Burgers – Page 7

Big Island: Village Burger – Kamuela (Waimea)

December 18, 2012 mmm-yoso Burgers, Hawai'i - The Big Island

I'm kinda taking thing out of sequence for this one…….after a night's rest in Kona, we headed out to Hilo. We did stop at the Keauhou Saturday's Farmer's Market, but I'll include that in a future post (you'll see why), where I managed to grab some breakfast. We rolled into one of my favorite little towns on the Big Island, Waimea….which my friends and I always call Kamuela. It a farming community with a lot of heart. I almost took a job there in the mid-nineties….I wonder how things would be if I did? Anyway, my good friend's family had a plot in the town…aka an empty lot that needed upkeep from time to time. So we'd escape to Kamuela….have beers at the Parker Ranch Broiler, which is now in a new location…..

I'd been looking forward to checking out the town and we arrived at a shade after 10am. It seemed like a busy Saturday, malls on each side of the street had major Craft Fairs going on. The Missus really enjoyed the farming village vibe……. Parker Ranch, founded in 1847, years before most of the cattle ranches were established in the Southwest, and once upon a time, the largest family owned ranch in the United States (it's now run by a trust), calls the area home. So it's major cattle country. You can literally walk into Foodland and see grass fed beef sold cheaper then the usual corn fed stuff!

Like I said, the Missus was taken by the town…….

I'm thinking the Missus will want to spend at least a night here next time we're around…..

As for lunch….well I had one place in mind. Ever since I read this post on James Rubio's Big Island Grinds, I've been wanting to check out Village Burger.

Located in the Parker Ranch Center, Village Burger features pasture raised beef and locallysourced ingredients…..they actually even told us where they got the very delicious and ripe tomatoes we had on our burgers. I was a bit surprised when I heard the owner is Edwin Goto; not a household name, but if you ever watched the old series Great Chefs of Hawaii, you might recognize the name…. So now it's burgers eh?

The little shop is attached to the food court in the shopping center, perhaps a bit odd, but kind of neat in a way. The process was very much standard fast-foodish.

I just wanted ot taste the local beef, so I went with the straight-forward "Hawaii Rancher's Beef" Burger ($7.50). No mayo……..

First off….the burger was done just as ordered….no "shibai" about "we only serve our burgers yada…yada…" only to get a over cooked hockey puck. It was super moist and tender, though I expected a bit more beefiness. I ended up getting some whole grain mustard from the condiment counter which really brought the flavor up. The brioche was up to the task, with just a hint of sweetness….loved the flavor of the ripe tomato. This was just a nice burger……

The Missus went with the Hamakua Mushroom Burger; not cheap at nine bucks. It came on a yeasty roll.

They didn't mess with this too much, as the earthy flavors of the mushroom came through. It was well seasoned as well. There really wasn't much obvious binder in this, as it really looked like the previously cooked mushrooms, and there was quite a bit of it, was loosely bound, then placed in a burger ring and dusted with flour, corn/potato starch to create a crust…adding to things by providing a textural counter-point.

I thought the basic burger was well priced, perhaps the mushroom burger was on the pricey side, but to the Missus it was well worth it.

Maybe Edwin Goto isn't doing James Beard Foundation dinners anymore. But he sure has a winner in this place and he seems to be enjoying it. More power to him.

Village Burger
67-1185 Mamalahoa Hwy
Kamuela, HI 96743

Hours:
Mon-Sat 1030am – 8pm
Sun 1030am – 6pm

Crazee Burger

November 26, 2012 mmm-yoso Burgers

Well, I've often often written about the Missus's various short term obsessions. We've gone through quite a few over the years. The latest for the Missus is wild game…..I guess She really enjoyed that ostrich thinga-majiggy. The Lion's Share and Tractor Room quickly come to mind….but the Missus really wasn't into brunch or cocktails…….. so I casually mentioned Crazee Burger. To be honest, I've always thought the place a bit more hype, with the game meats more of a gimmick. But heck, the Missus was game (no pun intended) so why not? We did luck out and arrived at 11am to find the place empty. it can get pretty crowded here.

