Red Mill Burger

Whenever I search "Best Burgers in Seattle" I get the same 2 listings.  Red Mill Burger and Dicks Drive In.  I decided it was time to check  out one of them.  Red Mill is about 5 miles from my house so it was the lunch plan for Saturday. It's in a part of town that I don't know called Phinney RIdge. I found it with no problem and really liked the neighborhood.  It was 2 pm on a Saturday and the place was packed.  I ordered the basic cheese burger, fries and a diet coke.  I got the burger without the special sauce.  What I found out later is that i didn't experience the "real" Red Mill Burger..   I guess the way to order it is with bacon and special sauce.  I should have asked some folks before I went .  Oh well. 

The burger itself was pretty good.  I thought it was a bit thin and didn't have a ton of flavor.  The bun was tasty and  big.  The bun held together nicely and didn't distract from the burger.  The cheese was super yummy and nicely melted.  But it wasn't anything outstanding.  The fries were also okay .  Thought they were good but didn't knock my socks off. 
After I ordered my burger I looked at the grill in the back and there was a giant mountain of bacon.  I mean a MOUNTAIN. It was stacked in a square and was probably a foot high.  The restaurant is tiny and has maybe 6 tables and some bar stools.  There are 3 picnic tables out front which were packed even though it was raining.  I can't imagine how crowded it would be at noon.  
Now I have to go back and try it again.... with Bacon and Sauce.
http://www.redmillburgers.com/

Bob's burgers and brew

http://www.bobsburgersandbrew.com/

The other night I was out and I was starving!  I saw a place called Bob's Burgers and Brew.  I didn't feel like staying in for dinner so I got it to go.  I got the Bacon Burger and fries.  The truth is that I was so hungry that I ate the burger without really taking the time to enjoy it.  The bacon was Delicious!  The bun held up well in the car.  I'm not sure I can review it fairly since I barely remember it.  I will say that it was big!  I could not eat the last few bites.  The fries were a bit disappointing.  They were your basic  fries.  I will have to go back and try it when I can actually think about what I'm eating :)

The Habit

It's been a while since I posted due to my move and new job.  But, things are starting to settle down so hopefully I'm back to updating the blog.  I flew back down to Sacramento last weekend and went with the family to The Habit.  I love the Habit.  I reviewed their new concept Hook Burger a few months ago when I was down in LA.  I've eaten at the Habit numerous times in Fresno but this was my first visit to the Sacramento location.  It is a very casual burger joint.  If you aren't a burger fan (which would shock me) then you have plenty of other options on the menu- Tri-tip, chicken, Tuna, veggie burger, etc.  You have fries , sweet potato fries or onion rings to choose from.  Plus there are shakes which I always want to try but usually end up too full to give it a shot.  The burger is nicely char grilled and has a fresh delicious taste.  You have plenty of toppings to choose from and they don't cover the burger in any of that 1000's Island dressing.    The bun holds up nicely.  

My only complaint is that the sweet potato fries aren't anything special.  Well, that and it would be nice if they had an ice cold beer to serve along with the burger :)   
I've been eating a lot of burgers lately but nothing that I've felt worth blogging about.  I had a 5 Guys burger the other day which was fabulous.  I love their burgers.  But, I've reviewed them recently and will continue to compare burgers to them.  I also have to admit I had a Wendy's burger last week and it was pretty darn good.  The bun was super sweet and soft.  I had stayed away from them for a while because the one near my old house had terrible service.  This one near my new house was nice.  
I'll try to hit some new locations soon.  More photo's to follow.  http://www.habitburger.com/

Eat up!

Seattle- Burgermaster

I'm back!  I've moved north to Seattle so I'll be reviewing some of the top Burger joints in the Northwest.  That doesn't mean I've forgotten CA.  I still have a house there and will be back to check out the places I missed.   In the meantime, let's see how the rainy NW compares.
My first stop is Burgermaster http://www.burgermaster.biz/  .  I found them listed on many of the top burger list for Seattle and it just so happens they have a location 4 miles from my new place.  After a day of running errands, I decided a burger and fries is just what I needed.

Burgermaster is an old drive-in. They started in 1952 and now have 5 locations.  I'm not sure when the Aurora location opened but it looks like it might have been 1952.  You pull up and turn your lights on and a waitress comes to your car.  The waitress might be one of the original employees.  Sitting in the car made me remember being a kid and ordering at the  drive-in in West Virginia.  Kinda fun.  I ordered the burger, fries and soda.  Later I was wishing I ordered the combo with a shake because the shake choices sounded delicious! The burger came with the basic toppings but included relish.  Since I'm not a fan of the relish I substituted ketcup instead.

