How often do you eat burgers? Two or three times a week.
Where did you eat your most recent one? The Hill Bar & Grill in Waller, Texas (see photo, below right).
Cheese: American, cheddar, other? All of the above. Also Swiss, blue, Muenster, limburger, or Cheez Whiz.
Ketchup or mustard? No ketchup! In Texas, "all the way" means Mustard, mayo, onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles. (Some argue that mayo should be optional.)
Sesame-seed or plain? Open-minded. The plain bun at The Hill was good, but their best burger came on Texas Toast (double-thick white bread) buttered and griddled hard on both sides.
Grilled, griddled, or broiled? Griddled.
And how would you like that done, sir? Pink and juicy
The hamburger is a food item with which most Americans have strong childhood associations. Do you remember your earliest encounter with this delicious dish? The first burger I really remember was the one I ate sitting in the back seat of the family station wagon at "Eatin Park" Big Boy, a drive-in my parents liked in Pittsburgh. I was pretty impressed, I must have been around six. I developed a fondness for the freckled cheeked Big Boy icon and have always dreamed of buying one for my driveway.
What's your favorite fast-food burger? Whataburger #2 (double meat, double cheese) with jalapeños.
What topping or condiment, in your opinion, should never grace a burger? I don't eat ketchup on burgers or hot dogs, but always on fries and rings.
What's the most unusual burger you've ever eaten? (Or most unusual burger experience you've had?) Judging the Athens Texas Burger Cook-off was amazing. The top scorers were stuffed
with cheese, chiles, and other add-ins.
For some crazy reason, you're going vegetarian. Where do you go for your final burger? Vegetarian? Me? If I was on death row at the state pen in Huntsville and they asked me what I wanted for my last meal, I'd get a Killer Burger from Mr. Hamburger. (See the photo in Texas Burger Binge story linked above.)
Probably the best and safest (and most tasty) way to make a burger is to get the meat whole (in large chunks) and grind it fresh. This reduces the danger of bacterial contamination of ground meat that has been purchased from a market under unknown storage times. It also allows "medium rare."
Mustard is for hot dogs; ketchup is for burgers.
Also raw onion, tomato, relish and lettuce. Anything more and it becomes impossible to take a bite of everything. May thin jalapeno slices could be added. The bun must be toasted.
Charcoal and/or wood fire please. No gas or electric grills. Frying no allowed.
Whenever I pick up the Houston Press, the first place I go is Robb Walsh's column. He is a great food writer.
My favorite hamburger at any price is a Whataburger with jalapenos (all the way no cheese) I have often eaten them for breakfast.
I have never really had a hamburger I didn't like. I love hamburgers,
You can't go wrong making hamburgers over charcoal. I finally figured out how to make a good one on the stove. Cast iron pan. I like to make sliders the White Manna (New Jersey) style. Slap down the patty then cover it in onions. Then flip. Add Cheese. Put it on potato rolls with mustard and jalapenos.
Not to mess with Rob's childhood memories, but Eat 'n' Park and Big Boy are two different restaurants you find in western Pennsylvania. I remember Eat 'n' Park for the waitresses' brown polyester uniforms, and Big Boy for, well, the Big Boy sculpture out front.
Eat'n Park started as a Bob's Big Boy regional franchisee using the Big Boy icon signage and serving a double-burger sandwich, the Big Boy. Eat'n Park's burger used a different sauce -- similar to tartar sauce -- from the chain's standard. The affiliation was terminated in 1976.
Who knew Eat 'n' Park and Big Boy were one and the same? Well, Robb, I guess. Actually, if i had called and asked my stepfather, who is a real roadfood warrior, he probably would have known it.
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Name: Robb Walsh
Ketchup or mustard? No ketchup! In Texas, "all the way" means Mustard, mayo, onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles. (Some argue that mayo should be optional.)
11 Comments:
I would love to be able to eat burgers 2 - 3 times a week...if only :)
Carosone at 8:14PM on 06/09/08
Probably the best and safest (and most tasty) way to make a burger is to get the meat whole (in large chunks) and grind it fresh. This reduces the danger of bacterial contamination of ground meat that has been purchased from a market under unknown storage times. It also allows "medium rare."
Mustard is for hot dogs; ketchup is for burgers.
Also raw onion, tomato, relish and lettuce. Anything more and it becomes impossible to take a bite of everything. May thin jalapeno slices could be added. The bun must be toasted.
Charcoal and/or wood fire please. No gas or electric grills. Frying no allowed.
Cheese makes the burger fatty and slimy.
That's my opinionated opinion.
NEARENOUGH at 9:32PM on 06/09/08
Whenever I pick up the Houston Press, the first place I go is Robb Walsh's column. He is a great food writer.
My favorite hamburger at any price is a Whataburger with jalapenos (all the way no cheese) I have often eaten them for breakfast.
I have never really had a hamburger I didn't like. I love hamburgers,
You can't go wrong making hamburgers over charcoal. I finally figured out how to make a good one on the stove. Cast iron pan. I like to make sliders the White Manna (New Jersey) style. Slap down the patty then cover it in onions. Then flip. Add Cheese. Put it on potato rolls with mustard and jalapenos.
eatorama at 2:31AM on 06/10/08
What's your favorite fast-food burger? Whataburger #2 (double meat, double cheese) with jalapeños.
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That's what I'm talking about. :)
FastFoodCritic at 7:40AM on 06/10/08
Not to mess with Rob's childhood memories, but Eat 'n' Park and Big Boy are two different restaurants you find in western Pennsylvania. I remember Eat 'n' Park for the waitresses' brown polyester uniforms, and Big Boy for, well, the Big Boy sculpture out front.
carriebwc at 9:35AM on 06/10/08
Down here in Texas, we also has Kip's Big Boy... way back when...
http://www.googieart.com/main05.htm
FastFoodCritic at 9:49AM on 06/10/08
I should have said "had" not "has".
Please excuse the typo. My English is not THAT bad. :)
FastFoodCritic at 9:51AM on 06/10/08
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eat'n_Park
Eat'n Park started as a Bob's Big Boy regional franchisee using the Big Boy icon signage and serving a double-burger sandwich, the Big Boy. Eat'n Park's burger used a different sauce -- similar to tartar sauce -- from the chain's standard. The affiliation was terminated in 1976.
Robb Walsh at 11:18AM on 06/10/08
"For some crazy reason, you're going vegetarian."
Please don't even joke about such things when discussing burgers. That's enough to make a grown man cry.
worldcupfever at 11:45AM on 06/10/08
The article Made me go to Lankford Market today. Delicious. They are currently serving tomato free burgers due to the scare.
SpandTex Pants at 3:26PM on 06/10/08
Who knew Eat 'n' Park and Big Boy were one and the same? Well, Robb, I guess. Actually, if i had called and asked my stepfather, who is a real roadfood warrior, he probably would have known it.
carriebwc at 4:23PM on 06/10/08