mmm-yoso!!!

New Jersey's Location in Yuma

 ed (from Yuma) finally has some spare time and wonders, "Is it burger week yet?"

Rumors that Rumors has closed and that Jersey's truck is there no more are true. Sadly.

The last time mmm.yoso reported on Jersey's burger truck, it was out on Fortuna road in The Foothills. Around the end of January this year, it disappeared. Burger lovers throughout Yuma County began to despair. Then, almost miraculously, Jersey's reappeared parked in front of Rumors Sports Bar, the new name for Ron's Place, located on the north side of 16th St./Highway 95 on the east edge of town:

Rumors Sports Bar is a low roofed rectangular bar with a number of tables, a lot of dart boards, and friendly groups of Yumans of all ages imbibing beverages of their choice. Tina calls it "a real dive bar." It does have a couple large areas in its parking lot reserved for motorcycles:

Jersey's truck looks pretty much the same as always. However, as well as changing locations, Matthew – the owner of Jersey's – has changed other things as well. For example, here is his latest menu:

(Click on photo to enlarge)

 Not only has the roster of his burgers changed and expanded – notice the deep-fried burger – he also has changed his phone number (it is now 928-750-1576). The burgers however are still really good. Look at this bacon cheddar burger that Tina got on our first visit to the new location:

The fries are fresh cut on the premises and fried in good old-fashioned lard. Yummy good. The burgers are nicely charred on a flat top grill, but wonderfully rich and moist inside. Jersey's special sauce is still simple and delicious. Toppings and prices, of course, vary.

 Just to give you an idea of some of the burger choices, here is a grilled red onion burger, wonderfully sweet and flavorful, if a bit hard to eat:

The new menu has a grilled white onion and cheese burger:

Notice that he sometimes uses a melted cheese sauce on some of the burgers.

 On my last visit, I ordered another new addition to the menu, the chili burger (chili size). Because this is not exactly health food, I try to limit my current intake of these wonderfully tasty memories of my childhood. But back in my youth, my mom’s restaurant made a pretty decent chili burger (with my dad's chili recipe). And I ate chili size at various truck stops and family restaurants in Oregon and elsewhere. Jersey's version is #*&#*&% good:

As you can see, the burger patty was rich and crusty. The chili was perfectly spiced Western American chili con carne with no beans, topped with creamy cheese sauce and freshly diced white onion. All served on a grilled sesame burger bun .

 And it came with perfectly fried fries:

The New Jersey's location is flourishing. Part of the reason is the food. The other part is that Rumors is perfectly happy if you bring your burger order inside the cool air-conditioned bar and eat it with a beverage of your choice, which they are happy to purvey. Personally, I wish they would have a couple of Sam Adams taps (the best one could realistically hope for) though Blue Moon and Stella Artois are available. Cocktails too. Also, don't let sports bar moniker fool you; whenever I've been there only one or two flat screens (sound turned down, so people can listen to the old rock on the jukebox) are showing sporting events. This is not a loud, hyperkinetic, whooping and hollering sort of sports bar – at least at the times when I'm around.

 Jersey's seems to be open from around lunchtime through dinnertime. Be sure to call for more information.

Jersey’s, outside Rumors Sports Bar, Hwy 95, East Edge of Yuma AZ, 928-750-1576

Burger Week 2011- Elsa's Kitchen

Yep, you are reading mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog.  Welcome.  Here is another of Cathy's favorite places to get a burger.  A good burger. It's not a fancy place.

Hi again.  Another place I frequent ( and have blogged about )(go ahead, look at that post; the prices here have not changed since I wrote it in October 2007) when I want a good, hand formed, coarse ground, fresh burger, is Elsa's Kitchen.  It's in a plain strip mall at the NorthEast corner of 70th at El Cajon Boulevard, near SDSU.

 

 It looks like a kind of hole in the wall...Really though, you order from a hole in the wall...

Elsa's has been here many years.  Sometimes, there is a wait for the food to be prepared.  The wait is worth it.
I feel the need to show you a size comparison.  This, a side order of onion rings, the small size ($1.75).  The burger is a half pound steak burger. I feel the need to mention that every single Greek restaurant which makes onion rings knows how to make them *so* wonderfully perfect.  From scratch, sliced thick, lightly corn meal battered and fried just right.  Always order the rings at any Greek place.  They are wonderous.
The half pound burger ($4.50) is hand formed, coarse ground, flavorful and juicy.  The bun is toasted and buttered.  The toppings are standard, including thousand island dressing. Yes, my hand is small, but this is a very nice, large burger (in the back is The Mister's Gyros salad ($ 6.45)- The salad is made with mixed greens, Feta, cucumber, onion and tomato.  Dressing is served on the side as is a side of tzatziki).