We each ordered our burgers……of course we were told, as it seems to be fashionable these days, the "we recommend our burger cooked pink." Which is just perfect for me. We got our sauces on the side….after all, we wanted to taste the meat right?

And heck I'd always wanted a hopper to try kangaroo, which is what I got ($12.95):

The was pretty dry and gritty….it was also well done, so much for the "we serve our burgers medium" shtick, which is kind of a pet peeve. This was very mild with an off tasting, slight metallic after taste. The creamed horseradish sauce….was neither creamy, nor did it really taste of horseradish. Rather, it was like runny mayonnaise. This was also not seasoned, which it could have used…..some good salt and pepper, not what tasted like iodized stuff in the shaker on the table.

Now I'm determined to buy some kangaroo next time to see how it compares.

The Missus got an ostrich burger ($13.49), which did remind me of my previous experience with ostrich….that is, a bit on the dry side.

The flavor was clean, but again, this could have used some seasoning. The sauce provided, a lemon-chive-cream sauce was a bit better than the horseradish sauce, but still too bland and runny for me. This was also served "well done".

I explained to the Missus that based on my previous experience with ostrich, I expected dry, so when I made my burger, I added some minced red onion, a couple of tablespoons of panko, fresh ground black pepper, and roasted garlic olive oil. I tried to keep the mild clean taste of ostrich, but worked at keeping moisture as well. These patties looked like 100% meat…..the thought is nice, but man it can be dry.

In terms of prices, even though the burgers were no-frills, wild game is more expensive than beef. A regular 100% angus beef plain burger will just set you back five bucks here. The portion sizes are nice. There are about 8 draft beers on tap and several bottled….the interior is rather small and it was starting to get pretty crowded when we left. Two young ladies were nice….you order at the counter and they'll bring your order to your table. Overall, not terrible, but not all that great….the game meats seem more like a gimmick…….

Crazee Burger
4201 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104

A revisit to Slaters 50/50

September 12, 2012 mmm-yoso Burgers

**** Slaters has closed

I forgot I had this little post in the pipeline for a while, but had forgotten about it until “CC” reminded me of the place. Anyway, the Missus loves the Veggie Burger here as well as most of the fried items…..health nut that She now is.

I received a couple of suggestions for “building” my burger after my post on Slaters and I really took them to heart….so much so that I’ll probably need a new one, heart that is, after eating this monstrosity:

Egad…….anyway, I was told to get my burger with “Vampire Dip” basically the super rich garlic artichoke dip and I decided to top things off with anchovies. That’s what the burger looked like and it was only a 1/3 pound burger….which was so over-the-top and rich it finished me, before I could finish it. The flavor of the garlic sauce and anchovies just killed everything else….I could have eaten one of my old shoes and would never have known…heck it might even make the burgers here palatable. This just felt sinful and wrong….I guess I prefer my burgers without an extra helping of guilt.

Honestly, it’s a nice burger without all the “stuff”… I really needed a shower after this, maybe even a cigarette…. I’ll stay with “just a burger” next time.

As much as I like the burgers here, this was just too much.

Slaters 50/50
2750 Dewey Road
San Diego, CA 92106

You can read my previous post on Slaters here.

Oahu: Teddy’s Bigger Burger (Kailua) and doing the East Oahu – Windward drive

August 3, 2012 mmm-yoso Burgers, Honolulu, Oahu, Travel

The main reason I was home was because the D's were visiting and in all honesty, I really enjoyed my time with them, they are a heck of a lot of fun and their daughter "Maggie" sure has gotten a lot taller since I last saw her over two years ago. On my first day "on the job", my MIL decided that we should do the "East side – Windward tour"…..which ended up being much more fun than I recalled. We hit places that I hadn't been to in maybe 20+ years. I mean, really, when you live here, you're often too busy to really appreciate and enjoy "paradise".

Anyway, I hit H-1, then got off using the King street exit, thru Kapahulu, and past the zoo……when we hit Queen's, I noticed that everyone perked up. So I stopped……. I'm pretty sure there's nothing like this in Beijing.