So here's the thing, the burger was good.  The bun was tasty, the meat tasty and well cooked.  But it wasn't anything over the top.  It was a really good grilled burger. The bun held together but was basic.   The best part was the tomato and lettuce.  It was the nicest slice of tomato I've ever had on a burger.  So often they are too thin or hard or too soft.  This tomato was perfect.  The fries were a disappointment.  They were your basic shoestring fries.  While I enjoyed the lunch, I'm not sure it is worth going back again.  I now live within walking distance of a 5 Guys so everything is going to be compared to...  is it better then 5 Guys.  otherwise I can walk out my front door and order my burger within 5 minutes. 
It's a good start in Seattle but I'm betting I can do better.  I'm going to start my research and plan the next outing.  Stay tuned!

Finally ate at Bob's

 

My time in Burbank was coming to an end and I knew I had to get back to Bob's to try their burger.  Finally I made it happen.  The building itself is very cool and retro.  It's the original Bob's and they sell T-shirts and banks with Bob displayed.  It is in a part of Burbank call Toluca Lake.  Fairly upscale and a lot of walk-by traffic.  I sat outside on the patio and ordered the cheese burger.  The service was fine, nothing special.  The burger arrived and right away I noticed the dressing.  I always forget that Burger joints in CA seem to think that Thousand Island dressing needs to be on every burger.  They call it their Special sauce.  I've said it a few times but I'm saying it again, I hate 1000 Island dressing!  It's the same no matter what you call it.     So, I scrapped it off and put the burger back together.  The burger was just okay.  It wasn't anything special.  Honestly it tasted like a typical diner burger.  It was  a little overdone and the cheese was American.  The bun was non descript and the toppings were lettuce and tomato.  The fries were the meaty kind which I like but definitely from a bag and dumped in a fryer.   
Overall I'd say that the experience of eating in the location, watching the people walk by, looking at the memorabilia posted in the lobby made it worthwhile.  It brought back all those memories of childhood.  The food was just okay.  I took my photo's and checked the location off my list. On to the next Burger. 

It's National Burger month.

I've been so busy that I didn't even notice it was national Burger Month.  Of course for some of us, it is always Burger month.
Enjoy!

http://sacburgermonth.com/

http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2011/05/happy-national-burger-month.html

Hook Burger

A couple of weeks ago when I was down in Burbank, I saw that a Hook Burger was getting ready to open in the shopping center by my hotel.  Hook Burger is owned by the same team that owns The Habit.  This is a bit more upscale then The Habit along with a full bar.   When I went back last week, they were open and I decided to give them a shot.  I am a big fan of the Habit so I was expecting big things.

First, the new spot is inviting with plenty of outdoor seating and a friendly staff.  You can tell they just opened because everything is spotless and the staff was all smiles.   I ordered the Hickory Burger which comes with Bacon and onion strings and an order of sweet potato fries.  
The burger was giant.  I'm not sure my mouth is big enough for this burger (no comments needed here!) 
This was a tasty burger.  The BBQ sauce was slightly sweet, the onion strings were crunchy and the meat was perfectly cooked. Due to the size, it was a bit messy but I managed to scrape up my leftovers with a fork.   My only complaint was the bun.  It just didn't have much flavor to it.  I thought the bun lacked something but I'm not sure what.  The sweet potato fries were also good but maybe not the best I've ever had.  I still dream about the ones at Umami Burger!  These were good but nothing special.  It was also nice to have a beer with the burger, not something that's available at all burger spots.
Overall it was a thumbs up experience.  The location is great, the people are nice and the food is delicious.  I look forward to going back.

Pie N Burger

Last week I was in Pasadena CA and decided to check out the best Burger in town.  I looked on a few websites and kept seeing Pie N Burger mentioned.  Burgers AND Pie??  what more could a girl ask for?

