Editor's note: Burgermeisters! Here's another excerpt from George Motz's book Hamburger America. George and his publisher were kind enough to allow us to run them here, along with George's beautiful photos. Eat up!
The inside of the Shady Glen looks like a cheeseburger. Its yellow striped wallpaper, the warm lighting, and low brown Formica countertops mimic the colors of their famous cheeseburger concoction. Ice cream may be the number-one seller at this Manchester, Connecticut, institution, but the cheeseburger is what has made them famous. In 1949, Bernice Rieg invented the "Bernice Original," which became an immediate success and still accounts for 80 percent of their sandwich sales today. The four-ounce cheeseburger comes with 4 slices of cheese. The cheese is not just stacked atop the burger; it is symmetrically placed, centered on the burger as it cooks on the hot griddle. An understandably large portion of this cheese makes direct contact with the griddle. When the cheese cooks through it is curled skyward by the deft grill man until it resembles a cheese crown. Amazingly, I watched burger after burger leave the grill with the same dramatic cheese. The same burger, over and over, since 1949.
"It's a special cheese, but that's all I can tell you," Michael the manager smiled. Michael started working at the Shady Glen over two decades ago as a dishwasher. “At twenty-two years, I’m still the new kid on the block.”
I stood by the grill and watched closely—the cheese, which looked like a house-sliced mild cheddar, really does not stick. One of the grill men offered some shaky science, "The carbon, uh, buildup on the griddle over the years acts sort of like Teflon." I think he’s right.
I had a hard time trying to figure out what do with my cheese wings once I had my burger in front of me. Two guys sitting near us at the counter had opposing views. One told me, "Fold the crisps onto the burger and eat it that way." "Not me,” said the other, "I like to break them off and eat them separately."
At first I was concerned about the large mural that spans the entire West end of the restaurant. It depicts strange elves having a picnic of burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream. As I left the restaurant I looked again at the mural and fully understood its significance—the Shady Glen is a necessary fantasy. I hope it never goes away.
Shady Glen
840 East Middle Turnpike, Manchester CT 06040
860-649-4245
Mon. to Thurs., 7 a.m. - 10 p.m.; Fri. to Sat., 7 a.m. - 11 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Hamburger America is available at Amazon and comes with a DVD of George's movie of the same title.
Ugh. This is one of those places that gets way more props than due. The cheese is the only good thing about the burger. The meat is dense, mealy, and always cooked to death. If it wasn't for the cheese gimmick, noone would have ever heard of Shady Glen.
i realize this is a burger blog but shady glen isn't about the burgers....it is about the cheese...that's why you can get...a CHEESEFURTER or...just a plate of FRIED CHEESE...!!!
ratbuddy...the hamburger is just a vessel to transport that one of a kind fried dairy product into your mouth....dont let the burger's ego fool you....
you're right...the ice cream is good too though....!
This is a burger blog...that's why they reviewed the burger. Or are you saying that they can only review places that only make burgers? Or they can't review a burger at a place that has something else more famous?
i was just prefacing that my comment on this burger blog wasn't going to be about burgers...thats all...it was just a heads up...
didn't mean to come across bossy (i blame the CAPS LOCK)
I would need to taste one of these burgers before I comment on it, it looks unique put it that way, lucky enough for me I am doing some reviews for a couple of hotels manchester, I think I will need to pop in and see for myself, I like the sounds of the decore, you cant beet the traditional cafe/burger style.
kind regards
Thanks for commenting! Your comment has been accepted and will appear in a moment.
Add a comment:
Previewing your comment:
HTML Hints
Some HTML is OK: <a href="URL">link</a>, <strong>strong</strong>, <em>em</em>
Comment Guidelines
Post whatever you want, just keep it pleasant. We reserve the right to delete off-topic or inflammatory comments. Learn more at our Comment Policy page.
Print
The inside of the Shady Glen looks like a cheeseburger. Its yellow striped wallpaper, the warm lighting, and low brown Formica countertops mimic the colors of their famous cheeseburger concoction. Ice cream may be the number-one seller at this Manchester, Connecticut, institution, but the cheeseburger is what has made them famous. In 1949, Bernice Rieg invented the "Bernice Original," which became an immediate success and still accounts for 80 percent of their sandwich sales today. The four-ounce cheeseburger comes with 4 slices of cheese. The cheese is not just stacked atop the burger; it is symmetrically placed, centered on the burger as it cooks on the hot griddle. An understandably large portion of this cheese makes direct contact with the griddle. When the cheese cooks through it is curled skyward by the deft grill man until it resembles a cheese crown. Amazingly, I watched burger after burger leave the grill with the same dramatic cheese. The same burger, over and over, since 1949.
11 Comments:
This is a great place - glad to see it reviewed! Brings back memories...that cheese is certainly unique!
laurelie at 3:13PM on 02/13/09
Ugh. This is one of those places that gets way more props than due. The cheese is the only good thing about the burger. The meat is dense, mealy, and always cooked to death. If it wasn't for the cheese gimmick, noone would have ever heard of Shady Glen.
Good ice cream, though.
ratbuddy at 3:36PM on 02/13/09
I looooooove Shady Glen. The cheese is amazing!
Megs915 at 4:05PM on 02/13/09
i realize this is a burger blog but shady glen isn't about the burgers....it is about the cheese...that's why you can get...a CHEESEFURTER or...just a plate of FRIED CHEESE...!!!
ratbuddy...the hamburger is just a vessel to transport that one of a kind fried dairy product into your mouth....dont let the burger's ego fool you....
you're right...the ice cream is good too though....!
nighthawk at 4:35PM on 02/13/09
This is a burger blog...that's why they reviewed the burger. Or are you saying that they can only review places that only make burgers? Or they can't review a burger at a place that has something else more famous?
wunami at 10:15AM on 02/14/09
Say what you will, but I love the burgers.
Of course, it's all about the cheese which is crispy, and almost tastes bacony.
A side of their coleslaw and the fries... what else could you want ?
The prices are reasonable and it's worth the drive.
Gourmet ? No.
Delicious and unique? Yes.
Grifola frondosa at 10:56PM on 02/14/09
i was just prefacing that my comment on this burger blog wasn't going to be about burgers...thats all...it was just a heads up...
didn't mean to come across bossy (i blame the CAPS LOCK)
nighthawk at 1:54PM on 02/16/09
Look at it this way: If you buy a hamburger from Shady Glen, you are going to wonder what the big deal is. The meat is seriously lacking.
ratbuddy at 10:28PM on 02/16/09
I used to go here all the time in high school. I gotta go back soon. The memories are flooding the tear ducts as I type this.
CTburgerman at 2:33PM on 03/13/09
I would need to taste one of these burgers before I comment on it, it looks unique put it that way, lucky enough for me I am doing some reviews for a couple of hotels manchester, I think I will need to pop in and see for myself, I like the sounds of the decore, you cant beet the traditional cafe/burger style.
kind regards
Gav
gavelect at 7:02AM on 05/26/09
The heck? I think the comment above is from some kind of spambot?
ratbuddy at 6:39PM on 05/26/09