CheeseburgerMania: 2013

Friday, August 30, 2013

North End Bistro - Princeton, NJ

They call this a croissant bun, however it ends up being an ungrilled/ unbuttered multigrain bun. What a disappointment! Stick with their Mac-n-cheese. It's a home run.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The New Brewery - Kingston, TN

You pretty much have to see it to believe it. Queen or King of Dive bars- this place takes the cake. That's all I can say. Besides the fact that there is a huge No Smoking sign on the door as you walk in, there is an ashtray on every table and everyone at the bar is smoking! An adventure for sure. I can't even comment on the burger!

Jake's Wayback Burgers - West WIndsor, NJ

http://www.waybackburgers.com/
Just a decent burger. We got the "cheesy burger" which only means they butter andn grill the bun and then invert it to put on top of the burger. While good, it 's makes it REALLY greasy. A good give though in a pinch.

The Spence - Atlanta, GA

http://www.thespenceatl.com/?landing
This is a Top Chef Richard Blais restaurant. It was EXCELLENT! I went during a leadership forum with my good friend John. Two people 4 entrees and 3 apps and/or sides....not kidding. We ate A LOT!! And all of it was good. It's a great place to check out if you find yourself in Atlanta!

Umami Burger - Santa Monica, CA

http://www.umami.com/umami-burger/eats/umami-santa-monica/
I got to share this treat with my UCLA colleague. We ordered all sorts of fries in many combinations- order the truffle fries- they win! We ordered the truffle burger and the classic burger and split them. Gotta tell ya that the classic wins hands down. It's a bit of a wait to get this burger, and it was good, but I'm not sure I'd wait again for it again. It was good, but there are to many great burgers out there to wait in line again!

West Rib Pub - Talkeetna, AK

http://talkeetnawestribpub.com/
This is a "Man vs. Food" TV site. A 5lb. elk burger was to much to go after so we stuck with the regular burgers. It was good, not great, because it was overcooked. The parmesan garlic fries made up for any issues with my burger!

Mt. McKinley Princess Lodge -Talkeetna, AK

http://www.princesslodges.com/mckinley-lodge.cfm
It was a bit overcooked and I managed to get over it because I had great friends and an amazing view on McKinley from the deck of the lodge restaurant. Fun place to stay and the town of Talkeetna is a throw back to good 'ole American living.

Kennicott Glacier Lodge - Kennicott, AK

http://www.kennicottlodge.com/
My Anchorage friends own and run this place and it is a MUST SEE while in Alaska. While breakfast and dinner are family style seating, lunch is an order off the menu...when you're not eating one of their amazing take-away lunches on your hike! I had the Bison burger and it was a treat. Amazing pepper jack cheese, this burger needed no more condiments. A true sign of a great burger!
If you want to splurge and you're going to Alaska, make the effort to get to this lodge!

The Lucky Wishbone- Anchorage, AK

http://www.luckywishbone.com/menu.html
While I know I was suppose to order chicken, how could I not order a burger? I had the pleasure of eating here with my good Anchorage friends. This classic joint still had the owner sitting in the dining room. Word on the block is he's eaten there every day that he's owned it. It's an Anchorage institution. Give it a try!

Cherry Cricket- Denver, CO

The famous Cherry Cricket in Denver on the way to Colorado Springs for a leadership workshop. Good chow! Great Mac-n cheese bites, green chili fries and burger. Focus on the word good. Not great. I gotta believe Colorado can do better! I got the smaller burger so the meat to bun ratio wasn't good. My assistant and burger partner in crime got the next size up & said it made the difference. Hard to tell since she got bacon on it and she lives for bacon!

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Black Duck Cafe - Westport, CT

Looks can be deceiving! Diners, Drive-ins and Dives got this on my radar. Good burger, not great. Cool Dive though! Skip the fries as they are just not special.

The Grind, Atlanta airport

Avoid at all costs! This place tried hard but I threw the burger away!

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

Agricola - Princeton,NJ

Well....not bad. The meat was great and the bun ruined it! The bun was so chewy it was hard to get a good bite. If they fix that this burger will rock. It's a tad on the juicy/greasy side but I can get over that. This might be the new find in Tigertown at this new farm to table restaurant. Great bar atmosphere. This burger comes with beet catsup (of course!) and a solid batch of fries!

Madison Bar & Grill- Hoboken, NJ

Little did I know when I entered this restaurant with my good friends the McNulty's that I would find one of the best burgers around! I highly recommend this place. And the fries were excellent too!