Hamilton's on Magnolia- Auburn, AL

 A disappointment- 'nuff said

ZaZu GastroPub- Auburn, AL

My first ever burger with pulled pork on top- YUM.  And the truffle fries don't disappoint!

Anns Snack Bar- Atlanta, GA

The Wall Street Journal calls this the best burger in the USA.  I say....it's close! However, the EXPERIENCE is the best in the USA.  I went here with my friend John who told me about this place years ago. We arrived (photo above) and had a good chuckle. A true screen door joint.  We opened the door and were "not so politely" told to wait outside until a seat opened up. There are 7-8 stools at a counter, when one opens you can enter and sit. You then wait, keep your mouth shut until you are recognized and asked exactly what do you want.  No menu except the board.  We sneaked a brief conversation in with the guy next to us at the counter who told us he fell asleep trying to eat the famous ghetto burger. That being said, we went for the regular cheeseburger.  We sat outside for 20 minutes, we sat at the counter quietly for a good 15 minutes until we were recognized by the one and only "Miss Ann". She took the order.  Another 10-15 minutes goes by and then you see her slapping a big handful of meat on the griddle- 10 handfuls for 10 burgers.  Then she takes a huge spatula and just flattens these burgers, shakes a little house seasoning over them, slaps them again, flips them, slaps them again. Then she cuts onion up with nothing short of a machete.  Then she flips them again, slaps them, pushes them, slaps them. I mean this goes on for 30+ minutes- no kidding.  Now I'm thinking "how can any burger that's been smashed, slapped, pushed, flipped and smashed again that many times be good?".  We are trying not to bust out laughing but we are dying of starvation by now.  Then she takes the buns and opens a 1-door kitchen oven and shoves them under the broiler.  She moves only as fast as she wants so. 8 of these 10 burgers are for ghetto burgers ordered by other folks at the counter. Pictured above as a double patty.  The other 2 burgers are ours.  It took a serious 10 minutes to put this together, so 1 hour in and we're still waiting.  Then the moment of truth, it's set in front of us. We bite in eagerly and grin.  I say to John, "you know, for a burger that's been cooked for an hour, it's pretty darn good!".  If you are in Atlanta- you MUST go.  AND I could not finish my single patty burger.  I would have ended up in the hospital if I had tried the ghetto burger.  Although I wanted to!  Give it a try. It's a memory for the books.  Thanks for taking me John!

The Vortex- Atlanta, GA

I have heard about this place forever. While it was good....it's no Minnetta Tavern or Top 10 Burger. Sorry Atlanta.  I was however charmed by the nacho tater tots- I mean you gotta love that.  The burger was solid, cooked well and you can get pretty much anything you can think of on top. I went for Pimento Cheese, after all, I'm a southern girl.  It was good, just not great.  The bun was weak, should have been toasted...a missed opportunity.  It's worth a trip if you're in town.

Benton's Bacon, Madisonville, TN

I know this isn't a burger but it's worth the feature in this blog.  This is Benton's Bacon- made famous by the World famous Blackberry Farm restaurant and Inn outside Knoxville, TN.  Now when you are in many part of the country you'll see dishes that feature Benton's Bacon.  It's a smoke-house you need to know about- especially if you want bacon on your burger.

T.C. Grill, Maryville, TN

This is another "you gotta see it to believe it" road side classics.  My friends brought me here today to get this beauty on my list.  While it's not ever going to be a "top 10" burger, it's a good-solid burger worth venturing out for.  And even if you don't eat burgers, ya gotta go for the smoked fries.  You heard me right....smoked french fries!  They are awesome and unique.  They come crispy with a smoke sea salt mixture all over them.  They smell and taste as if they have been cooked outside in the smoker.  This is truly a no-frills kinda place.  When my friend Jerry asked our waitress if he could please have a slice of onion for his burger, she said "gladly". She then returned to the table with a small plate with one onion RING on it. Not a slice, not a small piece....one ring of a slice of onion that once put on the burger it almost disappeared.  That made the whole trip worthwhile!  If you are ever in the smokey mountains or in Knoxville, TN, venture out to TC Grill and get yourself a burger!