The hubs and I just got back from a VERY belated honeymoon in California. We saw just about everything -- we flew into San Francisco, stayed a few nights, and then drove south on Highway 1, ending up in Los Angeles. I came away with a new appreciation for red wine, a fascination with Old Hollywood, and a list of definite "dos" (and one complete "don't) for anyone travelling to California.
Places I Loved:
Perbacco (San Francisco): wonderful Italian food in a loud, slightly crowded but very stylish atmosphere. This place taught me the difference between really well-made gnocchi and the stuff I've been eating from the grocery store. Plus their "Ugly But Good" cookies are NOT to be missed.
La Bellasera (Paso Robles): This is a hotel and not a restaurant, but it's a must-do if you're in Paso. A lovely little place, very close to wineries and good food, with incredibly spacious and clean rooms at an stunningly low price.
burger. (Santa Cruz): An amazingly funky little place. Delicious, fresh burgers with fun California names ("The Dude") and a nice bar. This is a great place to stop for lunch on your way down Highway 1.
Dearly Departed Tours (Hollywood): Again, this isn't a place to eat, but it's a lot of fun. We took plenty of tours on our vacation (Hearst Castle, Hollywood Homes, Alcatraz) and this was by far our favorite. It's not for children (or the faint of heart), but it's great for anyone who loves Old Hollywood or true crime stories.
Skooby's (L.A.): Confession time -- I LOVE hot dogs. The ones at Skooby's are perfect, topped with a variety of fun and non-traditional toppings and served in warm buns on the side of Hollywood Boulevard. The lemonade is amazing too.
Place I HATED:
Whale Watcher Cafe (Big Sur): Avoid this place at all costs. It's located in the middle of nowhere, which is the only reason why we stopped -- I was starving. Flies everywhere, only one server, and they still had the nerve to charge almost $20 for a tuna sandwich. We actually walked out without ordering. Turns out, I would rather wait an hour and eat a burger at the Hearst Castle food court than eat at the Fly Watcher.
Showing posts with label Burgers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Burgers. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2012
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Out of Town Special: Butcher Boys
My husband had to take a deposition in Nacogdoches and I went along for the ride. His coworker Fred really likes Butcher Boys, so I thought I would give it a shot.
What I got was a delicious hand-formed patty of fresh (they grind it in-house) ground beef served on a warm and crusty bun with lettuce, tomato, mustard and mayo. The meat was perfectly cooked, with just enough "ooze", and the fries on the side were well-seasoned and more-than-serviceable. It was inexpensive, accessible and filling -- a delicious meal to fill up with before we headed back to Houston.
Butcher Boys offers a ton of other meals, from rib-eye steak to hot links, but I can't comment on those. All I can say is that Butcher Boys is a great addition to my already long list of great Texas burger dives. Nom!
What I got was a delicious hand-formed patty of fresh (they grind it in-house) ground beef served on a warm and crusty bun with lettuce, tomato, mustard and mayo. The meat was perfectly cooked, with just enough "ooze", and the fries on the side were well-seasoned and more-than-serviceable. It was inexpensive, accessible and filling -- a delicious meal to fill up with before we headed back to Houston.
Butcher Boys offers a ton of other meals, from rib-eye steak to hot links, but I can't comment on those. All I can say is that Butcher Boys is a great addition to my already long list of great Texas burger dives. Nom!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Special Out of Town Edition: Hut's Burgers
Hut's Hamburgers is an Austin staple. I was surprised to find that one reviewer said it did not have "an atmosphere to impress", because I thought this place was pretty chic for a dive. A stuffed long-horn head, lots of sports banners and bumper stickers (particularly the Atlanta Braves -- must have a fan on the staff) and signed photographs of musicians hang on the wall, pretty much imploring you to have a good time.
We went with burgers because you practically have to. I got the Hut's favorite, which happens to include all of my favorites too: mayo, tomato, lettuce, bacon and American cheese. My husband got the Alan Freed, which has BBQ sauce.* We also ordered a half order of fries and onion rings.
