Burger wars, re-visited

[Jim Rome]

For those of you who ever get your way out to Southern California, make sure to stop by The Counter in Marina Del Rey. I'd heard of it but never been there until today, and all I can say is WOW. Sure, there are some weird, California touches (you choose your "meat" — beef, turkey, chicken or ... veggie? ... and you get to order weird toppings, like dried cranberries), but the burger itself (beef, of course) was SENSATIONAL. Juicy, flavorful and (if you're a pig, like I am), HUGE.

I'll be back ... soon and often. Outstanding.

[MrMustang1965]

Worst burgers/cheeseburgers according to Men's Health/Yahoo.

Worst Cheeseburger with Everything
Wendy’s Double with Everything and Cheese
700 calories
40 g fat (17 g saturated, 2 g trans)
1,440 mg sodium

Worst Burger and Fries
In-N-Out Burger Hamburger and French Fries
790 calories
37 g fat (10 g saturated)
895 mg sodium
Worst Plain Cheeseburger

Five Guys Cheeseburger (plain)
840 calories
55 g fat (22.5 g saturated)
1,050 mg sodium

Worst Burger Brand
Carl’s Jr. Six Dollar Burger
890 calories
54 g fat (20 g saturated, 2 g trans)
2,040 mg sodium

Worst “Original” Burger
Hardee’s Original Thickburger (1/3 lb)
910 calories
64 g fat (21 g saturated)

Worst Fast-Food Cheeseburger in America
Burger King Triple Whopper Sandwich with Cheese and Mayo
1,250 calories
84 g fat (32 g saturated, 3.5 g trans)
1,600 mg sodium
1,560 mg sodium

http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis ... t-instead/

[PonyPride]

Stopped in LA on the way to Hawaii, and finally sampled In-and-Out Burger for the first time. As fast food goes, it was pretty good. Unlike some fast food chains, the burger actually tasted like beef, as opposed to the cardboard some places offer up.

Fries were pretty weak, but the burger wasn't bad at all.

[RE Tycoon]

Ate at Motor & Maple today. Average at best. My burger was overcooked (not even a hint of pink) and the generic yellow mustard was overpowering the burger taste (I prefer dijon). Also, they didn't have a wide variety of toppings. Being from CA, I love a few slices of avocado on my burger.

Fries were mediocre, a little overdone on the seasoning.

I did get a nice Blvd. Beer with my meal, so that was redeeming.

I like the place though, and the owner was walking around making sure everything was copacetic.

[RedStar]

Hamburger Harolds in Corinth, Mississippi. It's redonk. They've been in business since 1960 and didn't even have a sign or a phone until last year. They use the same grill today as they did the day they opened their doors 49 years ago. I know either none of you have ever been/or will ever go. But if you ever pass thru Corinth, you should try to stop by. Corinth's not a big town, so it's easy to find, just ask a local.

[Peruna 2K5]

I apologize if it has been mentioned already, for I don't prefer to peruse 82 pages of thread to make sure, but Love Shack burger in the Stockyards is great. Only complaint is that they use processed American cheese.

[Dark Horse]

American cheese? Unacceptable.

Has to be cheddar or Swiss.

[MrMustang1965]

Were my eyes playing tricks on me tonight...or did I see that Twisted Root Burger Co. is opening a location on S.M.U. Blvd., just east of Central Expressway on the other side of the DART line????

[Eye In the Sky]

I saw that as well. The signs were posted on that new Shelby apartment/condo building, across from The Barley House. I've only been to Twisted Root one time so it would be great if they would open on SMU Blvd since I don't exactly get to their other location too often. If they are smart, they would stay open after 2 a.m. and serve all the drunks leaving, Barley, Milo's, etc.

[MrMustang1965]

UPDATE!

Just got off of the phone with Jason Boso, manager of Twisted Root Burger Co., who has CONFIRMED that there will be a location opening on the ground floor of the Shelby Condominiums on S.M.U. Boulevard, east of Central Expressway before Greenville Avenue, within the next few months.

"My contractor tells me we'll be opening in late March or early April," said Boso. "However, I'm leaning towards probably opening in May."

Boso says that this Twisted Root Burger Co. will be a bit different from the locations in Deep Ellum and Richardson.

"We're going to cater to the college crowd," he said. "Our hours of operations will be 11 a.m. to either midnight or, if we get a strong after hours crowd, even 2 a.m. We'll just have to experiment with that. We'll also have a full-service bar for mixed drinks, as well as beer and wine."

Boso also said that the building itself will pay homage to Carroll Shelby, inventor of the Shelby GT Mustang vehicle, whose garage used to be on the same spot where the condomininum project bearing his surname is being built along with Twisted Root Burger Company.

