Burger wars, re-visited

[Iceman]

I like Joe Willey's, they got a pretty good burger. And their onion rings are the real deal.

[PK]

Sorry BleedingRed+Blue, I couldn't resist the easy jab. Next time I'll aim a little lower and go after Whatasteve (ouch...another easy one). We have at least four maybe five other places to try yet....stay tuned.

[whatasteve]

Hey!
What do you mean "another easy one"?

[PerunaPunch]

Regardless of how you overachieved in acquiring Whatachick, I think PK’s point is that you are, in fact, easy. Do I really need to bring up the longneck incident? No, I didn’t think so.

And now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for.

In most particulars, I have to concur with Whatasteve’s evaluation of the Two Rows Grande Burger. Yes, the hickory bacon was a bit over-the-top, but the burger was mighty fine. I should have gone medium-rare as did PX -- you could have floated a barge on that grease slick. Nothing dry about that burger my friends, let me assure you. PX did the right thing with his onion rings, because taken alone, they weren’t worth the time of day. In the future, go with the fries.

I’m rating Two Rows a 3.4... Really neck-in-neck with Campisi’s; Campisi’s had a slightly tastier product, but Two Rows had the quantity I was looking for. Overall I give the edge to Campisi’s because I might be tempted to order another of their burgers if I found myself at Campisi’s and not wanting pizza. Two Rows is going into the ‘been there/done that’ file.

I think PX would have graded out that Campisi’s burger higher if they’d bothered to ask him how he liked it cooked. If you like your burgers toward the rare side, having to eat a burger that’s well done is not altogether appealing. That’s why I stay away from Chips. Last time I ate there, my burger tasted like a greasy charcoal briquette, so I tossed it. Whereas the other people I was eating with didn’t really seem to mind.

[Horizon Shine]

Don't know if I'm a little late on this one, but Jakes on Skillman is fabulous. For my dining opinion, a burger is as good as the fries and drink, and Jakes serves great fries and the beer is at market price. You can even buy 6-packs and 12-packs at a time. Their non-alcoholic beverages, for those who might hit it up for lunch, and I'm sure some of you might like to throw a few back on your lunch breaks anyway,their ice is tiny crushed cubes and go perfectly with their burgers and fries. My personal rating: 3.8 out of 5. Rose's will be frequented Monday so look for an update soon.

[whatasteve]

Woah - Jake's might just have to make an appearance on the list of future dining destinations. Thanks, Shine.

And PerunaPunch, there's no need to take potshots. Heckle me as you see fit for employing sleight-of-hand, flat-out deceit or perhaps excessive alcohol in "acquiring" Whatachick (she'll love to know she's now property), but keep in mind that you married up -- WAY up -- by acquiring the lovely Mrs. Punch. Whatachick is still determining my meager purpose in her life. The lovely Mrs. Punch seems to be locked in for the long haul, and even more impressively, she seems OK with that notion. So who's the one who really overachieved.

And I've never had a longneck in my life. As far as you know. Or as far as anyone needs to know.

[This message has been edited by whatasteve (edited 04-27-2002).]

[PK]

Jake's is a legend type place being that it is owned by the same people that own Keller's Drive-in (one of the last of the old time drive-ins with car-hops and all) located on NW Hwy. near Abrams Road and has basically the same menu. I agree with Horizon Shine that the burgers and fries are good, but I'm not sure they produce anything BIG enough for PX's enjoyment. We can certainly added it to the list if everyone wants to try it. For that matter,if anyone has a large enough convertible for all of us to fit in, we could try Keller's (you gotta have a convertible to enjoy a drive-in).

[This message has been edited by PK (edited 04-28-2002).]

[PX]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR><font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Iceman:
<B>I like Joe Willey's, they got a pretty good burger. And their onion rings are the real deal.</B></font><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I used to be a big Joe Willies fan, too, burgers,onion rings, fried mushrooms, etc. But I've heard that the place has changed management, and its just not the same anymore. It would be worth checking out, though, just to see if rumors are true.

[whatasteve]

Joe Willy's has to be on the list. Onion rings are great. Burgers are pretty good, too. Well worth adding to the list. And Whatachick has never been there, I don't think. She needs to have her horizons broadened.

[Rambo]

Went to joe Willy's today....

The food hasn't changed. The new owner/manager was great. Drawback--no 1 lb burger.