Eh, here's a photo of the salad.  The gyros is good here.  The portion is crazy large.  
Here is a photo of the burger with a bite out.  I let them cook it the way they think is proper, and it is cooked medium.  Still, it has flavor and is juicy but not dripping. You can see more of the hand formed shape, and that the bun has sesame seeds on both the top and bottom.  A really good bun.

You may have noticed the sign on the front for a 1/4 lb burger with fries and beverage for $4.49. This is the more 'average' portion size and affordable meal.  Maybe not as exciting photographs, but excellent food.

I substituted fried zucchini for the fries.  The zucchini is sliced into sticks, lightly breaded, fried to just crisp and is not greasy.  This also technically is the small size.  

Even this 1/4 of a pound burger is cooked just right and stays juicy and has great flavor. The toasted bun is the right size for the burger, has a good amount of the standard sauce and toppings and is so beefy flavored. I really like the burgers here.

Elsa's Kitchen Greek and American Food 7022 El Cajon Blvd (619) 464-6711Mon-Sat 9-9, Sun 9-8.

{Oh yes, they make breakfast.  Gyros and eggs ($4.49) , breakfast gyro and a 2 egg gyros omelet for $3.99 are great choices.}

 

It's Burger Week: A Bison Burger from The Cowboy Star

The Cowboy Star has been one of our favorite destinations for Happy Hour for a while. It's never been very busy when we've visited, which makes the whole deal pretty relaxing, in spite of the location.

 

We've enjoyed most everything we'd had in the bar, and in the restaurant.......

 

 

 

 

The Missus isn't a real big red meat eater, but She enjoys the tornedos and steaks at the Cowboy Star. They always seem to get it right for Her.

Perhaps one day I'll post on our dinners there; the sweetbreads, marrow bones, the Porterhouse!

When we finally decided to do another burger week, I looked forward to trying one of the burgers there. Since they still serve burgers during Happy Hour (it's on the lunch menu), why not? So on a recent visit, I ordered the Bison Burger ($15):

 

I love the flavor of buffalo and bison when it's prepared well. The meat is leaner, so it's very easy to overcook. The meat has a faint flavor that has a sweet tinge to it; not as sweet as say, horse or donkey, but just enough variance in flavor to know that, "it's not quite beef I'm eating tonight".

This looked like one beautiful burger. The roasted Anaheim Pepper tasted wonderful, but in my opinion it over-powered the bison. The wonderfully melted white cheddar went well with my burger, even though it was cooked a bit over the medium I requested.

 

Granted, Bison is more difficult to cook than beef, still, I was a bit underwhelmed with the burger as a whole. Even after removing the pepper.... which the Missus gladly gobbled up, the flavor was a bit too mild for me..... perhaps the grass fed beef is the way to go here.

The frites had a nice texture, crisp on the exterior, combined with a light interior. I once mentioned in a previous post, of the Missus love of salt (" the Missus has been known to body slam a Moose to get to its salt lick"). But man, on this day the fries were much too salty.

In truth, one so-so meal at The Cowboy Star won't deter us from returning since we've had some really fine meals there. But I do think it was telling that on the next evening, we also had meat, which I enjoyed even more. Stuff like this:

 

The Cowboy Star
640 10th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101

Jersey's: Home of the 3 lb Burger in Yuma Foothills

Everybody eats burgers. Kirk eats burgers, Cathy eats burgers, vegetarians eat veggieburgers, and even ed (from Yuma)  eats burgers. Today, he's posting about some that are yoso delicious.

Jersey's is gone but not forgotten.

Some things happen in threes.  Right after my post on the Fortuna foodcourt in Foothills, Yuma, appeared here at mmm-yoso, three things converged. First, Cathy and Foodhoe wanted to know about the 3 pound burger at Jersey's; second, my gourmandizing friend Chip insisted we had to go there and try the burgers ASAP; and third, Kirk sent me an e-mail reminding me that Burger Week was approaching at the blog.  That was a triple whammy, but I hardly needed three prompts to go  to Jersey's:

In fact, the very next day, a bunch of us carnivores,  Chip, Betsy, Light, Deb W, Tina, and I,  gathered together to eat some serious meat.

