1201 Williamson Street, Madison, WI 53703 (map); (608) 442-6207 Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: Bob's Bad Breath Burger is spectacular and well worth the guaranteed halitosis that follows Want Fries With That? No fries, but the potatoes cooked in oil and garlic are delicious Price:$9.75
When I woke up on my third and final day in Madison, I wasn't sure where the day's burger would be eaten. Dotty Dumpling's Dowry and The Plaza Taven are local legends and both were calling out my name. But there was a third burger that I couldn't stop wondering about: Bob's (Organic) Bad Breath Burger at Weary Traveler Free House, a bar and restaurant in Madison's hippest of hip neighborhoods.
A perusal of the menu at Weary Traveler does not inspire confidence in the place's ability to make a burger. Options like Tom Ka Tofu and vegan chili are not ones I've typically found in my favorite burger joints. But one step inside, with its large wooden bar, dim lighting, eclectic décor, and array of board games for public use, and it's clear the place offers the kind of comfort that inspires confidence in the burger. I have no idea what the kitchen at Weary Traveler can do with tofu, but I do know it produces an insanely delicious burger.
The 60/40 beef Kenji uses in his In-N-Out Double Double Animal Style recipe, while delicious, may be a bit much for regular burger making. What lean-to-fat ratio in ground beef do you prefer when making burgers at home? [Thanks to ratbuddy for suggesting this week's question.]
New York > Joe Beez: This sandwich shop in Kingston makes the Real Burger King, two beef patties cut in half on a hoagie roll topped with three cheeses, bacon, grilled onions, grilled peppers, hot sauce, and hot peppers. [Burgatory]
NYC > Black Shack: Try the Mayhem Burger, a triple-patty burger with mozzarella cheese, crispy onions, and crumbled crispy bacon, created by the Burger Conquest man himself, Rev! [Burger Conquest]
NYC > The Lion: The $18 burger falls apart so gently "it's like a beefy mound of cottage cheese." it's topped with pork belly, caramelized onions, and cheddar. [Bloomberg]
California > Boon Eat + Drink: The Boon Burger is made with grass fed beef, fiscalini aged white cheddar, and arugula on a toasted milk bun. House made Parmesan herb chips come on the side. [Hoosier Burger Boy]
California > FrankenBurger: "Juicy, flavorful and fresh - that's how I would describe the BIG." 4.5 / 5 for this burger joint. [The Hamblogger]
Canada > Pig BBQ Joint: The Scramburglar is topped with scrambled eggs (with cheddar and banana peppers), onion straws, and Pig's signature sauce, and the bottom bun is covered in bread and butter pickles and Dijon aioli. Epic win. [Victoria Burger Blog]
Vancouver > Romer's Burer Bar: "The Magic Mushroom was one damn tasty burger, nicely complimented by the cheese, mushrooms, and onions." [josephmallozzi]
Portland > Garden State: Beware the chili aioli—it might burn your mouth. [Dream Burger]
Health.com has a feature on the 50 fattiest foods in the US, with each state represented by a dish (or, for Nevada, a dining system). Unsurprisingly, this list includes lots of burgers, which claim eight spots on this list. Here they are:
24505 West Dorris Avenue, Coalinga CA 93210 (map); 800-942-2333; harrisranch.com Cooking Method: Grilled Short Order: A quality ranch turns the roadside inn into a vacation and burger destination Want Fries with That? Yes— the skinny fries have great flavor, but send them back if they come out cold Prices: Ranch Burger w/fries, $11.95 Notes: If you've got a cooler with you, load up on some excellent and inexpensive beef
So one of my closest friends was celebrating a birthday this past weekend and that meant a trip to San Francisco. San Francisco is only an hour plane ride north, but being that I'm both a fan of road trips and an inveterate cheapskate, I filled up the Saab and Google Mapped my route.
There are basically two options when heading to San Francisco from Los Angeles. The 101 (and its sister roadway, US 1) is the proverbial scenic route. It's an attractive roadway that takes you along the coast and then winds its way through wine country. The 5 freeway is a trucking route that plows through the Central California agricultural landscape that has all of the charms you'd imagine our contemporary industrial farming landscape proffers; that is to say, few. That said, it is the fast way, and, being that the trip was really about seeing my great friends, I opted for speed.
I actually had imagined I'd wind up testing some new fast food burger somewhere along the way, but as my eyes began crossing with fatigue I saw a vision in the distance that made me think that my frugality was part of a larger plan. Towering overhead I saw the "Harris Ranch" sign inviting me for a few moments of rest, and, more importantly, a proper burger lunch. I've been eating Harris Ranch beef for years as one Los Angeles's most revered purveyors, Huntington Meats, sources much of their beef from the decades-old ranch, but this roadtrip lunch would be my first burger from the source.
We're making some upgrades behind the scenes today that'll allow us to bring some new, cool features to the site that we think you'll like. Beginning this morning at 5:00 a.m. ET, all community features will be disabled (commenting, favoriting, and new submissions to Talk and Photograzing). We expect the upgrade to take approximately 3 hours and as soon as it is complete, community features will be restored. Thanks for your patience!
UPDATE:: Upgrade was completed as of ~8:00 a.m. ET. Thanks!
NYC > Rub BBQ: Last night's green chile burger looked awesome. They'll serve Burnt End Burgers at the NYC Wine & Food Festival's Burger Bash this fall. [Always Hungry]
Durham > Only Burger: Try the breakfast special topped with a fried green tomato slice, pimento cheese, and a fried egg. [dembellyfull]
SF > Thermidor: Their double-patty mini burger comes on a triple layer brioche with deeply caramelized onions. [SFoodie]
Plano > Grazing Cow: Their grass fed burgers have great flavor. Make sure to try the cheese fries. [Pegasus News]
Texas > The Alamo Springs Cafe: This restaurant in Fredericksburg serves juicy, flavorful, well seasoned burgers. [The Vinyl Anachronist]
Utah > Ripple's Drive In: Don't go out of your way for this burger, but stop by if you're in the area. [Burger Voice]
South Florida > Best Burgers: As voted by Sun Sentinel readers: Gilbert's 17th Street Grill, Relish, and Charm City Burger Company. [Sup]
Kuwait > Le Cafe (Fauchon) Burger is okay; the desserts are better. [Five One Eight]
Krystal vs. White Castle: Eaten side-by-side, Krystal wins in this taste test. [Cheese-Burger.net]
Gam.eBB features flash games whose point is to dismantle objects using a screwdriver. ...And a lot of random clicking. Clicking around uncovers clues to help you uncover the parts that need to be unscrewed. The latest game features a burger-shaped device—dismantle it before the bomb goes off! [via @michelehumes]
We're making some upgrades behind the scenes today that'll allow us to bring some new, cool features to the site that we think you'll like. Beginning this morning at 5:00 a.m. ET, all community features will be disabled (commenting, favoriting, and new submissions to Talk and Photograzing). We expect the upgrade to take approximately 3 hours and as soon as it is complete, community features will be restored. Thanks for your patience!
