AOL Cityguide has done it again. In late March, the good folks there brought you the best burgers in New York. Now they've compiled the "15 Burgers to Try Before You Die" (hmm ... strange echo of Alan Richman's piece in GQ last year, "The 20 Hamburgers You Must Eat Before You Die.") Without further ado, they are ...
LI: Regret or maybe not. It's always best to treat these best-of lists as good suggestions but not necessarily as writ-in-stone proclamations. That's true even of any recommendations we put forth on AHT but especially true of Cityguide/Citysearch lists. I run a pizza weblog, too, and I've noticed how stuff like Little Caesar's somehow creeps into the top 20 in NEW YORK CITY. Seems like with user votes, the results can be skewed. With burgers, though, I have a little more faith, because pretty much everybody knows what a good burger is -- whereas with pizza, it seems to be a little more dicey.
This may be picking nits, but Val's is nowhere in San Francisco. It's in Hayward, which is a good 25-30 miles east of SF. And a very worthwhile stop for a great burger. (but be patient, it's always been crowded when I've gone)
I agree with L1 that this is to be interpreted as advisory, not gospel. But thanks for posting nonetheless.
I will happily vouch for Tessaro's burgers in Pittsburgh, my hometown. I used to eat one every Monday night at dinner with my father, and they are exquisite. The kitchen has glass walls and is right next to the bar, which is where we used to sit. The kitchen, incidentally, consistently won the "Best Kitchen Aroma" award from the Pittsburgh City Paper.
The bacon-blue cheese burger is my favorite. The meat is so fresh, the blue cheese so pungent, the bacon so smoky!
Tessaro's is the only place in town where my mother will eat a burger, because she's so fussy about ground meat that a live animal practically has to be ground onto the grill.
1. Dicks Drive in is listed as being in Seattle- it is on the other side of the state of Washington from Seattle ,a couple of hundred miles away, in Downtown Spokane. I can email a photo if you like. This IS McDonalds food frozen in time circa pre-1965. It is Cheap and ROCKS!! 2. Also confirmed that Vals is also in the same corner of the world as San Francisco but is at 2115 Kelly Street, Hayward 94541. A distinction of a county, several ghettoes and 40 miles or so. Vals is not as good as it used to be (but still okay), but few things are (except Dicks). they tend to coast on reputation a bit more than in the past. Plan on a wait at peak times.
I've got to concur with the Thurman's (Columbus, OH) recommendation. Huge, juicy burgers. But then again, I'm partial to Red Robin burgers too, so go figure.
First, Thurman's. Oh man, I dream of those burgers. I grew up in Columbus and making it through a Thurman burger is a commitment. Second, Dick's does indeed have an awesome location in Seattle. Me and the mister ate there this past March. I'll send you the pics.
Dick's is a chain. They have several locations throughout the state of Washington. The first Dick's Drive-In is on 45th Ave. in Seattle (the Wallingford neighborhood, actually). So, AHT was correct with this. However, if you really want to tour the best burgers in the nation and you're eating at places like Dick's and In-N-Out...you are on the WRONG path! Don't get me wrong, they're good, but they are no where near the best burgers. You don't have: Apple Pan, Red Mill, Father's Office, or The Grill even listed. Those are widely known to be in the top 10 on everyone's list. GQ did a great piece last year on burgers. So did Gourmet. Research those if you want great burgers. PS - they all list LA as the nation's burger capital.
Someone missed the boat in Phoenix. Keegan's Bar & Grill has hands down the best burger bar none! Freshly ground prime chuck. Mke sure to add the havarti cheese, also as a side, order the black bean salad. And finally, forget the waistline and have the cobbler of the day!
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9 Comments:
I used to drive right on by that joint in Massapequa when I lived on Long Island. I never stopped there, not even once.
Damn. Talk about regrets.
Hamburger L1 at 7:21AM on 05/02/06
LI: Regret or maybe not. It's always best to treat these best-of lists as good suggestions but not necessarily as writ-in-stone proclamations. That's true even of any recommendations we put forth on AHT but especially true of Cityguide/Citysearch lists. I run a pizza weblog, too, and I've noticed how stuff like Little Caesar's somehow creeps into the top 20 in NEW YORK CITY. Seems like with user votes, the results can be skewed. With burgers, though, I have a little more faith, because pretty much everybody knows what a good burger is -- whereas with pizza, it seems to be a little more dicey.
Adam Kuban at 10:32AM on 05/02/06
This may be picking nits, but Val's is nowhere in San Francisco. It's in Hayward, which is a good 25-30 miles east of SF. And a very worthwhile stop for a great burger. (but be patient, it's always been crowded when I've gone)
I agree with L1 that this is to be interpreted as advisory, not gospel. But thanks for posting nonetheless.
Hamburger Max at 2:35PM on 05/02/06
I will happily vouch for Tessaro's burgers in Pittsburgh, my hometown. I used to eat one every Monday night at dinner with my father, and they are exquisite. The kitchen has glass walls and is right next to the bar, which is where we used to sit. The kitchen, incidentally, consistently won the "Best Kitchen Aroma" award from the Pittsburgh City Paper.
The bacon-blue cheese burger is my favorite. The meat is so fresh, the blue cheese so pungent, the bacon so smoky!
Tessaro's is the only place in town where my mother will eat a burger, because she's so fussy about ground meat that a live animal practically has to be ground onto the grill.
Hamburger Leland at 9:18AM on 05/09/06
1. Dicks Drive in is listed as being in Seattle- it is on the other side of the state of Washington from Seattle ,a couple of hundred miles away, in Downtown Spokane. I can email a photo if you like. This IS McDonalds food frozen in time circa pre-1965. It is Cheap and ROCKS!! 2. Also confirmed that Vals is also in the same corner of the world as San Francisco but is at 2115 Kelly Street, Hayward 94541. A distinction of a county, several ghettoes and 40 miles or so. Vals is not as good as it used to be (but still okay), but few things are (except Dicks). they tend to coast on reputation a bit more than in the past. Plan on a wait at peak times.
Hamburger bart at 4:15AM on 06/10/06
I've got to concur with the Thurman's (Columbus, OH) recommendation. Huge, juicy burgers. But then again, I'm partial to Red Robin burgers too, so go figure.
Hamburger Becke at 1:33AM on 09/01/06
First, Thurman's. Oh man, I dream of those burgers. I grew up in Columbus and making it through a Thurman burger is a commitment. Second, Dick's does indeed have an awesome location in Seattle. Me and the mister ate there this past March. I'll send you the pics.
Hamburger Kaci at 1:17AM on 12/14/06
Dick's is a chain. They have several locations throughout the state of Washington. The first Dick's Drive-In is on 45th Ave. in Seattle (the Wallingford neighborhood, actually). So, AHT was correct with this. However, if you really want to tour the best burgers in the nation and you're eating at places like Dick's and In-N-Out...you are on the WRONG path! Don't get me wrong, they're good, but they are no where near the best burgers. You don't have: Apple Pan, Red Mill, Father's Office, or The Grill even listed. Those are widely known to be in the top 10 on everyone's list. GQ did a great piece last year on burgers. So did Gourmet. Research those if you want great burgers. PS - they all list LA as the nation's burger capital.
Hamburger Billy at 7:22PM on 02/04/07
Someone missed the boat in Phoenix. Keegan's Bar & Grill has hands down the best burger bar none! Freshly ground prime chuck. Mke sure to add the havarti cheese, also as a side, order the black bean salad. And finally, forget the waistline and have the cobbler of the day!
jbrownstein at 10:19PM on 09/30/08