After ordering sandwiches, we walked over to the refrigerator and selected some soft drinks:

While we were deciding between root beers and colas ($1.50), it was impossible to ignore that wonderful smell of beef being charred over coals on an open grill.  Cue the saliva.

The tables contained a limited number of condiments and a whimsical paper towel dispenser:

 
The smaller burgers and Betsy's cheesesteak arrived first.  I had ordered the most basic burger on the menu ($5.50) , which came with some iceberg lettuce and abundant mayo sauce:

The sesame seed bun held a handmade patty that had to weigh at least a half pound. One bite and I was in protein paradise. I cannot recall a more intense burger in my life.  The whole thing screamed BEEF as loud as it could!  The char from the grill and the  sauce (mayo with hint of ketchup, I think), just made the flavor of the patty that much better and more intense.

By default, all the burgers come with french fries:

These were obviously homemade and full of potato flavor.  While not greasy, they were also not especially crunchy.  Not bad, certainly, but really just okay.  Next time, I will follow Chip's lead and order mine extra crispy.

Tina opted for a blue cheese burger, which came with mayo sauce, red onions, hand cut tomato slice, pepper bacon, lettuce, and hand formed perfectly grilled burger patty:

In general, I am hesitant to order blue cheese burgers because many that I've had over the years have tasted more like blue cheese than like burger.  Not the case here.  The intensity of the beef flavor stood up to and was enhanced by the cheese.  There was so much going on (in a good way) that the bacon seemed like an afterthought.  Let me say that any time slices of bacon are not the most flavorful things on a sandwich, that sandwich has got to have full tilt taste. The only disadvantage of Tina's burger was that the bun disintegrated before the whole burger was consumed.

"Totally scrumptious," Tina termed it. It was so good that I think it's worth another picture:

Unlike my french fries, the onion rings Tina ordered were just about perfect.  Clearly homemade, each crunchy ring had a sweet onion center.

Betsy's cheesesteak ($?) was also pretty darn good. She loved it.  The beef was full of flavor, like good carne asada steak, the roll well grilled, and the cheese, onions, and peppers added tastes and textures:

 

And then it arrived, the 3 pound burger ($21 -- free if you can eat it all in 20 minutes):
The genormous burger was loaded with lettuce, tomato, cheese, grilled red onions, pickle relish, and two 1 1/2 lb patties.  For some strange reason, Chip had asked the mayo sauce be replaced with mustard.  This close-up shows the wonderful grill marks that marked each patty with flavor:
 
We cut the giant burger into four wedges, letting us all see a cross-section of this flavorful concoction:
 
A quarter section of this giant burger was still a handful -- actually two hands full:

It is rare for a restaurant, whether it be a posh fine dining establishment or a taco stand, to exceed my wildest expectations.  After all, when it comes to food, I have some very wild expectations.  Jersey's is everything it promises and more. 

However, it should come with two important warnings.

After lunch, I had work to do. All afternoon I struggled to keep my eyes open and my mind on what I was reading.  When I got together with Tina that evening, I was complaining about nodding off, and she looked at me and said, "you think you had problems.  I lay down for a second -- and woke up three hours later."

First warning:  May Cause Drowsiness!

Second warning:  Could Be Habit Forming! 

Consider yourselves warned.

Jersey's, on the access road parallel to Fortuna between Walgreens and the Fry's Shopping Center, Yuma Foothills, (928) 920-6476.   

Burger Week 2011- Anny's Fine Burger, Santee

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!! This is one of Cathy's contributions to the heck with your New Year Resolution Burger Week 2011.

At the Trolley Station in Santee (end of the Green Line) we have a Starbucks, Einstein's, Quiznos, Panda [something] and now, Anny's Fine Burger. It used to be VGood
and the cook/owner is the same, as is the CalTrans Orange paint on the walls. (Really. Click onto the link for the VGood post)
The menu, however has taken over one wall...It's right there as you walk in; you can't miss it. All the main items offered are served in a burger form. Hot dogs, chili and sides are also on the menu.

Anny's Fine Burger makes Burgers. Burgers of angus beef. 1/2 pound burgers. (But you can substitute chicken, turkey or veggie burgers). All are char broiled. All the sauces are home made.