I really got a kick watching MrsD kick off her shoes and head straight to the water…….nothing much like this in Beijing! She was so fast that she got splashed by a wave….which she joyfully laughed off. Her enthusiasm renewed my appreciation of the sun shining on my face and the feeling of sand between your toes. Of course it was a typical "island day".

As MrsD and Maggie headed off down the beach, it was MrD's job to record the visit in detail as he was busy with his camera.

We basically did the around Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Makapuu, Waimanalo, Kailua thing……

Funny thing, I don't speak hardly any Mandarin…..though I made the D's crack up with what I did know….."kuài diǎn, kuài diǎn….." and "bi zui" (闭嘴). Funny thing, humor goes beyond pure vocabulary and MrD is quite funny. The Missus has told me numerous times, "If you only understood Mandarin, you'd know how witty he really is…."

MrD Senior surprised me with his pronunciations…..looking at the sign he said "Ha-na-uma" perfectly! Whoa……..we would pass various signs and he'd pronounce them perfectly…maybe better than me!

We stopped at one of the look-out before blow-hole and I climbed over the wall to take a photo. This is when I found out how gutsy MrsD was….she just scampered down the rocks…..whoa.

That's her and Maggie to the right. I reached them and told them to be careful and not turn their back on the ocean, pointing out how waves come in sets………to step back a bit and watch the water….

By the time we got past Waimanalo, stomachs were growling. My MIL had told me "there's so much good food in Beijing, what they want to have is American food." So I decided to stop at Teddy's Bigger Burgers in Kailua. Man, this place is doing massive business…..I do mean some major business. The lines are long; they have to give you one of those vibrating coaster looking things……

At least I could tell the D's to go exploring while I waited for our "han bao bao" (hamburgers)…..I later found Maggie wearing a cute pink Kailua t-shirt, so I guess they contributed to the local economy…..

Grabbing lunch we headed to Kailua Beach…..after all, this is a pretty nice setting for lunch, right?

I know I'd usually just order a plain burger to see what the beef was all about. But in this case I ordered a "Bigger Combo" with American Cheese and grilled onions all around. Hey, what's more "American" than a cheeseburger….with American cheese, right?

Taken in context this was quite good…the burger, though on the "lean" side the burger was done just north of well. I mean, really, compared to màidàngláo in China….is there even a comparison?

I actually enjoyed the fries, which are "natural" (skin on) and very crisp.

I found that the D's really like ketchup…….and really couldn't find a Chinese word for "Mayonnaise" ….

After lunch, well it's fade time, you need something to grab your attention…….we headed off down the Pali and the one place I was really looking forward to checking out….

Man, I haven't been here in like decades, before you had to pay for parking, when we had five pounds of raw pork butt and got TWO flat tires going over the Pali on one foggy night….ummm, well, nevah mind…..

I knew this was going to be fun, you park your car and nothing seems amiss, until you walk to the look-out.

On really windy days, it'll buffet you….just try to fall over! The D's were amazed at not only the power of the wind, but the wonderful view of the windward side as well. I could point out where we'd been.

More significantly, in the history of Hawaii, this is where it is noted that Kamehameha I sealed his conquest of Oahu, defeating the forces of Kalanikūpule, driving off the cliffs of the Pali.

Beyond all of that, the view, if you can hold your camera still is wonderful.

My apologies for not having more food "stuffs" for you, but I hope you enjoyed this post….for me, it really renewed an appreciation for the place I was born and raised.

Da Boyz and Brewers in Yuma

July 23, 2012 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Pizza, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Ed (from Yuma), not Kirk and not Cathy, is posting at mmm-yoso!!! today. About 2 restaurants (in Yuma).