I went in search of it through old town Pasadena.  I got lost a few times, even with the GPS, but finally found the joint...  hole in the wall.  At first glance I was a bit scared.  I had read that it opened in 1963 and I'm willing to bet they haven't done a lot to the interior since 1963.  It looked like a 60's diner with brown counters and a few tables in the back.  I sat at the counter  next to a couple in their 80's and ordered the cheeseburger, fries and a diet soda.  The service was fine and I could see the cook at the grill flipping the patties so I knew they would be freshly made.  The burger arrived and it was your typical diner burger.  Pretty darn tasty but a little greasy and I forgot to ask if they put a weird sauce on it and they did. Why oh  why does everyone think that putting a Thousand Island sauce on a burger is a good thing?  I wish the waitress had mentioned it but she didn't.  I scrapped it off and chowed down.  Overall a good burger , tasty meat, bun held together nicely and was lightly toasted.  The fries were  okay but basic.  The mistake I made was not saving room for the pie.  Later everyone told me the pie is the real highlight of the experience.  The waitress read off a selection of about 10 pies to choose from but I was just too full.   Now I wish I had ordered the Butterscotch creme pie to go.  
I might go back if I'm in Pasadena again .   Not sure I'd drive out of my way.  But next time it will be half a burger and a slice of pie!

Bob's BIg Boy

I was in Burbank this past week for work and there in the distances I saw.....  the Original Bob's Big Boy!!  We use to eat at a Bob's all the time when we were kids.  Unfortunately I was headed off to meet friends for dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant so I couldn't stop in to eat.  But next time!!  What kind of hamburger blogger could pass up eating in the place that invented the original Double Deck Hamburger!  Can't wait.

New facebook page

I've added a facebook page for my burger blogs.  It will be a shorter review of each location. 
I will post some of the old reviews to catch folks up on what's been happening.  I'm planning on referring them to the blog for longer reviews and pushing my friends here to sign up there. 
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Between-The-Buns-Restaurant-Review/143921539009234

Fish burger

Tuna sliders

Just got back from Florida and I'm excited to share a couple of reviews from the beach.  I guess I can't call them burgers because honestly they were fish sandwiches.   First- I stayed the first 4 nights at the Orlando Marriott convention center.  The first day I got there early and was able to spend the day by the pool.   I ate at the little lunch cafe overlooking the fun.  The food wasn't earth shattering but there is something delicious about sitting in the sun and drinking a fancy cocktail and eating a fish sandwich.  Ordered the tuna sliders.  3 little burgers with fresh tuna, lightly seared and topped with a ginger coleslaw.  Pretty tasty though I have to say the coleslaw over powered the tuna.  I ended up scrapping off the last burger and eating it plane. 

Two Georges

A few days later I was in Delray Beach Florida visiting with 2 of my dearest friends and went had lunch at 2 Georges.  We've been going there for lunch ever since I've been going to Florida.  At least for the past 20 years.  It has changed over the years.  It use to just be a lunch shack where the boats would pull up and dock.  Now it has condo surrounding it and valet parking.  Crazy!  But the fish sandwich, grilled with cheese is still killer.  Perfectly cooked and simple.  It is dolphin fish (Similar to Mahi mahi)   Served with nice fat fries and coleslaw.  Mix that with a cold cocktail and you have a fabulous lunch.  The bread wasn't anything special but that's okay.  The fish made up for it. 
Eating with best friends, sitting in the sun looking at the water and having fresh fish equals perfection! 

Village Drive in

A couple of weeks ago the Hastings and myself decided to try a burger joint not far from their house.  It's called the Village Drive In.  It's a bit of a dive but the burger was pretty tasty.  It's the kind of place you probably don't want to go to in the evening. Lot's of tattoo, missing teeth and just tough looking characters.  But once again, the burger was pretty tasty.  I got the basic cheese burger, fries and soda.  John Henry got the double cheese burger, fries and soda.  Savannah got some kind of rice dish??   The burger was nice and juicy and the bun held up well.  It was tasty, not too overdone and not too many toppings.  They do a special sauce but I hate special sauce.  It is always just like Thousand Island salad dressing which I can't stand.  The fries were the fat fries and I love those.  Actually I love just about every kind of fry so it seems silly to choose.  But the fat fries are nice and meaty. After lunch, John came over to my house and cut the grass.  It was so long that he needed that extra energy to make it through. 

I'm hoping to drag the whole team to the next joint within the next week.  I'll keep you posted!

The Hamburger: A History.

It's the quintessential American dish, all right, but maybe not for the reasons you think. As cultural historian and food writer Josh Ozersky notes, the hamburger's story is one of immigrant origins (the chopped "Hamburg steak" brought over from Germany) and its adoption as cheap meal for the factory workers of an emerging industrial superpower. And with the rise of the Golden Arches, Ozersky tracks its further transformation into a commodity that would change the way much of the world eats: the American Century on a bun.

