940 Ferry Boulevard, Stratford CT 06614; map); 203-378-6728; dannysdrive-in.com Cooking Method: Griddled Short Order: Circa 1935 drive-in serves a decent, but not world beating burger. Want Fries with That? Yes; they're crinkle cut, crispy, and golden. Price: Hamburger Works, $3.35; Cheeseburger Works, $3.70; fries, $2.50 Notes: Second location open in Shelton, Connecticut.
Back in 1965, Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck opened a submarine sandwich shop in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It would eventually grow to become the Subway chain.
What does this have to do with Danny's Drive-In, located in nearby Stratford? Not much, except the toppings that Danny's serves on their burgers are strikingly similar to those that grace a Subway sandwich. Of course, lettuce, tomato, and onion are nothing new on a burger, but the green pepper and white American cheese that Danny's adds to theirs is unusual and leads me to believe that just maybe the founders of Subway ate at Danny's and took notes.
Danny's Drive-In dates back to 1935 and has been a local favorite ever since. Specializing in both hot dogs and hamburgers, Danny's menu offers all manner of toppings on both, such as the legendary Kuhn's chili, jalapeños, BBQ sauce, and bacon. But even the standard burger comes with the "works"—lettuce, tomato, onion, and green pepper. Mayo, ketchup, and mustard are optional.
The relative leanness of the quarter-pound patty—both physically and in terms of the fat content—mean that this is a burger that is best served with the "works." Stripped of the toppings, the beef-to-bun ratio is skewed towards the latter, but dressed up, it attains a pleasing balance. The beef is tasty enough with a fresh flavor, and it has a nice sear on the outside. Forget trying to get this burger cooked to order. Even if the counter will pay lip service to the concept, the burgers come out invariably cooked through.
The bread is a generic white bun, my favorite type, and here it does an admirable job. The rabbit food was crispy and vibrant, the cheese perfectly melted. But not being a big fan of green pepper on a hamburger (or anything else), I found myself deconstructing the burger at Danny's to remove its insipid contribution despite the unique aspect of the topping. I am not alone in my dislike of green pepper.
Danny's may not be the last word in burgers, but it does have its charms, and not just because it is so old. I would much rather eat the burger here, even with green pepper, than I would a Subway sandwich. But that is true of almost any burger.
Green chile yes, green peppers NO. Some people at my work eat Subway EVERYDAY, not sure how they do it, just a whiff of that strange "off" smell of their bread and the questionable product makes me throw up a little in my mouth.
Good observation about Subway. I am a Subway franchise and I would add that apparently they copied the "veggies on the bottom" concept as well. Frankly, I think it goes against the natural order of things, but apparently it works for Danny's and Subway.
When I make a sandwich for myself at my store I put the meat on the bottom first and the veggies on top (blasphemy in Subway's eyes). There is no way that putting the veggies on the bottom of the sandwich is better, unless you don't want to taste the meat. Try it yourself, you'll see, if you like the taste of meat, the burger needs to be on the bottom. Carl's Jr./Hardees has it backwards too.
Again no hot dog? Danny's is another Connecticut restaurant known for their hot dogs. They are natural casing Hummel's beef and pork franks that are griddled first, then deep fried. They serve an extremely spicy chili called Kuhn's (made by a Mr. Kuhn and sold to a few select places) that is put on dogs and burgers. Many places in Connecticut such as Mac's Canteen, Swanky Frank's, and Rawley's deep fry their dogs first, then finish them off on a griddle for added crunch.
I see you mentioned Kuhn's chili. It's way too spicy for me, but many swear by it.
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4 Comments:
Green chile yes, green peppers NO. Some people at my work eat Subway EVERYDAY, not sure how they do it, just a whiff of that strange "off" smell of their bread and the questionable product makes me throw up a little in my mouth.
Burger365 at 10:44AM on 10/13/09
That sh*t looks sooooooooooo good! Viva la generic white bun!!!
Lvn4life at 10:58AM on 10/13/09
Good observation about Subway. I am a Subway franchise and I would add that apparently they copied the "veggies on the bottom" concept as well. Frankly, I think it goes against the natural order of things, but apparently it works for Danny's and Subway.
When I make a sandwich for myself at my store I put the meat on the bottom first and the veggies on top (blasphemy in Subway's eyes). There is no way that putting the veggies on the bottom of the sandwich is better, unless you don't want to taste the meat. Try it yourself, you'll see, if you like the taste of meat, the burger needs to be on the bottom. Carl's Jr./Hardees has it backwards too.
tjmile1 at 1:47PM on 10/13/09
Nick,
Again no hot dog? Danny's is another Connecticut restaurant known for their hot dogs. They are natural casing Hummel's beef and pork franks that are griddled first, then deep fried. They serve an extremely spicy chili called Kuhn's (made by a Mr. Kuhn and sold to a few select places) that is put on dogs and burgers. Many places in Connecticut such as Mac's Canteen, Swanky Frank's, and Rawley's deep fry their dogs first, then finish them off on a griddle for added crunch.
I see you mentioned Kuhn's chili. It's way too spicy for me, but many swear by it.
hotdoglover at 2:41PM on 10/13/09