Da Boyz

More than 10 years ago, a pizzeria opened in Yuma Foothills called Da Boyz. At first, we all assumed that this was some new national chain since the decor and logos were very professional. In fact, there are two other locations, one in La Mesa and one in Rancho San Diego. I have no idea about either of them. Similarly, I haven't eaten in the Foothills branch of Da Boyz in five years or more. Why? Because Da Boyz took over and renovated a beautiful large location in old town Yuma on Main Street:

It has extremely high ceilings and a lot of space:

Separate rooms decorated with pictures of Marilyn Monroe or the rat pack or Elvis are available for groups and special occasions. Here are some pictures from the Elvis room:

I like Da Boyz. The service is professional and this location is extremely well-managed. While the beer selection is largely conventional, there are usually at least one or two seasonal brews available:

To my taste, this is the best eat-in pizza restaurant in town – not just because of the nice atmosphere – but because the pizzas are good:

The crusts are real bread crusts:

A wide variety of toppings are available:

And the cheese is flavorful and real:

In addition, the salads are huge:

A small salad can be a filling meal or provide side salads (as shown here) for 2 to 4 eaters:

Leaving just an empty bowl:

Even though the lettuces are nothing special, a garden salad will have pepperoncini, sliced olives, bell pepper, red onion, tomato, and cucumber. The Italian dressing is surprisingly tasty.

Of course, there is more than just pizza and salad. While I find the pasta to be pretty ordinary with unremarkable sauce and overcooked noodles, some of their sandwiches make a nice lunch. Here's the meatball (or perhaps sausage?):

When I'm looking for something slightly healthier, the turkey and provolone is good (this is half a sandwich – I share sometimes):

Da Boyz is one of those restaurants that I should have posted about years ago because it is part of my standard rotation and is a local favorite, having been voted the best pizza in town in the most recent newspaper poll. OK, so I finally got around to it.

Brewers

Just a note: Brewers now serves pizza and the menu has changed, but it still has good sandwiches etc.

A more recent addition to the Yuma dining scene is another large restaurant called Brewers:

The story of this restaurant – as I've been told by several different people – is that it is owned and operated by the individual who was once the husband of the owner of Da Boyz. While Brewers is another favorite of mine, it offers some very interesting contrasts to Da Boyz.

The large interior space is more modern in ambience and has a definite sports bar feel to it:

Here is a different view of the interior:

Instead of pizzas, Brewers has a nice selection of flat breads – cheese and toppings on lavash bread. (Rumor has it that Brewers cannot serve pizza because of the divorce settlement – but since I have not read this on the Internet, I do not know it as a fact). In any case, this is the blue bacon flatbread:

This is halfandhalf flatbread – part Mediterranean (spinach, feta, pepperoncini, olive, and garlic) and part Margherita (fresh tomato, basil, and garlic):

Brewers also has sandwiches (each of which comes with a choice of french fries, onion rings, seasoned chips, sweet potato fries, or tater tots). Some of the sandwiches are pretty mediocre. Here is a gyro with onion rings:

The sandwich meat and pita bread were pretty meh, and the onion rings were equally mediocre. Similarly, I should have known better than try a pulled pork sandwich:

However, those tater tots are really excellent. Extremely crunchy outside, moist and flavorful within.

The Santa Fe turkey sandwich was tasty although the roasted green chile did not have real New Mexico flavor. The sweet potato fries, even with this latticework design, lacked much crunch though they were flavorful:

The burgers are generally the best sandwich choices. Here is a basic burger, and you can see the well seasoned, handmade patty as well as the tomato, lettuce, onion, and pickle complements:

And to repeat myself, the tater tots are really good.

Another favorite is the honey mustard chicken burger. Along with the standard toppings of pickle, onion, tomato, and lettuce, you get a large chicken breast filet, a couple of slices of smoky bacon, melted Swiss cheese, and a flavorful honey mustard sauce:

The french fries are just okay.