I'll start out showing you The Mister's Pastrami Burger ($5.99), since it comes with cheese and the pastrami topping can be removed and eaten separately... Baked pastrami, not fatty, but nicely smokey flavored, piled on a hand formed, half pound burger cooked medium rare. Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato pickle and a smokey, house made teriyaki sauce topped it off. The bun is more of a Kaiser roll, fresh and toasted. Toasted in butter. The burger is very flavorful and juicy-but not so juicy as to ruin the bottom bun. Char broiled. Just enough char flavor without being overpowering.
Since, like Kirk, I also like the taste of a pure burger, here is my usual order - the Basic Combo. (#1 on the menu-$4.99) ($5.50 as the combo) the half pound burger (no cheese). Lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and a house made thousand island. The Combo comes with plain fries and a beverage. I like the simplicity and ability to taste the basic ingredients. Everything is fresh-and good. The burger meat has some seasoning which brings out the meaty flavor. The meat is coarse ground and a texture I enjoy. As with all the burgers here, the char broiling imparts just a bit of smoke flavor.

The fries are cut here from fresh potatoes and double fried. Pretty darn good and crispy. Above is a side order of sweet potato fries ($3.99). Cut from fresh sweet potatoes. Quite a large order. Good flavor, proper frying technique. I do appreciate proper frying.

Just for fun, here are some other choices from the menu. #10, The Blue Cheese burger ($5.99). Crumbled blue cheese as well as a house made blue cheese dressing. Again, excellent beef flavor. Cooked medium rare. Juicy and flavorful. They used a mold to form the burgers on this visit. The beef is not frozen and tastes good on its own.

#23. The Sand Dune Burger ($6.50). There are beer battered onion rings on the menu, but this burger comes with onion strings, which I like and can't get any other way. This burger also has bacon, cheddar, lettuce and tomato as well as a smokey teriyaki sauce. It is a nice melding of flavors and texture. (This presentation was about 6 inches high)

I like the coarse grind of fresh meat used for the burgers here. I haven't tried any chicken, turkey or veggie patties because when I get here, I am usually craving a 1/2 lb of beef. The sauces all made here- including lemon mayo, spicy mayo, sun dried tomato mayo, garlic mayo, ranch, bbq, honey mustard..in addition to the thousand and teriyaki are made from scratch and are very good. The fresh Kaiser buns are toasted and brushed with butter always; the optional whole wheat bun is very good also. Anny's is a really good choice for burgers.

Anny's Fine Burger 9862 Mission Gorge Road Santee CA 92071 (right at the Trolley station, near the Starbucks)(619) 258-8288 Mon-Sat 11:00-9:00, Sun 12:00-8:00

It's Burger Week: Five Guys times two.......

While driving to work this past week, I recall hearing that by February, 50% of those New Year's resolutions have fallen by the wayside. So I thought it was time for our Fourth Burger Week. I had my doubts at first because it seems that we've covered a good bit of ground. From iconic burgers served at places like Rocky's, Hodad's, and Nessy, to "pub burgers" at joints like The Waterfront, to newer places like Burger Lounge and The Counter, I wasn't sure I had it in me. But after trading emails with Cathy and Ed from Yuma, I realized that there's always another burger somewhere down the street.

A couple of months back, Five Guys Burgers opened up in San Diego...... part of a West Coast expansion of an East Coast favorite. This prompted a whole slew of Five Guys versus In N Out posts and articles. Some of my favorite Food Bloggers like The Catty Critic and Passionate Eater weighed in on the debate.

Thus I put a visit to Five Guys on my "list".......... then my trip to Madison and Chicago came up. An acquaintance of mine who had tried the San Diego location of Five Guys told me that for some reason, in his opinion, the burgers at Five Guys in the Midwest and back East taste better. He told me to check out one of their location in Chicago if I had the chance. And I did indeed have a chance, as I came across a Five Guys in Mount Prospect on my last morning in Chicago.

 

Even though I arrived right at opening time, there was already a short line. It gave me time to check out the decor, all of the declarations of the greatness of Five Guys plastered on the walls, the large sacks of potatoes, the peanuts for eating while you wait......

 

The menu, much like In-N-Out's is deceivingly simple; Four burgers, four "little burgers", hot dogs, two sandwiches, and two style of fries. The gimmick here is that you have the choice of up to sixteen free "toppings", everything from Ketchup to A1 Steak Sauce.

