidays and the month of January I only had a few burgers at some old favorites like Christians Tailgate (was my first burger love in Houston) and Dearman’s Soda Fountain. These places offer the essence of burgers. No frills, no claims of superior ingredients, just good, tasty burgers. Your shop also needs quality roofing, click here to find out more.
When I returned from the holidays, I was recharged and ready to go out Burger Tyming! Fortunately there was a burger place that recently opened which seemed to be a mix of these burger philosophies. Simple but quality. Elevation burger aspires to elevate the simple burger without gimmicks or frills, just quality ingredients. We’ve heard this before. Let me be clear, I’m fine with quality however the result is usually either great burgers at great cost or average burgers at great cost. So the challenge is, can they over come the cost stigma associated with “quality” by turning out a great burger?
Walking in to Elevation Burger, I was impressed by how clean everything was. As much as I like dive bar burgers, its a bit refreshing not to have to worry about what might have been included with your order. The style is a mix of modern design mixed with natural elements like bamboo “wood” tables and chairs. The menu is pretty straightforward. Burgers come double or single patty ( a la In-N-Out), you select from a long list of toppings (a la Five Guys), add fries, add drink, and repeat. Something that I greatly appreciate is that they recommend trying the “original” which includes a standard set of toppings; elevation sauce, pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes.
I place my order for an Elevation Burger (double meat, double cheese), “Original” style. I opted to add caramelized onions and hot pepper relish. I added french fries (cooked in olive oil), and an all natural, organic chocolate Oreo malt. I was pretty hungry at this time and the wait felt longer the 7 or so minutes it took for the order to be brought to our table by the super polite cashier. The burger was not initially impressive. The patties are thin, as advertised, the cheddar is not melted (which it never does), and the bun looked pretty dry. The fries however looked great. Slightly thinner than normal and piled high. The burger tasted much better than it looked. Generally I don’t like cheddar due to its inability to melt and remain melted, but it was perfect with this burger. Nothing really stood out as spectacular but the overall flavor was fresh and light. It was not greasy at all but not dry. The fries were great. I’m not sure how much that has to do with being cooked in olive oil but they were perfectly crispy. The chocolate Oreo malt was as good as you can imagine, too thick to drink but a perfect dessert.
Elevation Burger is very good and high quality. I appreciate that they are not trying to reinvent the burger or insult their customers intelligence with the combinations. However it is not a great burger, which it needs to be to justify the $10 plus dollars this meal costs. Here’s the flipside. In the current burger environment, Elevation burger is middle of the pack price wise but will satisfy burger cravings without leaving you feeling greasy and gross. Getting ones burger mojo back is not easy. Oh wait, yes it is! Until next Burger Tyme! Protect your skin and buy private label skincare product with our trusted sellers.
(2 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
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.
(2 votes, average: 3.50 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
2-Ms Malt and Burger Mart www.2msmaltandburger.com 2014 Avenue H Rosenberg, TX 77471 (map)
Houston is a big place. You can drive on I-10 for about an hour and still be here. In this sprawl is many, many burger joints. Some new, some old. I’ve heard tell of a place about 40 minutes southwest of the Houston center. 2-Ms is one of those original type burger stands with years of tradition and history. No frills, only burgers, fries, and malts. I couldn’t wait to try it. It has long been time for Burger Tyme to go back to its roots with a classic edition. No gourmet, no bills larger than $10, no pretension. Fortunately I have a brother who lives down that way so I drove out to meet up with him and his family. True to expectations, it was about a 45 minute drive from the center of Houston to “downtown” Rosenberg, TX where 2-Ms has been on Avenue H for what looks like decades, and is in fact their fifth. The bright yellow and red sign was unmistakeable on the side of the road. This is an old drive up style, where you can order at the window and eat in your car. They also happens to have some inside seating which we decided to take advantage of since Houston in August does not lend itself to dining al fresco.
The menu is pretty simple. There were burger baskets and burger combos and just burgers. Baskets include fries, combos include drinks, burgers is just burgers. Got it? Now time to order. I opted for the super burger with cheese combo which was double meet, double cheese, fries, and a soft drink. I expected great burger deals but this order comes out to about $8. Not the cheapest, but might be worth it! We were the only people in the dining room, but the walk up window outside had a steady stream of patrons. This would probably explain the 10-15 minute wait for our order. In that time we finished our drinks and upon asking for refills were informed that refills are an extra charge of $0.50 each…. They were nice enough to give us free refills, but really, who doesn’t have free refills? We hired Pest Control Thornhill Exterminator for the business and the business is running clean since.