Some other things here that Tina and I enjoy – recently, she tried the Cobb salad and it was a very good rendition of the standard favorite:

And I could not believe how excellent the fish tacos were:

Yuma is one of those rare places where one can get good Mexican food even at restaurants that are not primarily Mexican restaurants – probably because most of the cooks in Yuma restaurants are Mexicans or Mexican-Americans. Anyway, those fish tacos, while extremely simple, were outstanding. There was just enough white sauce, the cabbage added some vegetable crunch, the salsa was remarkably smoky and spicy, and the fish fillets (yes, each taco contained an entire pollock fillet) were perfectly fried, crunchy on the outside and moist and flavorful inside:

As good as some of the food options are at Brewers, this place has a major advantage over any other place in Yuma: 10-12 taps devoted to various craft brews, mostly from Arizona, California, and Colorado. This is the listing of beers available on May 28 (notice the cross outs and handwritten additions):

Look at the top of the tap list, not the Bud and Millers listed toward the bottom. Here is a very different taplist for June 14:

Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale, Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro, Ballast Point Sculpin Ale, Grand Canyon Shaggy Bock, Four Peaks Peach Ale, Arrogant Bastard, San Tan Brewing Negro Nitro, Four Peaks Sunbru Kolsch, Coronado Mermaid Red, Maui Brewing Coconut Porter, TapIt IPA, Stone IPA, and Sam Adams Summer Ale are just some of the specialty brews available on one or both of those two days. Finally, in Yuma, you can sit down with friends and have beers that look like this:

Or like this:

Wow!! Yuma has arrived in the 21st century. And those beers go really well with deep-fried zucchini:

Da Boyz and Brewers both make my life in Yuma better. If you visit them, they will probably improve your life (though perhaps not your waistline) as well.

Da Boyz Italian Cuisine 284 S Main, Yuma AZ 85364, (928) 783-8383

Brewers Restaurant and Sports Bar, 2331 S Ave B, Yuma AZ, 85364, (928) 783-0073.

COMC: Stuff we ate before our trip: The Waterfront Bar & Grill, Bay Park Fish Company, and lunch at Chin’s Convoy

June 11, 2012 mmm-yoso Burgers, Chinese Restaurants, Seafood

Man, I'm still kinda feeling it, but didn't want to leave you high and dry. Here's a round-up of stuff we had before our vacation….the Missus, after spending too much time talking to folks on our trip now uses the term "holiday"……sigh. Anyway, just another COMC (Clearing out the memory card) post.

The Waterfront Bar & Grill:

Of course I needed to have a burger before we left, so why not The Waterfront early on a quiet weekday?

Just a burger for me…..no big deal………it did the trick.

Of course the Missus just had to order the veggie burger….. I couldn't bring myself to take a photo of it.

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

Bay Park Fish Company:

We hadn't been here in a while and the prices here seem to have gone up. But it's still not bad for what the Missus enjoys here the most. The smoked fish plate.

I actually went for the crab cakes this time around.

These actually had a good amount of crab in them but had been "worked" a bit too much for me. I prefer chunks of crab rather than something that looked like it had been mixed to death.

Bay Park Fish Company
4121 Ashton St
San Diego, CA 92110

Chin's Convoy:

**** This location of Chin's has closed

Seems like I'd been eating here a bit more often recently. Though I really can't tell of anything I especially enjoy. Here's the Wuxi Spareribs which were fairly tender, but possibly too sweet if you're not used to what is often called "Jiangnan" style food…..that would be the cuisine of areas to the immediate south of the Yangtze river.

Not bad, but the sweetness just got kind of tiring after a while….like a piano hitting the same key over and over again. I should have ordered two dishes and dealt with leftovers for dinner.

Chin's
4433 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

New Jersey’s Location in Yuma

May 12, 2012 ed fromyuma Burgers, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, 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

Smashburger – Kearny Mesa

May 9, 2012 mmm-yoso Burgers, Hot Dogs

**** This location of Smashburger has closed

Wow, for a while there seemed to be a Smashburger opening every week in San Diego. Heck, I know that FOY (Friend of Yoso) and fellow food blogger Kirbie seemed to be going to a sneak peek event every week for a while. Cathy also did a nice post on the place. Me???? Well, I’m not one for media events and I kinda just take my sweet old time….being kinda slow and all that. For a while it seemed like Smashburger was into full court press marketing mode and they really seemed to do a good job at it. For some reason, the more hype, the less I’m inclined to really get excited about something…it’s not always true, but most of the time….. Now things have calmed down and I thought I’d really get an honest meal and see what Smashburger is all about. Hmmmm, is the bloom off the rose?