The burger was very good: juicy, salty and savory with fresh toppings and a nice toasted bun. I thought it was refreshing that Hut's offered a burger with ONLY my favorite toppings on it; for once, I didn't have to ask them to hold the onions or pickles. The fries were also very good.
The big disappointment was the onion rings. These rings were just too big, meaning that the onion inside was practically raw. The breading was thick and tasteless, until you bit into one of the (many, large) pieces of black pepper, in which case your entire mouth would be coated in that taste. Not my cup of tea.
Service and prices at Hut's were exactly what you would expect: competent and low, respectively.
Was Hut's the best burger I've ever had? No. That honor still belongs to Dubl-R in Waco. After that, I would say Lankford Grocery followed by Hut's, Hubcap and Kitok closely tied for third. If you're in or near any of those establishments this Christmas, or any time of year, hit up those places. Your arteries might not appreciate it, but your taste buds will.
*Word to the wise: Hut's lists all of the toppings for each burger on the menu. If it isn't listed, and you don't ask for it, you won't get it. My husband mistakenly thought that the Alan Freed would include typical burger toppings, such as lettuce and onion, even though they weren't included in the burger description. It didn't, and he was disappointed.
We went with burgers because you practically have to. I got the Hut's favorite, which happens to include all of my favorites too: mayo, tomato, lettuce, bacon and American cheese. My husband got the Alan Freed, which has BBQ sauce.* We also ordered a half order of fries and onion rings.
The burger was very good: juicy, salty and savory with fresh toppings and a nice toasted bun. I thought it was refreshing that Hut's offered a burger with ONLY my favorite toppings on it; for once, I didn't have to ask them to hold the onions or pickles. The fries were also very good.
The big disappointment was the onion rings. These rings were just too big, meaning that the onion inside was practically raw. The breading was thick and tasteless, until you bit into one of the (many, large) pieces of black pepper, in which case your entire mouth would be coated in that taste. Not my cup of tea.
Service and prices at Hut's were exactly what you would expect: competent and low, respectively.
Was Hut's the best burger I've ever had? No. That honor still belongs to Dubl-R in Waco. After that, I would say Lankford Grocery followed by Hut's, Hubcap and Kitok closely tied for third. If you're in or near any of those establishments this Christmas, or any time of year, hit up those places. Your arteries might not appreciate it, but your taste buds will.
*Word to the wise: Hut's lists all of the toppings for each burger on the menu. If it isn't listed, and you don't ask for it, you won't get it. My husband mistakenly thought that the Alan Freed would include typical burger toppings, such as lettuce and onion, even though they weren't included in the burger description. It didn't, and he was disappointed.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
The Counter
The Counter is a brand-new burger joint in the building where my husband works. The concept seems to be a futuristic diner. The walls are white and light blue, with stainless steel tables and chairs and round hanging lights. A very inviting bar takes up a large portion of the front of the room, and there is a small patio outside (although on a beautiful day like today, you probably won't be able to find a seat on it).
The ordering process at The Counter is clever. After you're seated, the hostess gives you an order form to fill out, and then you hand it to the waitress. They call it "BYOB: Build Your Own Burger", and the selection of toppings and sauces is huge.
The possibilities for building your burger are pretty much endless, but I wanted to taste (and review) the burger, so I kept my toppings simple: bean sprouts, mayonnaise, tomato and lettuce on a multigrain bun.
Let me start by saying that I made two mistakes here. First, I ordered my burger cooked medium, and the center was so pink that I didn't feel comfortable eating it. My husband ordered his medium-well and the color was much more appetizing.
Second, I didn't order a regular hamburger roll. My roll was too thick and tasted like it wasn't quite fresh. Not stale, but not the soft roll I was expecting. Again, my husband went the sensible route here and got a regular hamburger bun, which was a much better choice.
That said, I didn't love this burger. It wasn't juicy at all, which didn't help the bun. I couldn't eat a large portion of the middle because it was undercooked. The sides of the burger, which were well cooked, were tasty, but I didn't feel the love in this burger. It wasn't terrible. But it just ... wasn't great.