Our order came out with the burgers wrapped classic style in white paper nested on top of the basket of fries. I unwrapped my burger and, well, was a bit underwhelmed. I know this is supposed to be a basic burger, and it was. It had the elements you look for in a classic burger, cheese nicely melted, buns toasted on both sides, finely diced onions, and it had a fair amount of heft. The patties were flat, well griddled, but obviously uniform, common for frozen patties. The flavor wasn’t bad however the texture was very homogenous and dry. This is a burger that demands extra ketchup. Unfortunately, accompanying each burger basket was two, one ounce cups of ketchup which was sufficient for about six fries. We asked for extra and were given 3 more…. for a table of four adults and two kids. The fries were of the frozen variety and were cooked well enough but definitely needed every drop of ketchup available.
On our way out we ordered some malts to go, since this was a MALT and burger mart. The malt consisted of soft serve ice cream, a dash of malt powder, and a few squirts of Hershey’s syrup. Not spectacular but just what we needed as we headed back out into the Texas heat with stomachs full of starch and protein.
I love burgers with a history. I especially love great burgers with a history. Sadly, 2Ms has more of one than the other. Fifty years is a long time to be serving burgers anywhere! Consistency and reliability are the cornerstones at this place. If you are in Rosenberg and want a good, not fancy burger, come here, you won’t be disappointed. However, if you are not within a short distance and are wanting a classic Texas style burger, save your gas and head to your nearest Whataburger. They’re everywhere, the burgers are classic style, it’ll be cheaper, you get free refills, all the ketchup you could want, and the malts are not bad either.
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
Burger Smith www.burgersmith.com–
I love the food in Louisiana and I am not alone. Lafayette, Louisiana was named Southern Livings Tastiest Town for 2012. From this tasty town has risen a new entrant in to the burger world, Burger Smith. Operating under the mantra of doing one thing and doing it well, Burger Smith makes the claim that making burgers is a craft and those who venture to pursue it are in fact “smiths”. Not coincidentally, this conjures up in my mind a blacksmith forging and shaping, which happens to be their logo.
Fortunately for the burger lover from Baton Rouge (ie. Me), a Burger Smith opened up shop not far from Louisiana State University campus. On a recent visit home we headed out to try these crafted burgers for ourselves.Burger Smith is located in an old retail area that is being rebuilt after a fire at the old restaurant and bar The Caterie burned it down. Tucked in on the first floor, the small entry way hides that cavernous space inside. We arrived at 12:30 on a Thursday, prime lunch time, and the place was pretty full. We were shown a table in the back and to the left which turned out to be a very spacious bar area. With menus in hand were now equipped to choose the form of craftsmanship that would shape our opinion of these smiths.
The menu touts fresh ingredients, fresh baked buns, hand crafting, and a special blend of signature beef to create an “authentic” burger. An interesting note is that after trying 29 different blends of beef, they settled on a blend using beef from Chicago which is known, according to them, for “quality and fanciness”. I’m all for quality and fancy beef but Chicago seems pretty far away when Texas is your next door neighbor. Anyway, I easily settled on the Smith Burger with cheese and added all of the ‘complimentary toppings’ with the additional ‘premium choice’ of an organic fried egg (of course). We also ordered a large fry for the table and fried okra just because I love fried okra! The wait was about 10 minutes which was more than reasonable for how busy they were. I was pretty hungry when our order arrived.
Right of the bat, the okra won my heart. I love fried okra, even frozen, but fortunately for me this seemed to be freshly made. It came with a creamy dipping sauce, but I’m more a of ketchup guy. The burger, however, garnered a lesser amount of my enthusiasm. Visually, the proportions were a little off. The veggies were vivid which was indicative of their freshness. The bun was fresh baked but was dominating the rest of the burger. The hand-formed patty was a tad undersized for the rest of the package. The first bite left a little to be desired. The flavor of the beef was forefront. It was seared nicely, juicy, and fresh but it lacked seasoning and fatiness. It was too lean and the scant amount of cheese was not sufficient to add the unctuousness you expect from a good burger. The veggies tasted as fresh as they looked. The Smith burger claimed to be ‘Seasoned with spices and Smith Sauce for Louisiana flavor’ but none of this flavor was present. All I tasted was beef, fresh but unseasoned, and veggies. The fries were fresh cut and cooked crispy and made a nice addition to the okra as a side.
Louisiana Food! I had high hopes for a burger chain originating from here and taking over the burger scene, a la Five Guys or Smash Burger. Sadly, these craftsman, these burger smiths, have made the mistake that freshness and quality automatically equals flavor. Perhaps this burger was an anomaly, perhaps the cook forgot to season my burger, perhaps in this instance, they put out a burger that was not meeting their burger vision. Unfortunately, this was all I had to go on and there are already good quality burgers to be had in Baton Rouge. Some may not be using words like ‘organic’ and ‘fanciness’ and some might but in the end it is about flavor. Add some whipped cream with your dessert by ordering the to get nangs delivery in Melbourne
