Best Burger Ever!

[raley]

You guys have some strange taste in burgers. A good burger is pretty simple. You need a fresh, hand-formed patty, and you need it to be cooked to order. These are the basics, the spices they incorporate into the patty is what takes it over the top, not the fancy toppings.

The problem with most places and chains (like Chili's) is that they used frozen beef and will not cook it more than "medium", which is actually more like medium-well to well-done. There is really no reason to cook a burger anything other than medium rare, and a frozen patty just ruins the whole experience.

Here in Houston, two places that do it right are Lankford Grocery and Christian's Tailgate.

For a true burger connoisseur, check out www.texasburgerguy.com and his adventures through Texas searching for the perfect burger.

 

[spertia]

Originally Posted by raley

The problem with most places and chains (like Chili's) is that they used frozen beef and will not cook it more than "medium", which is actually more like medium-well to well-done.

You mean less than medium?

 

[quevola]

Originally Posted by matadorpoeta

"the counter" is great. i used to live a few blocks from it and i highly recommend it, though quevola crossing the entire city to eat there may be a stretch.

Just got back from the counter. It was excellent! Went with the 3/4 pounder with feta, baby greens, grilled onions, mustard and ketchup on a honey wheat bun.

I will travel far and wide for good eats, however in this case, my fiancÃ

lives right near the Irvine branch.

 

[Bradford]

Originally Posted by Bradford

Good call - I forgot about the Chuckbox. In fact, I may have to go there for lunch today now!

Didn't make it on Friday, but I did go to the Chuckbox for lunch today in Tempe. I tend to forget how good a simple burger and fries (non fast-food chain) is until I sit down and have one. Yummy!

 

[oceans11]

The Counter in Irvine California. Blue Moon & Stella Artois on tap with a decent wine list, my favorite sweet potato fries & light horseradish dipping sauce. MMmmmmm good eatin!

 

[chronoaug]

I tracked down a picture i had on my computer from Le Tub in hollywood, fl that i mentioned a few posts ago.

 

[Baron]

^^^^
That's too thick. Disqualified. It won't fit in a human being's mouth.

 

[chronoaug]

It's a big burger, but it does end up fitting in there. I wish there was a place near me to get a really good burger

 

[johnny_flapjack]

Originally Posted by Baron

^^^^
That's too thick. Disqualified. It won't fit in a human being's mouth.

 

[johnny_flapjack]

-Honest John's Bar no Grill in Detroit (now with grill) - good blue cheese burger and the only bar I've been to in recent memory where you can get a 40 of Black Label
-Crazy Jim's Blimpy Burger in Ann Arbor, MI
-Booches Billiards Hall in Columbia, MO - best.place.ever.
-Wheel Inn in Sedalia, MO - Home of the GooberBurger, which is a burger with peanut butter. If you haven't tried that, you should. It really is good. After I learned that trik it helped me knock down the butane taste of the bugers and dogs in the dorm in college. The place is out of business now, but I learned what I needed to from them while they were there.

Oh, and none of these places would know where to get foie gras

 

[TexasLidig8r]

I have always liked Pappa's Burgers in Houston.

Then, for those Sunday early afternoons after a late night bender in Austin, Texas... Dirty's Cumback Burgers on the Drag.. get the O.T. Special.

Or.. it's 2 a.m. on a Saturday night,... martinis have flowed like gentle rain from heaven... and.. the thought of having "sliders" is just too great... so it's off to White Castle (of course, we don't have them in Dallas)...

Then.. there's my burgers grilled at home using a recipe calling for blue cheese and freshly sliced jalapenos, kneaded into the beef before going on the grill. They would make you slap yo mamma for not having fixed them for you when you were a kid.

 

[SantosLHalper]

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

Best burger I had was at a place called Big Jim's in Charlottesville, VA. Not sure if it is still around.

It's still around. The place is a bit dumpy, but they have a pretty good burger. Riverside Lunch is a better bet for a burger in Charlottesville, though.

Other favorites, some of which people have mentioned:

- Five Guys - I grew up near the original one in Alexandria. The franchised ones are a pretty decent approximation, but I go back to the original if I can.
- Louis Lunch - it may be debatable that they invented the burger, but it is damn good.
- In and Out - the best of the fast food burgers, hands down.
- Eagle Deli in Boston - the fact that you can order in 1/2lb increments is attractive for some reason.
- Burger Joint - love these burgers.
- Burger Meister - great beers, good burger, and the garlic fries are killer.

None of them can really beat a homemade burger, even if it's been grilled into a black hockey puck. Best burger I made had local organic beef, mixed with homemade ground andouille sausage, topped with thick cut bacon and cheddar. So good...

 

[VKK3450]

Originally Posted by Bouji

London has terrible burgers.


Hache on Inverness Street in Camden does a pretty good burger.

The chains like Gourmet Burger Kitchen are foul

Just because that burger has a write up on the BBC and costs 85 quid doesnt mean it tastes good

K

 

[dtmt]

Kobe beef is ONLY from cows that are raised in Kobe, Japan. Any other use of the term "Kobe beef" is simply incorrect. "Wagyu" is the BREED of cattle that they use, and there is beef produced in America from Wagyu cows, but is NOT Kobe beef. Even wagyu beef produced in other parts of Japan is still not Kobe beef; it is named after the place it is produced, such as "Hida beef" or "Hitachi beef."

And it is HOW the cattle are raised which makes all the difference as far as the quality and taste of the meat. If you import some Wagyu cows and pack them like sardines into a barn and inject them will all sorts of hormones like typical cheap American beef, well then it will tase like typical cheap American beef. But in Japan, the cows are fed high-quality organic grains, beer, massaged daily, and given a large area to roam free in. This is why actual Kobe beef is so amazing, and without this treatment, you're not going to get the same taste as "real" Japanese beef.

 

[samblau]

I was @ Whole Foods in Manhattan last week...they were having a sale and I got some of their pre-formed patties, 85% lean, just over a pount for about $6. Thats $1.50 a burger patty...they grill up just fine on the Foreman grill. I am not saying they are the best burger I have had but they were certainly very good and a lot better value than BRGR across the street where they are about $8 per.

Shake Shack in NYC is a landmark and I make my once or twice a year pilgrimage but it is certainly not the "best". The Hairy Monk on 2nd Avenue makes a fine burger. Burger Joint in Le Parker Meridien is a fine burger as well...the best, I am not sure. The bar at Smith & Wollensky makes a mean looking burger...wasn't impressed with PJ Clarkes. Maybe the Nyers here can have a burger taste testing?