In a way, The Counter reminds me of something I saw on Top Chef a few years ago. It was restaurant wars, and one of the teams decided to do a "high class diner" featuring "the best burger you've ever had." The judges didn't think that their burger was the best burger they had ever had. You know why? Because the best burger you'll ever have won't be cooked in a trendy, clean, high-concept place in a brand-new building. The best burger you'll ever have will be cooked on a dirty griddle in the back of a little shack in a small town somewhere.
The concept and styling of The Counter are very cool. But the food can't live up to the concept, and that's never a good thing.
The ordering process at The Counter is clever. After you're seated, the hostess gives you an order form to fill out, and then you hand it to the waitress. They call it "BYOB: Build Your Own Burger", and the selection of toppings and sauces is huge.
The possibilities for building your burger are pretty much endless, but I wanted to taste (and review) the burger, so I kept my toppings simple: bean sprouts, mayonnaise, tomato and lettuce on a multigrain bun.
Let me start by saying that I made two mistakes here. First, I ordered my burger cooked medium, and the center was so pink that I didn't feel comfortable eating it. My husband ordered his medium-well and the color was much more appetizing.
Second, I didn't order a regular hamburger roll. My roll was too thick and tasted like it wasn't quite fresh. Not stale, but not the soft roll I was expecting. Again, my husband went the sensible route here and got a regular hamburger bun, which was a much better choice.
That said, I didn't love this burger. It wasn't juicy at all, which didn't help the bun. I couldn't eat a large portion of the middle because it was undercooked. The sides of the burger, which were well cooked, were tasty, but I didn't feel the love in this burger. It wasn't terrible. But it just ... wasn't great.
In a way, The Counter reminds me of something I saw on Top Chef a few years ago. It was restaurant wars, and one of the teams decided to do a "high class diner" featuring "the best burger you've ever had." The judges didn't think that their burger was the best burger they had ever had. You know why? Because the best burger you'll ever have won't be cooked in a trendy, clean, high-concept place in a brand-new building. The best burger you'll ever have will be cooked on a dirty griddle in the back of a little shack in a small town somewhere.
The concept and styling of The Counter are very cool. But the food can't live up to the concept, and that's never a good thing.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Lankford Grocery
I enjoy burgers. I've blogged about Hubcap before. I've blogged about Christian's Totem. But last weekend I went all out and had my first burger from Lankford Grocery. Lankford is the stuff of legends: rated in the top 5 by Texas Burger Guy and featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. Needless to say, I had high expectations, and I wasn't disappointed.
Let's start with the seating. One of the coolest things about Lankford is that you don't have to wait on line to order a burger or get a table. All you do is sit down and wait and the waitresses find you. I recommend eating outside, if the weather's nice. With shaded picnic tables and coolers full of coke in abundance, the outside seating at Lankford's is reminiscent of a backyard cook out.
But with better food.
I kept it simple and went with a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. My burger was perfectly cooked, thick and very juicy. Unlike some other Houston burgers I've tried, this burger had just the right amount of salt. The toppings were all very fresh, but if I had one complaint, it would be that there was too much bacon. That's right, I said it. You can have too much bacon. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE bacon and this was quality stuff, but it overpowered the flavor of the burger and threw the balance of the other toppings off. Easy solution though: just pull off a little bit of the bacon and eat it later, maybe coupled with an onion rings.
The onion rings: normally I think of side dishes served with burgers as throw aways. I'll try them, but I don't ever expect them to compete with the burger, and I've never tried one that's been better than the burger. These rings weren't necessarily better than my burger, but they were really really good. Very crispy, very large, and a tad bit sweet, I managed to wolf down quite a few before my stomach started threatening to explode.
Service at Lankford isn't exactly fast, but the waitresses are very friendly. One word to the wise: you don't wait for your check. Just go inside and tell the man at the counter your name and that you were on the porch, and he'll give you your total. This seems counter-intuitive when everything else has been served to you at your table, but now you know.
So you might be wondering at this point, whose burgers do I like better: Hubcap, Christian's or Lankford? Hard call. The burgers at all three of these places were really good. If I were judging on food alone, I would probably say Hubcap. However, if you factor in service and atmosphere, I'm going to have to go with Lankford. As the cooler days of fall (hopefully) approach, sitting on the porch at Lankford will only become more appealing ... and the food ain't half bad either.
