Serious Eats

Found this article on Serious Eats- A Hamburger a Day.  I've had Tom's burger at Palace Kitchen and it is pretty darn good.  Of his 5, I've only had Redmill.  I drive by Dick's all the time but have never stopped.  I think I need to get there!

With 10+ restaurants and a James Beard award for Best Northwest Chef under his belt, Tom Douglas is a staple of the Seattle dining scene. And if there's one thing Tom does best, it's burgers. Chefs city-wide source their buns from his bakery, Dahlia Bakery, and diners come to his restaurants Palace Kitchen and Brave Horse Tavern to experience his elevated renditions of the fast-food classic. Since it's hard to imagine a burger that sounds better than his—using beef hand-ground on the premises, crisped over an applewood grill, and nestled into a Dahlia onion bun—we've left it to the master to enlighten us.


Here are Tom's top five Seattle burgers:

1. The burgers at Dick's Drive-In are a great balance of fat, special sauce, meat and bun. But what really makes them taste great is when they are paired with a shake. They were just voted by Esquire readers as the "most life-changing burger joint." Multiple locations listed at dicksdrivein.com




2. Red Mill's Verde Veg is the best veggie burger in Seattle. The combo of the mill sauce with the roasted peppers is unique and delicious. Multiple locations listed at redmillburgers.com‎



3. Ma'ono does the classic bacon cheeseburger, but executed perfectly (and on a Dahlia Bakery bun!). 4437 California Ave SW, Seattle WA 98116 (map); 206-935-1075; maono.springhillnorthwest.com



4. Zippy's Giant Burgers grinds their beef fresh daily, which makes this meat stand out. They also keep their menu fresh with out-of-the-box tastes like a Mama Lil's peppers and chipotle mayo combo. 9614 14th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98106 (map); 206-763-1347; zippysgiantburgers.com



5. Loretta's Northwesterner in South Park is such a hidden gem, I'm tempted not to advertise it. You can't get more bang for your buck than their $3 tavern burger, made with a buttery toasted bun and special sauce. Wash it down with a $2.50 draft...and then get another one. And you can't miss the hand-cut fries! 8617 14th Avenue South, Seattle WA 98108 (map); 206-327-9649; lorettasnorthwesterner.com‎

Claim Jumper

I was at the Redmond Town center today and thought I'd grab lunch at Claim Jumper.  I've only eaten there a few times and have found the food to be pretty good.  They seem to be known for their giant servings.  Not sure that is a good thing.  I ordered the hamburger, of course.
I got the basic cheese burger with the usual toppings.  The burger was just okay.  It was a bit dry.  I added some BBQ sauce which helped.  The bread was a butter egg bun.  Really good but a lot of bread.  At the end I just picked the meat off and ate it.  The fries were yummy.  Really skinny and lightly seasoned.   Overall it was a mediocre lunch. Next time I'm there I will get a salad.  They are delicious!

Fat Burger

I checked out Fat Burger in Lynnwood a couple of weeks ago.  I was a bit disappointed but part of that was my own fault.  I wasn't starving so I decided to just order the SMALL burger.  What I didn't know is that the small is really small.  Slightly bigger than a slider but not a full size burger.  Because I got everything on it, I couldn't hardly taste the meat.  The bun held together nicely but I could not even tell you if the burger had a good taste.  It was gone too fast.  The fries were the skinny fries and nothing special.  The drink choices were pretty cool.  That had all your basic sodas but all kind of flavors to include- vanilla, cherry, chocolate, etc.   I think I need to go back when I'm really hungry and get the full size.   Stay tuned.