Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024

Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024
Sunset, Kailua-Kona, The Big Island, Hawaii, March 11, 2024

Friday, April 10, 2015

Hamburgers - Thursday, April 9, 2015

"I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today."
 ~ J. Wellington Wimpy from Popeye cartoons
Hamburger Hamlet in Westwood, California, is where I fell in love with gourmet hamburgers when I was in my 20s. My friends and I used to go to Hamburger Hamlet before or after a movie in Westwood. The food and service were always top-notch. We considered our meals there a grand treat. Their menu let you choose your toppings individually or you could order one of their combinations. One of my favorites was a teriyaki burger.

Homemade burgers are also a favorite: thick, juicy beef cooked medium well, topped with lettuce, tomato, avocado, bread-and-butter pickles, ketchup, mustard, relish, easy on the mayo, NO onions. A drippy, messy burger can't be beat.

Stanich's in Portland, Oregon, earned their reputation on AOL Cityguide's 2007 list of the "15 Burgers to Try Before You Die." Stanich's was on the list at number 11 in the nation. Here's the whole list:
  1. All-American Drive-In, Massapequa, New York
  2. Chris Madrid's, San Antonio
  3. CityGrille, Denver
  4. Dick's Drive-In, Seattle
  5. Goldyburgers, Chicago
  6. In-N-Out Burgers, Los Angeles
  7. Jack's Old Fashion Hamburger, Oakland Park, Florida
  8. O'Connell's Pub, Saint Louis
  9. Peter Luger, New York
  10. Roaring Fork, Phoenix
  11. Stanich's, Portland, Oregon
  12. Tessaro's, Pittsburgh
  13. Thurman Cafe, Columbus, Ohio
  14. Val's Burgers, San Francisco
  15. 96th Street Steakburgers, Indianapolis
What makes Stanich's burger so wonderful? To me it was a feast on a bun, complete with a fried egg, over medium. Never before had I thought to put a fried egg on a burger. Genius combination! The burger was a menace to wrap your mouth around, but oh, so delicious!

One chain restaurant that makes this list for their burger selection is Red Robin. I love quite a few of their burger choices. You can substitute a leaner turkey burger on most of their burgers too. Now that they've added sweet potato fries to their menu, I'll be heading that way more often.

Even fast food burgers make my list, but with a lowered expectation. Dairy Queen has a decent burger; I love their special sauce. In Rice Hill, Oregon, on the west side of Interstate-5, is K&R Drive-In where our family stopped to eat whenever we traveled in the area. Their large and very tasty burgers are served with Tater Tots, which I find to be a nice change from French fries or potato chips. The piece de resistance, though, at K&R Drive-In would be the Umpqua Ice Cream cones in a rainbow of flavors.

We have been in San Antonio for three years, and have found some new burger places to satisfy my burger craving. Whataburger makes a decent fast food burger that will do in a pinch.

If I want a sensational burger in San Antonio, The Cove is my restaurant of choice. The Cove's motto is "sustainable, organic, local." I am in love with their Real Burger: grass-fed beef with American cheese, no onion for me, tomato, pickle, mayo and mustard. The flavor of the beef is what makes this burger stand out.

Last but not least is Mad Mack's Burger Company which opened three weeks ago just down the street from our RV Resort. Last night Bob and I had dinner there. It was very good. The menu is simple, but that's okay. There are plenty of yummy choices. The decor is straight out of a 50s diner. Having dinner there on our "h" word day in the blogging challenge made it easy to choose my word for the day: hamburger.

Interior of Mad Mack's Burger Company
Mad Mack's Burger Co.



Here's a look at what we ordered. I had an All-American Burger; Bob chose the fish sandwich.
All-American Burger
The fish sandwich is made with pollock. They hand bread the fish just before they cook it.
Be very hungry if you're going to eat this, or split it with someone else.

Fish sandwich
Where have you found good hamburgers?



17 comments:

  1. I am a huge fan of Five Guys burgers. . .but we try to not eat burgers very often these days. . .

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haven't been to Five Guys yet, although I've heard a number of people sing their praises. Will have to try them.

      I'm not sayin' I eat burgers everyday, but when I do...you'll know where to find me!

      Delete
  2. Never been to K & R but Peggy's Restaurant on Rice Hill was always Joe's favorite and we both agree about Umpqua Ice Cream

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And we've never been to Peggy's Restaurant. LOL.

      Umpqua...yum, yum, yum!

      Delete
  3. Replies
    1. On your recommendation, we went to Cheesy Jane's for dinner tonight. It was good. Bob had a turkey burger and I had the Southwestern Turkey Burger with chiles, pepper jack cheese, and a very spicy mayo. Loved the spice, my mouth was on fire. "This girl is on fire!" Next time, I will get the beef hamburger. Oh, their "Sweetie Fries" are awesome -- that's their version of sweet potato fries.

      Delete
  4. I adore hamburgers and wish they weren't ruinous to cholesterol levels. Why are they called HAMburgers and not beefburgers?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hopefully I'm not eating enough burgers to make my cholesterol level way high. Good question about beefburgers. They call turkey burgers "turkey burgers." Duh.

      Delete
  5. Rocky's Crown Pub in Pacific Beach, San Diego. Good old classic burgers!

    I do like the Five Guys chain...juicy, messy, tasty!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good to know. When we make it to San Diego, we'll look for it. I'm putting it on my bucket list.

      You're the second person to mention Five Guys. Guess we'll be making our way to their door.

      Delete
  6. Now I know what I want for lunch. An awesome cheeseburger!

    Hello, I’m stopping in from A to Z and thanks for your continued participation!

    Stephen Tremp
    an A-Z Cohost
    @StephenTremp on Twitter

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you stopped by. Did you get your cheeseburger for lunch?

      Delete
  7. Susan:
    First of all, I want you to know I love reading your blog. I've not commented before, but you are talking about one of my favorite foods so how could I resist posting now.

    You just cannot beat a good burger. I'm always looking for a new place to try out and while we've had some great burgers there is one place that really stands out. American Grill in Grove, OK has some really great burgers. I love the variety. It's been awhile since we've been there so I cannot remember the name they have given this particular one - however is has sliced avocados, chipotle sauce, pepper jack cheese and fresh jalapeño slices on it. It is messy but so very juicy and good. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

    I am enjoying the A-Z Challenge. Happy Hamburger Eating!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cheri,
      Thanks for dropping a line. I appreciate the feedback.

      The burger you describe sounds right up my alley...I forgot to mention how much I love avocados, and pepper jack cheese is my favorite!

      Delete
  8. We have a chain here in Western Washington called The Blazing Onion. Their Butter Burgers are to die for (parson the bad pun, secondary to the cholesterol comment above - sorry, couldn't resist.). For fast food/drive through - the new "Buttery" options at Jack In The Box are pretty good. I'm not a big hamburger person - I'd rather have a rib-eye ;) Should I hold out for your "S" day blog?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good recommendation for a new place to try!

      I'd rather have rib-eye too!!

      Delete
  9. Oh, I do love me a good hamburger. GREAT post!

    ReplyDelete

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