Dick's Hamburger

I have picked up a bad habit!  Every Saturday after my run with Team in Training, I've been eating a Hamburger.  There was Red Mill, Claim Jumper and a couple of runs to 5 Guys.  I can't seem to help it.  Running makes me want a burger and fries.
This past week I went to Dick's hamburgers.  It is a classic in Seattle and a lot of people argue that it is the best.  I have to admit it was pretty darn good.  First thing, they will not let you change what comes on it.  I choose the cheese burger and asked them to hold the pickle and they said no.  So no brownie points for customer service but I think that's part of the charm.  You walk up and you either take what they have or you don't.  So, I got the pickle.  The burger was really good.  Meat was really tasty, bun was perfect and even the pickle was good. It had that burger dive, greasy grill taste.   It wasn't anything different but it was just a good satisfying burger.  Believe it or not but I didn't get the fries.  I went with the chocolate shake because everyone said the shakes are to die for.  The shake was good.  Creamy and the perfect amount of chocolate.  I will definitely return.

Going to Hell

Ray's Hell Burger!  
http://rayshellburger.com/

I was in Virginia last week visiting the family and we decided to hit a burger joint.  I did a little research and one burger joint kept coming  up-  Ray's Hell Burger.  Since it wasn't far out of the way, we decided to visit it after a day at the National Cathedral.  The Cathedral was pretty darn fabulous but a bit hot and exhausting.  A burger and a shake were just what was needed. 
The place is definitely a hole in the wall.  Nothing fancy about this place.  You walk up and place your order and then they bring it out to you.  No frills.  I got the basic Cheese burger, my usual.

The burger was pretty  great.  It tasted just like the kind you prepare at home.  Really thick and juicy.  The meat was very tasty.  So big I could hardly bite into it and what I loved was it was not all the toppings that made it so big, it was the actual burger.  The bun was a nice sweet egg bun which held together nicely.
I decided to go with the chocolate milkshake instead of fries.  Good choice.  Really good and creamy.
If you are looking for a great environment or something other than a burger, this is probably not the place for you.  But if you are looking for a great burger and you don't care so much about the decorations of the locations,  Ray's Hell Burger is perfect.  Yum!

extra burger photo's

Willie Burger

As I was going through photo's on my phone recently, I realized I had some burger photo's that I didn't write about and that I honestly can't remember if I even liked them.  Both were from May.








John and his prom date

This first one I know is from Willie Burger in Sacramento.   The burger on the right is mine and the one on the left is John's.  Jane and I took him out for a burger on Prom day.  It was fun because he was preparing for a full night of dancing and dining and agreed to spend the day with us.  We talked about the prom and then went and picked up the flowers for his date.  I know the burger was good but honestly I couldn't tell you much else about it.  Not a good thing for a blogger.  What I do remember is the great conversation and a little sadness as I realized he is so grown up and at some point might not want to hang out with his mom and his aunt.  But for now, we pay for the burgers and he seems to still enjoy the time so I'll take what I can get.   Willie Burgers is a definite dive so this is no gourmet burger!  This next photo I know is from a lunch with Jane.  I believe it was on Mothers day weekend but I can't even remember the restaurant.  Must not have been that great.  So... I'm sharing the photo but have no recommendations.  Just didn't want the photo's to go to waste. 

Unknown burger

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.