"We'll have 3 garage doors that can open during more seasonable weather directly out onto S.M.U. Boulevard," Boso said. "And we're anticipating a strong college student turnout since fraternity row is directly on the other side of Central Expressway and within walking distance."

Boso said he's also anticipating a strong turnout of tourists from the soon-to-be built President George W. Bush Library which will also be within walking distance of the new Twisted Root Burger Company.

"That's our plan. To be on the 'ground floor' of the eating establishments that will start to spring up when the library begins drawing tourists and visitors to its S.M.U. campus location," said Boso.

Boso said that there will be up to eight and maybe as many as 12 wide-screen television sets in the new Twisted Root Burger Company to accomodate the sports-minded patrons.

"We're very aware of the sports programs at S.M.U. and the attraction that will have for our patrons," he added. "And we'll have some S.M.U.-themed decor in the new Twisted Root Burger Company. I won't say yet what it will be but I believe all S.M.U. Mustangs sports fans will be very pleased with the artwork that we'll have on display."

[PK]

Very cool.

[RGV Pony]

good writeup, 65. You need to get it to GuideLive &/or the Observer

[Dutch]

UPDATE!

Just got off of the phone with Jason Boso, manager of Twisted Root Burger Co., who has CONFIRMED that there will be a location opening on the ground floor of the Shelby Condominiums on S.M.U. Boulevard, east of Central Expressway before Greenville Avenue, within the next few months.

"My contractor tells me we'll be opening in late March or early April," said Boso. "However, I'm leaning towards probably opening in May."

Boso says that this Twisted Root Burger Co. will be a bit different from the locations in Deep Ellum and Richardson.

"We're going to cater to the college crowd," he said. "Our hours of operations will be 11 a.m. to either midnight or, if we get a strong after hours crowd, even 2 a.m. We'll just have to experiment with that. We'll also have a full-service bar for mixed drinks, as well as beer and wine."

Boso also said that the building itself will pay homage to Carroll Shelby, inventor of the Shelby GT Mustang vehicle, whose garage used to be on the same spot where the condomininum project bearing his surname is being built along with Twisted Root Burger Company.

"We'll have 3 garage doors that can open during more seasonable weather directly out onto S.M.U. Boulevard," Boso said. "And we're anticipating a strong college student turnout since fraternity row is directly on the other side of Central Expressway and within walking distance."

Boso said he's also anticipating a strong turnout of tourists from the soon-to-be built President George W. Bush Library which will also be within walking distance of the new Twisted Root Burger Company.

"That's our plan. To be on the 'ground floor' of the eating establishments that will start to spring up when the library begins drawing tourists and visitors to its S.M.U. campus location," said Boso.

Boso said that there will be up to eight and maybe as many as 12 wide-screen television sets in the new Twisted Root Burger Company to accomodate the sports-minded patrons.

"We're very aware of the sports programs at S.M.U. and the attraction that will have for our patrons," he added. "And we'll have some S.M.U.-themed decor in the new Twisted Root Burger Company. I won't say yet what it will be but I believe all S.M.U. Mustangs sports fans will be very pleased with the artwork that we'll have on display."

Artwork, Schmartwork. Bet they won't have the jersey Lance McIlhenny wore in the Sun Bowl or one of Eric Dickerson's practice jersey's on the walls. Mustang sports fans know where to go for their burgers and SMU sports.

[MrMustang1965]

Dear Dutch:

1st & 10 is a quality establishment. You're right about the jerseys. Competition is good for everyone, though. And I KNOW that Twisted Root doesn't have BBQ ribs like you have at 1st & 10!

MM65

[PonyPride]

Went to lunch last week at Al Biernat's, and had a burger. I know, there's something morally wrong, like going into a fine jeweler and asking to look at a cubic zirconium ring, but I felt obligated to try it.

OMG that thing is awesome.

Quite possibly the juiciest, most flavorful burger I've ever had. I have a friend who is a gourmet-in-training, of sorts, and when I described the burger, the response I got was that it had to be a high-fat kind of beef. Maybe so — it certainly dripped that way — but it was amazing. The wheat bun was lightly toasted but not torched. The onions were strong but not overwhelming. Could have used more cheese, but everything can always use more cheese.

The garlic smashed potatoes were surprisingly average for a place that's supposed to be that good, but the burger was fantastic. Don't know that I'll order it again, because I don't expect to be there often, and if I ever am, I would think I'll order something other than a burger.

But if you find yourself there and in the mood for a burger — give it a shot. Outstanding.