I found this review on B&N's website.  Who knew there was enough history to write a book.  I might have to add this to my Nook and check it out.  Of course.... right now I'm reading 4 other books so it will have to wait.

Girl with the burger tattoo

Umami Burger

So...  I was in LA this week and I had a free night on my hands.  I went on line and looked up "The Best Burger in LA".  I came up with Umami Burger.   Of course I've heard the word Umami before but was not sure what it was.  Called the 5th taste,  it still didn't make any sense to me.   So here it is right from their website--

What exactly is umami?Taking its name from Japanese, umami is a pleasant savoury taste imparted by glutamate, a type of amino acid, and ribonucleotides, including inosinate and guanylate, which occur naturally in many foods including meat, fish, vegetables and dairy products. As the taste of umami itself is subtle and blends well with other tastes to expand and round out flavors, most people don’t recognize umami when they encounter it, but it plays an important role making food taste delicious.

I realized that one of their locations was only 3 miles from my hotel.  I pulled out the GPS and jumped in the car.  Unfortunately the place was packed on a Thursday night.  I was hoping to get a spot at the bar but there were only 4 bar seats and all were taken.  I waited for about 15 minutes and after seeing no movement, I ordered my burger to go.  I got the Umami burger and sweet potato fries.   Once the burger was ready, I headed back to the hotel. 
So, I should have asked what was on the Umami burger.  It was topped with grilled onions, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms.  They were big mushroom that I think were Shitake but I'm not sure.  The thing is, I have a real dislike for slimy food.  I can't stand mushrooms when they are slimy.  I pulled those off the burger and chowed down.  Overall it was a pretty good burger.  They do a small version of the cheese skirt (not nearly as big as the Squeeze Inn cheese skirt.)  The meat was pretty tasty and the sauce was a sweeter version on ketcup.  The bun held together well.   I would give it an 8 on the burger scale.  But, the fries rocked!  The sweet potato fries were sprinkled with brown sugar or Cinnamon or a combination of both.  They were to die for.  I ate every single one and almost licked the paper.  The fries get a big 10.  
Next time maybe I can actually sit in the restaurant and eat!

5 Guys- 2011

Back in 2009, I wrote a review of 5 Guys burgers from my vacation on the East Coast. At that time they were east coast only. NOT ANYMORE! At the end of last year they expanded out to the west coast. I checked them out on line and it turns out they started in Arlington VA in 1986. I would have been living in Arlington at that time but don't remember hearing about them. In 2003 they started offering franchise opportunities and now have 725 locations in 40 states and Canada.

One opened recently in Stockton and since I was there yesterday for work I decided to give it a try. I hate that California now requires calories on the menu board for restaurants with multiple locations. Ugghh. The regular cheese burger was 800 calories. I choose the small burger and small fries. Still 550 for the burger and 600 for the fries. I think it is better to just not know. The burger was good.  Plus the small was plenty.  I could not have eaten the regular size if I had tried.   I got it pretty basic with just tomato and ketchup.  Sometime less is more and I like to taste the actual meat. The burger was tasty and the bun is slightly sweet.  The bun also held together nicely which is important when you like toppings.   I went back and read my old review and would agree with it. Good burger. Lot's of topping choices. Good bun.
The fries are delicious! Really excellent. slightly thicker and cooked perfectly. Plus salty. They only cook in peanut oil and I would give that a bug thumbs up.
the food was excellent... the calories.. not so much ;(

The Crocker

Last Sunday Jane and I went to check out the New Crocker Museum.
Jane just bought a yearly pass and with that she can take a guest. I have never been to the musuem. Seems hard to believe that I've lived here for 4 years and yet I've never checked it out. This past year it was expanded and improved. It is a beautiful building and they did a great job with the space and the light. After walking the main galleries, we checked out the cafe. I had read an article that said they had one of the best Burgers in town. It doesn't hurt that it is run by the Mulvaney's who own one of the top restaurants in Sacramento.
Jane ordered the burger and I got the pulled pork. Both were excellent. The burger was well cooked, had a nice flavor and the bun held together nicely. Not too greasy and not too messy. My pulled pork was also delicious. Extremely tender and served on a bed of soft polenta. Since it is just a cafe and not a burger joint, there wasn't a lot of options for toppings. I'm not sure that I am going to give it a rating. I'm starting to think the rating part of the blog isn't as effective as I would like. I haven't had too many bad burgers and it doesn't seem fair to rate a full scale restaurant against a greasy spoon burger joint. I'll have to figure that part out. Overall I'd give it a big thumbs up. The price was right ($9), the fries were yummy and the burger was tasty. If you want to experience a little art and have a nice lunch afterwards.... check out the Crocker!