The Kearny Mesa location is fairly close, so I tohught I’d check them out.

The decor is what I now call classic “fast-casual”…it might have been the lighting, but the carpets here seemed to be kinda stained in a few places….not a bad thing. Heck, if it’s burger juice flowing on those carpets…I’m all for adding that element!

Smashburger claims 100% Angus Beef, which I think is great. They also claim to “smash” the beef onto the griddle which has been brushed with butter. Perhaps not the greatest thing, since you can squeeze the juices out of the burger. And yet, I recall the rather thin pressed patties from diners and bowling alleys of my youth which made up for that short coming with a nice crisp exterior.

I really wanted to taste the burger so I went with a Classic ($4.29). I also got some Smash Fries and a drink which totaled out at $8.80.

Now, I thought this looked kinda puny for a burger, but heck it’s Angus Beef, right? Never frozen, etc, etc, etc…. It’s great to fall in love with an idea and all. The burger didn’t really have a nice crust on it and was rather dry. The flavor was pretty weak for certified Angus. I did love the roll, which was moist, bready (in a good way), and somewhat buttery.

I also really enjoyed the fries which were still almost sizzling when the young man brought it to my table. These were seasoned with rosemary, garlic, and olive oil. I thought the flavor was nicely balanced…though I love tons of garlic, I appreciated the restrained hand of all the flavors. The crisp texture didn’t hurt either.

Love the fries….the burger, well, was ok…..

I ended up returning a couple of weeks later and wasn’t really paying attention when I ordered the Chicago Dog, which turned out to be the same price as my previous burger ($4.29)

In this case, the roll was much too bready for the dog, which had been split and griddled. Wrong relish, which also tasted wrong and lack of celery salt made this a Chicago Dog in name only. The dog was dense, it reminded me of a Bison Dog I had recently, though the flavor was very mild. At least the sport peppers were decent……

Since I love onions so much, I ordered the Haystack Onions ($1.99) which I might have really enjoyed if they weren’t cold, greasy, and slightly burnt, which made this bitter.

Well, one out of four, not that great for me. Maybe the burger just wasn’t right on my first visit…or maybe it does have to be buried in toppings? I dunno….

Smashburger – Kearny Mesa
3737 Murphy Canyon Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Anny’s Fine Burger – Kearny Mesa: A first look

March 20, 2012 mmm-yoso Burgers

I really didn't think I'd be doing yet another burger post this soon. I also thought San Diego was pretty much saturated when it came to burgers. But looking back, I guess I was wrong. After mentioning that Anny's Fine Burger was coming to Kearny Mesa, I was surprise at the response. A couple of folks mentioned the need for a decent burger spot in this area…..and you know what, they're probably right. Still, I hadn't planned on visiting Anny's until they had a couple of weeks. But FOY (friend of yoso) "Green Turtle" seemed pretty excited about the prospect of the place opening and "GT" wasn't alone as I got three emails asking me when I planned on trying the place out. So of course I had to go, even if the signs weren't completely up yet.

First off a couple of things to temper what I'm going to write….the place has just opened, they looked like they were trying to find their footing. The folks working were polite, but tense looking. All understandable.

The menu at Anny's is huge with 30 different burger variations and sandwiches, all of which are posted alongside the wall. Everything from your basic burger, bacon cheese burger, to pastrami burgers and something called the Monster burger with "baked pastrami", turkey, and bacon. And in case that wouldn't be enough, you can add a fried egg and even another 1/2 half pound patty! According to "the wall" all 1/2 pound patties are made with Angus Beef.

When I arrived the place was maybe 1/3 full….the place was packed when I left.

If you've been reading long enough, you know that I'll always try a basic burger first, which is why I ordered the Classic Burger ($5.50). A half pound burger, with lettuce, tomato, pickle, red onion and thousand island dressing.