Those folks that know, realize that I like a pretty unadorned burger, just the typical veggies and maybe some mustard. Which is how I ordered mine. It all came wrapped in foiled lined paper. It's good that I was eating this here, as a burger would keep on steaming inside this wrapper had I waited too long....

 

I liked the look of the burger, the sesame bun was nice until it started falling apart. This was a fairly hefty burger, but I thought it over-priced at five bucks($4.99 actually)...... though I guess you could make up that difference if you got everything but the kitchen sink on it.

 

The meat itself wasn't seasoned, lacked any beefiness, and was on the "mealy" side. No wonder President Obama needed to order his burger with Jalapeno.

Five Guys Burgers
118 East Kensington Rd
Mount Prospect, IL 60056

This didn't turn out to be the burger I had expected. But I decided to check out the Liberty Station location in Point Loma, just to see if there was any difference. I arrived on a Sunday evening, and the place was packed.

 

 

Because I wanted to be boring consistent, I ordered the same thing as I did in Chicago. I even managed to score an open table. This is what my burger looked like when unwrapped....

 

What a mess....... that bottom half of the butt was pretty much a goner, just minutes after making.

 

 At least the burger here had a bit more char to it, and was more moist than the version I had in Chicago. I still think the meat has a kind of mealy texture, and is under-seasoned. The meat here cannot stand alone, The packaging left much to be desired as well.

 Five Guys Burgers and Fries
2445 Truxton Rd
San Diego, CA 92106

So what about the Five Guys versus In-N-Out thing...... being that Five Guys' burger is larger, it's hard to compare. But I will say this about the burger...... For the price of one burger from Five Guys ($4.99)..... I got this at I-N-O:

 

Smaller, but dressed in a similar manner - two double meats, mustard instead. I enjoyed In-N-Out much more as well.....

 There is one thing at Five Guys that I enjoy much more than at In-N-Out...... it's the fries. I've never developed a taste for the fries at In-N-Out.......yeah they're "natural" style fries; but just about every other place I have that type of fries have been head and shoulders above In-N-Out.
 

It's Burger Week (Again) Weevil Burger- in La Mesa

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog you are reading and this time it's Cathy posting about a  wonderful burger she enjoys regularly.

Hi. If you've been around San Diego for a while, you remember Boll Weevil, the burger/bar place where pool tables abounded.  Most of the locations closed a few years ago (the Boll Weevil location on Clairmont Mesa is still there). We've always loved the burgers at Boll Weevil, because they would grill them medium rare. Weevil Burger does that also.
 This reincarnation is in the same spot as a previous Boll Weevil, in the La Mesa Fletcher Parkway strip mall which houses 'the' Michaels and 'the' Souplantation, closer to Shizuoka which is near Dallas Street. 
  The interior is essentially the same, just cleaned up a bit (the original menu with prices is printed on that endangered species green sea turtle shell on the wall) with 4 flat screen televisions. 

 

 

 
After you place your order, the Traditional Tray of Condiments is brought to your table. -pickles, onions, relish, sweet peppers, catsup, mustard, mustardrelish blend, tobasco, salt and pepper.  You still have to remember to ask for mayonnaise.

The half pound Weevil burger, medium rare. ($4.59).  It's $1.50 more to add cheese, lettuce and tomato and really, I don't want that on this burger.  The meat is coarse ground and flavorful all by itself. 
I did add pickles, onion and mustard.  The bun is toasted.  Nothing else is needed to make this perfect for me.
 
The pool tables and video game area was busy the night we were here.  
The Mister ordered the 1/2 pound Mushroom-Swiss burger with a side salad ($8.99). Also medium rare.  as a combo (with fries (straight or curly), onion rings or salad) it's $8.99 and quite a meal.  He likes the fresh sauteed mushrooms and the taste of the Swiss cheese on his burger.   

The croutons are made in house, from rye bread, which they use here for their patty melt... Just plain white lettuce and a slice of tomato, but on its own, the salad is $3.50, so the combos are less expensive than ordering individual items here.
This particular location is doing very well and has a variety of menu items, including gyros sandwiches and varieties of chicken, all of which are fried properly. Sometimes I do order the 2 piece fried chicken meal, because it is so good. Usually, though it's the 1/2 pound Weevil Burger. That's all I need.  

Weevil Burger 9104 Fletcher Parkway (at Dallas) La Mesa 91942 (619)644-1010

It's Burger Week (Again)- Fred's Old Fashioned Burgers (El Cajon)

This location fo Fred's has closed.