Let's start with the seating. One of the coolest things about Lankford is that you don't have to wait on line to order a burger or get a table. All you do is sit down and wait and the waitresses find you. I recommend eating outside, if the weather's nice. With shaded picnic tables and coolers full of coke in abundance, the outside seating at Lankford's is reminiscent of a backyard cook out.
But with better food.
I kept it simple and went with a bacon cheeseburger and onion rings. My burger was perfectly cooked, thick and very juicy. Unlike some other Houston burgers I've tried, this burger had just the right amount of salt. The toppings were all very fresh, but if I had one complaint, it would be that there was too much bacon. That's right, I said it. You can have too much bacon. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE bacon and this was quality stuff, but it overpowered the flavor of the burger and threw the balance of the other toppings off. Easy solution though: just pull off a little bit of the bacon and eat it later, maybe coupled with an onion rings.
The onion rings: normally I think of side dishes served with burgers as throw aways. I'll try them, but I don't ever expect them to compete with the burger, and I've never tried one that's been better than the burger. These rings weren't necessarily better than my burger, but they were really really good. Very crispy, very large, and a tad bit sweet, I managed to wolf down quite a few before my stomach started threatening to explode.
Service at Lankford isn't exactly fast, but the waitresses are very friendly. One word to the wise: you don't wait for your check. Just go inside and tell the man at the counter your name and that you were on the porch, and he'll give you your total. This seems counter-intuitive when everything else has been served to you at your table, but now you know.
So you might be wondering at this point, whose burgers do I like better: Hubcap, Christian's or Lankford? Hard call. The burgers at all three of these places were really good. If I were judging on food alone, I would probably say Hubcap. However, if you factor in service and atmosphere, I'm going to have to go with Lankford. As the cooler days of fall (hopefully) approach, sitting on the porch at Lankford will only become more appealing ... and the food ain't half bad either.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Christian's Totem
For a self-proclaimed dive bar, Christian's Tailgate (formerly Christian's Totem) sure gets a lot of good press. It's listed on Playboy.com's A-list for America's Ten Best Burgers. It was also highly rated by the Texas Burger Guy. To say we went in with high expectations would be quite an understatement.
The first thing I noticed was that Christian's is surprisingly large, clean and well-lit. We've eaten some of our favorite meals at some pretty questionable establishments (anyone ever been to Cupp's in Waco?), so this was a little disconcerting.
The second thing I noticed was that they got our order wrong. Not stunningly wrong -- my burger had the wrong type of cheese, and they gave us fries instead of onion rings -- but since all we ordered were two burgers, one side, and 2 serve-yourself drinks, this also didn't bode well.
What a surprise then that the food was everything we were hoping for. I had a cheeseburger (American, though that wasn't my choice) with lettuce, tomato, mayo and mustard. The patty was a 1/3 pounder, thick and delightfully salty. It wasn't quite as juicy as I had hoped--I like a little ooze in my burger--but the meat was very good quality and all of the toppings were very fresh. I managed to eat the whole thing, but it wasn't easy, and I didn't feel like eating anything else for the rest of the day. Super-filling and super-tasty for only $7 a pop.
The fries weren't anything to write home about, but that may have only been my disappointment at not getting my onion rings clouding my judgment. I'm willing to forgive mediocre fries for a fabulous burger; in fact, I pretty much expect mediocre fries, which is why I don't usually order them. How can a couple of fried potatoes live up to 1/3 pound of American Angus on a bun? Now fried onions, well, that's a whole 'nother story.
One note about atmosphere: we went to Christian's on a Wednesday around noon, and it was so crowded we ended up sitting at the bar. We weren't drinking -- although the set up is fabulous, if you care to do so -- but the dude next to us was. Heavily. About a pitcher of Bud Light in, he started hitting on the bartender, who wasn't interested and wasn't afraid to show it. Though it sounds funny, it was really just kind of awkward and sad. From the look on the bartender's face, you could tell this kind of thing happens to her a lot, so prepare yourself if you decide to sit at the bar.
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