Oh, yes, notice the fries? Well on this day, because of the grand opening and so forth you can get either fries or a soft drink free with your burger. So this may be enough to get you down there. As for my opinion of the fries? Well, I'll go the "don't look a gift horse in the mouth route" and save that for a later time.

Did you notice something about the burger? Take a closer look……

Looks like a double burger….but I only ordered a single. Well that's because it was actually in three pieces. Once I removed that skewer it fell out of the bun onto the plate. Well, at least I got a taste of just the burger. It was on the tough side, though moist. I'm thinking that maybe this is probably more along the lines of 85-15? The burger could use some salt, but it had a bit of beefiness and there seemed to be an onion flavor. The thousand island dressing was very mild which is not a bad thing. There was a bit of lettuce overload going on as well. The bun was toasted but not hard and dry. There's potential for a pretty good burger here and based on Cathy's post on the Santee location, I'm thinking that they can do better. I'm sure they will once they get all the kinks worked out. Funny thing is….I still think it's better than Five Guys.

I'll give them another shot in a couple of weeks.

Anny's Fune Burger
5375 Kearny Villa Road
San Diego, CA 92123

Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 9pm
Sunday 1130am-8pm

So there you go folks…I hope you go and get your free drink or fries!

The Habit Burger Grill – Mission Valley

March 15, 2012 mmm-yoso Burgers

I'm the first to admit; I believe we're past critical mass when it comes to burgers in San Diego….I mean, so we really need another one? In fact, I'm pretty sure we won't be doing a Burger Week this year. It seems like not a week goes by where my junk email box doesn't see some press release or freebie offer for some new burger place. Since I don't do freebies or press "events" (since when am I the "press") I just ignore or delete them….that doesn't make the amount of this stuff less irritating though.

I'd heard mixed messages when it came to The Habit, ranging from it being the lowest on the SYSCO food chain, to totally delicious, char grilled heaven. From being bland, and tasteless, to being a great bargain. Recently, I needed a rather quick lunch in the Mission Valley area, a place long on chains and rather short on what I enjoy eating. An area the ever eloquent Ed from Yuma once called one of the Nine Circles of Food Hell. My first thought was to just drive through In N Out, but man that line is always so long….so I decided to head to The Habit Burger Grill. As I arrived I tried to remember what used to be here…..wasn't it Baja Fresh???

And yes, The Habit too is a chain….of 50 restaurants and growing. What really surprised me were the prices which really weren't bad. The burgers start at $2.95, for a single stripped down burger with no cheese. I ordered a Double Charburger with no cheese($3.95) and decided to make it a meal with fries and a regular drink ($6.95). Just like Fuddruckers they give you that vibrating coaster thing that goes off when you're order's ready if you're eating in. The service was friendly, but not super quick……….

Eventually my coaster vibrated itself right off my table and my order was ready.

At first I thought the burger looked kinda puny compared to the tray cooked-by-the-numbers fries. But at least the right buttons were pressed on the fry station and these were crisp, salty, and hot.

Actually, the burger wasn't quite as small as it looked. Though a single might by barely snack worthy for many folks.

This was by no means terrible and a mixed bag overall. The burger avoided the problems encountered with many char-grilled burgers as it was fairly moist, even kinda greasy to some extent. It did lack a nice char-grilled flavor though. The bun was toasted, crumbly, dry and on it's way to becoming croutons. On the good side, there wasn't mayo overkill. I really couldn't taste the caramelized onions and in fact, much like the burger, when I found a piece I tasted it alone…it was pretty much the same as the burger….bland. Still, all of this for under seven bucks ain't bad.

It's better than one of the "big four" (McDonald's, etc…) burgers (though when did I last have one of those), though I still prefer In N Out. I won't go out of my way for this, but I've had worse burgers and paid much more for it. Honestly, I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not….. As much as I detest the phrase, I'm tempted to say, "it is what it is…." blech, oh well, Que sera, sera……..

The Habit Burger Grill
845 Camino de La Reina
San Diego, CA 92108