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog written by Kirk, ed (from Yuma), Cathy and a few other friends.  Today, it's Cathy's turn.

Hi.  I knew it was the Third Annual Burger Week for us at mmm-yoso!!! and thought I would share some East County places The Mister and I enjoy.  First, Fred's Old Fashioned Burgers.   
The building that houses Fred's used to be a Taco Bell,  so you know it is not very large inside.  When it is busy, there are full outdoor tables.  
The indoor ordering counter is pretty much unchanged from the old Taco Bell blueprint. 
The Additional  Condiment Bar is right behind you after you place order and pay.
You take a seat in the different-than-Taco-Bell decorated area.  Your food will be delivered to your table. 
If you've ordered a shake ($2.95) (which you *must* do), it will be brought out first.  The Mister and I decided to share a chocolate peanut butter one. Thick, rich, using real peanut butter, this satisfies my salt cravings and His chocolate cravings. You can order your shakes with or without malt and 'extra thick' or 'regular'. There are about 8 flavors to choose from. 
Your burgers are brought out.  Mine was a "Patty Melt" ($3.79).  I must confess, the breads that are served here are the best and the real reason I like the food here. Even though this was not rye, it was a very fresh, very thick sourdough, grilled to perfection.  The burger is topped with grilled onions, (sadly) American cheese and an excellent Thousand Island. I know, American Cheese and sourdough does not a Patty Melt make, hence the quotation marks above.  The burger is hand shaped, not frozen, 1/4 pound and not thick, so as to fit on the breads.  They pretty much can't be  cooked to a medium rare, which I like.  The meat is not overly flavored on its own ( I added salt, pepper and pickles near the end of finishing the burger).  
This time, The Mister ordered a Half Pounder ($4.64), without onions.  It comes with lettuce, tomato and Thousand Island sauce (he got pickles at the bar) and is served on the wonderfully fresh, toasted potato roll you see here. Again, the bread is what brings me back more than the taste of the burger.  Oddly, the crinkle cut fries are somehow seasoned with a light layer of salt and apparently are cooked in beef fat.  They have a wonderful flavor without having to add anything, not even catsup.   
 

One other item of note, both Coke and Pepsi are served here.  Buying a "combo" does not save any money, the individual prices add up to be the same.  It's an interestingly decorated good use of the old Taco Bell space that does a steady business.  Not bad, but not outstanding burgers.

Fred's Old Fashioned Burgers 1285 East Madison (two signal lights south of I-8, behind the gas station on the SW corner) El Cajon 92021 (619)447-2300

It's Burger Week (again) - Burger Lounge - Kensington

Burger Lounge seems to be quite a polarizing chain. Some folks I know, sing high praises of Burger Lounge. But the only thing that bothers me about the things they say about BL, is that most of it centers around BL's use of Tallgrass Beef, and most of them recite this in a mantra like fashion. Very few things are said to me regarding the taste. One good thing is.... that I love good grassfed beef, it is much more "beefy" in flavor. On the other hand, posts by other food bloggers seemed to align the burger at BL with fast food burgers. Or perhaps even worse.  We were curious, so on a recent evening, the Missus and I headed out to Burger Lounge's Kensington location.

Upon entering, I was struck at how "fast-foodish" the place looks. The menu is short and sweet, 3 types of "burgers" (beef, turkey, and veggie), three salads, chicken tenders(no mention of how the chickens were raised), fries & rings, and cupcakes.

As I placed my order, the young lady manning the counter, made sure to inform me that the burgers are "grilled medium", which sounded just perfect to me. This young lady was a joy to watch, she was efficient, yet very nice, especially to the older customers and children (and their parents)who came in later.

The Missus, still recovering from Her burger at The Waterfront, again went with a Veggie Burger ($7.95):

 

  The Missus, a big fan of quinoa, loved this burger. I was told that the veggie patty had a bit of spice to it, and good heft. Based on Her enthusiasm, I may even (gasp!) try it myself next time.

Of course we got a "half and half"($4.95), the combination of fries and onions rings, which is delivered in a sorta-kinda cool looking cardboard take-out box.

The rings were nicely breaded with a good crunch, just the way the Missus enjoys them. The fries were on the dry side, and as with "fresh cut" potatoes, wilted pretty quickly. Both were seasoned with a parsley-salt mix in a very even-handed manner.