Review

I was reading the Serious Eats blog (if you haven't check it out, you should. The link is on my page.) and I noticed they had a review for the Burger Bar. Kind of interesting because they said close to the same thing I did. The food was okay but the view was great. Glad to see I'm in good company :)
Check it out!

Burger Bar

I spent 3 days this week in beautiful SF. It had been a while since I had been in the city so it was nice to explore a bit. I ate dinner the first night at Hubert Kellers, Burger Bar. http://www.burger-bar.com/ I was excited because it was Hubert Keller and he is an incredible chef. But, once again I didn't order the right thing! What is wrong with me when I go to these fancy burger places? I think I get excited and decide to not order just the plain old burger. This time I went with the sliders because I thought it would allow me to experience more then one of his famous hamburgers.
The problem with sliders is that they aren't big enough to allow them to be cooked to order so they are almost always dry and slightly overcooked. It's just too hard to get a burger that small just right. And these were the smallest sliders I've ever seen! I should have gone with the full size burger and had the true experience. Shoot! One of the sliders was Buffalo, one was Angus and one was Country Natural beef. Over all they were average. The fries were the yummy skinny fries but nothing super special with them either. But... the dessert menu was to die for! They had a Nuttella Milkshake and a Twinkie milkshake on the menu. Plus, a Nuttella burger that was described as a donut with Nuttella in it. I ended up getting the Irish Coffee milkshake. It was Coffee icecream, Coffee Liquor, Irish Whiskey, Caramel sauce, chocolate sauce and Chocolate covered coffee beans. It was heaven in a cup!

One more plus for the restaurant.. I sat in the bar by the window overlooking Union Square. The view was fabulous.
I would give the burgers and fries a 5, the dessert a 10 and the view a 10. Since the burgers weigh the most in the rating, I'm going to give the overall experience a 7. Next time I'll try the full burger!

Squeeze Inn

We hit our first burger joint of 2011! John turned 17 last week and he wanted to celebrate at the Squeeze Inn. It is probably recognized as the #1 burger joint in Sacramento but I'm not sure if I agree with that. The burger is extremely yummy and cheesy. They are known for their cheese skirt. They pile on the cheese and the let it sit on the grill until a harden skirt is formed. Pretty darned good. I would give the burger a 9 out of 10. (Maybe a 9.5) but here is my issue... the place is always so darned crowded. If I have to wait close to an hour to get a seat and get my burger, it just makes me think I could go somewhere else. There are plenty of great burger places in town so it's not worth it. Sacramento is known as a great burger town and I think this one is just too hot! The burger is great, the fries are great, the service is actually pretty good but the crowd is crazy! And we went at 2pm. But the company i was with made it okay. The entire Hastings family went along for the celebration and that always makes it fun.


I decided it is one good burger a month. That's not going to totally ruin my "Good eating" plan. Maybe I just ask for extra veggie topping!

Total score- burger and fries- 9.5. Actual experience - 6. The food carries more weight so I'm giving it a total score of an 8.

New Year - 2011

What happened to 2010? As you can see, I didn't eat a lot of burgers. Actually I ate a few but didn't take the time to blog about them. And getting a 16 year old to blog about what he likes or doesn't like in a burger is much harder then you would expect. He is exceptional with eating the burgers but not so much with writing about them. I tried bribing him with paying for the meal if he would write but that didn't work so well. I paid, he didn't write.
This year, I am committing to 1 burger a month. Not just any old burger but a carefully planned out one. I'll drag John along but not expect him to write afterwards (if he does it will just be a nice surprise!) Instead I'll look at it as a way to bond with a teenager. There won't be a lot of that time left as he finishes up high school and moves into college. Holy cow! Hard to believe that little guy is now a big guy.
I doubt anyone still reads this but that's okay. I'll give it a couple of post and then send it out to the world.
One photo to get stuff started....
In November I flew to Atlanta for a job interview. While there I had dinner at Flipped. It is the new burger joint owned by Richard Blais from Top Chef. Totally cool place, very hip and trendy. For whatever reason I decided I didn't want a burger and ordered the Shrimp Po-boy instead. Big mistake. It was not that great. Plus I got fried pickles so it was too much fried food. I should have gone with the burger. Next time.
eat up and always order a side of fries!