Only changes since old management (that I noticed):

1. No NTN
2. Front doors are new
3. You can get your own drinks now ++
4. No pop-a-shot (I think it was already gone though.)
5. SMU promotional signs ++++
6. You can get shakes now.

[PonyTales]

Why does Whatachick need her horizons broadened? Where does she normally go when she goes out? Maybe she needs a significant other with better taste (in terms of food). But since she seems to be a willing part of the Burger Wars, if she and Whatasteve ever part company, maybe I can show her some of the choice burger locations around here.

[whatasteve]

PonyTales, what are you doing here? Whatachick is taken, thank you. Go find your own. Cut me some slack here.
And can we get back to Burger Wars here?

[PX]

I know the Snuffers Burger. I've eaten the Snuffers Burger. You, sir, are an average burger. Not particulary bad, but nothing outstanding, either. Just a step or 2 above the Big Mac. So, when this litte excursion led us to Snuffers I saw no point in eating an average burger that I've already had a dozen times before, and was completely familiar with. Instead, I opted for something a little out of the ordinary, the Snuffers turkey burger. The turkey burger provided an interesting change of pace, very tasty lean meat, juicy without being greasy. It wasnt exactly the same as a good beef burger, but its a bit above average, easily surpassing the Snuffers beef counterpart.
I didnt need to eat the Snuffer burger again to rate it, out of the 3 places we've visited its a rock solid #3. I expect it to hold onto that position for at least a week, until we visit another restaraunt. Outside of the burgers, fried mushrooms, queso and superior onion rings (although some of mine had been in the fryer too long) made for an excellent dinner experience. The surrounding appetizers working hard to make up for what the burger lacked.
For me, the real highlight of the meal was running into an old teammate. Former Mustang safety [deleted] Sherrick was back in town for business, and it was just good fortune that we were both at Snuffers that night. I havent seen [deleted] for at least 12 years. He lives in California now, where he owns a company that sells heavy equipment (bulldozers, backhoes, etc.) For anyone who doesnt remember [deleted] he started at Strong safety for the Mustangs in 1985 and 86.

I'll be absent from the burger search next week, as academic pursuits must take precedence.

[PK]

We have GOT to start being more selective in where we go for burgers. Snuffer's burgers are pretty much run of the mill....not bad mind you, but far from outstanding. Sorry PX, but I don't think I could bring myself to order a turkeyburger. The fried mushrooms just might be the best thing on their menu...and they are quite good. Although no one other than me thinks the Campisi's burger is the King I think we all agree it is the best we have sampled so far in our quest for the best.

1. Campisi's
2. Two Rows
3. Snuffer's (this one will undoubtedly drop some more in the future)

[This message has been edited by PK (edited 05-02-2002).]

[whatasteve]

PX, I can't believe you're letting academics stand in the way of Burger Analysis. But you are to be commended for your diligence, if nothing else.

With that said, of the three burgers we have sampled en masse thus far, the rankings stand thusly:

1. Campisi's
2. Two Rows
3. Snuffer's

I hadn't had a Snuffer's burger in years, and this week I remembered why. These things are the culinary equivalent of the beef pucks served in the SMU cafeteria at Hughes Trigg. I'm not like PK, who gets all bent out of shape because of the presence of lettuce. But there was nothing redeemable about this burger. It was edible. Tolerable. And very mediocre. Flat, squished patty that leaker grease to the point that it saturated the bun beyond recognition. WAY too salty. Flavor was below par. Very likely the last burger I'll ever have there, and I'll discourage others from ordering a burger there, if only for the fact that they have too many other things that are worth eating.

For instance: one of the reasons I dig Whatachick so much is that she shovels leftovers in my direction. She, like PX, had the turkey burger. When she was done, I resumed my role as her personal garbage disposal, and I must say, I was very pleasantly surprised. The turkey burger was thicker than its bovine counterpart, and much, much tastier. It also wasn't doing an impression of a salt lick, as the beef burger did. The turkey burger is well worth ordering.

Don't get me wrong - Snuffer's is a great place, as we all recall from midnight sojourns there when we were students. There are so many great items there: the legendary cheese fries, their chicken sandwiches are great, and their chips and queso is without peer. So this is by no means a plea to boycott Snuffer's -- anything but. Just stay away from tthe burgers.