Of course, I ordered the Grilled Lounge Burger ($7.95), sans dressing since I really wanted to taste the beef.

I also chose the white cheddar which was nice and mild, and fresh onions to add a bit of punch to the burger. On the good side, I've had my share of grass fed beef that has been on the dry side. This burger was juicy, maybe a bit too juicy. The roll didn't hold up very well, but did have a distinct flavor. The onions were diced, which proved to be a bit problematic, as it kept falling all over the place.

One of the two biggest issues I had with the burger is illustrated below:

What happened with the "our burgers are grilled to medium rare" policy? Also, the burger lacked flavor, I'd been expecting some of the wonderful grass fed goodness to seep through. When I broke off a piece of the patty for tasting, I noticed that it also lacked seasoning. As I later explained to my "go green" friend, you need to season your meat. I've bought stuff from Lobel's in the days before a porterhouse would run into the triple digits. And if you don't season that hundred dollar steak (or $20 ground beef), it won't taste right. Same holds true here...... 

One more thing..... this burger cost $7.95...... compare that to the burger at The Counter, which I put in the same basic category. That burger was just 55 cents more.....

I've heard that the Turkey Burgers at Burger Lounge are  good, and the Missus really enjoyed that Veggie Burger. Maybe it's those two items that put the "burger" into the Burger Lounge. For me, the Lounge Burger was a disappointment.  

Burger Lounge
4116 Adams Avenue
San Diego, CA 92116

It's Burger Week (again) - The Waterfront Bar & Grill

During every burger week, I try to get at least one of the species I call a "pub burger". A few of my acquaintances look down at pub burgers. But I enjoy the simple, straight forward, unpretentious burgers served at places like Rocky's and Mr Peabody's. When someone tells me these burgers are mediocre, and I admit there are a few that are, or that it tastes like something their Mom would make, I ask, "what's wrong with your Mom's burgers?"  And automatically peg them as being unsentimental. My next question would be, if these burgers are so simple, why is it that copycat corporate pub burgers never measure up? Maybe because the burger lacks soul? Or perhaps there's something about a well seasoned grill or griddle, at a joint that has obviously served thousands at varying levels of impairment.... a place like The Waterfront Bar and Grill, around since 1933.

 Open from 6am in the morning, just in case you need a few "hairs of the dog", or prefer a full breakfast(yes, this place has a non-liquid breakfast menu)  the place always seem to have a few "lounge lizards" occupying the bar.

All of which reaches a crescendo during the "hour of happiness", with the bar packed with everyone from the suits to laborers, and the professional imbibers. The usual Server working here is efficient, funny, and no nonsense. You will provide your ID and credit card for a tab.......

It says quite a lot that the Missus had Her one burger week hamburger at The Waterfront. The Missus chose the Blue Cheese Bacon Burger ($10.25), a half pound burger smothered in melted blue cheese, topped with thick cut bacon(and let's not forget the grilled onions). As if this wasn't enough, it comes with fries.....

The fries are the ever-crisp "floured fries" which delivers what the beer drinker wants, fries that'll stay crisp during the beer session. I'm thinking the Missus really enjoyed this, since She wiped the whole thing out, telling me "ddddisss wizzzz weeely delisssssshhhhis" while finishing up the last bite. Pretty impressive.

I went with The Texas Burger ($8.40), a half pound burger topped with grilled onions, which also comes with fries.

 

I always enjoyed the grilled onions, it adds a nice savory sweetness to the burger. As for the burger, it is handformed, and not as greasy as I remembered. The patty was decently seasoned with salt and pepper. If anything, it is perhaps pressed too hard when formed, as it is a bit "chewy". The roll is a generic "Acme sesame seed bun".

One of the signs of a classic pub burger, is that the lettuce, tomatoes, and pickles are served on the side. Also, all the various "sauces" are either on the table, or served on the side with the burger..... after all, they've got to keep moving in the kitchen, and don't have the time to dress your burger.... you can have it your way, so long you do it yourself!

 

 Don't even think about a medium rare burger here, they don't. At least I won't be asked how I want my burger done, and have it delivered well done anyway.

Overall, a decent burger, even without cheese, nor any "dressing". No pretense, no fuss, no muss except for trying to keep the fries on your plate. In these days of frou-frou burgers, I find this refreshing.....

The Waterfront Bar and Grill
2044 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101

Open 6am to 2am daily