my first burger blog

i have been attacking my burger research with gusto; three samples this weekend (i'm a little behind in my blogging). i hardly ever eat this much red meat.

mt. adams bar and grill

the first is the mt. adams bar and grill. we actually attempted to go to longworth's, but they are apparently under new management and the kitchen is closed for a few weeks. the broadcaster attracted my attention - a quarter pound topped with grilled onions, chopped green olives, and two slices of swiss cheese on grilled Jewish rye. i was sold at grilled jewish rye, but did order it sans onions. it was a little flat in height, not taste. the patty was juicy and the olives gave the sandwich a pleasant saltiness. it was flavorful without needing condiments or salt and pepper. i was surprised they did not ask how i wanted the burger cooked. i am a big fan of medium, more to the medium-well. it is easy to cross the line to well-done, but i definitely do not like bloody meat. the broadcaster was cooked with just a tinge of pink, and was very good. i enjoyed the burger 'paired' with a stella artois. overall, a 4.5. i almost gave a 5, but i had a number of cocktails by the time i ate the burger so i can't entirely vouch for my judgement.

other notable items: brian enjoyed his fried egg sandwich and we all had a laugh at the chicken 'buddies'.

wild mike's

for lunch at work saturday, we ordered wild mike's. the black and bleu burger arrived encased in styrofoam. they also did not ask how i wanted it prepared, and it was a bit dry. the beef itself had a good flavor. the bleu was fully fatty, gloppy bleu cheese dressing. crumbles would be preferred, even though they have a tendency to fall off the sandwich. price was under $5. overall, a 3. and sorry, no photo.

cheezburger cafe

brian recommended we try the cheezburger cafe at 12092 montgomery rd. vacationing in florida has taught us good food can be found in a strip mall, and this is definitely the case with the cheezburger cafe. they feature several amazing choices, including the queen city burger, which is 1/3 lb of beef topped with a german mett, chili and cheese. i ordered the california dreamin' burger as is with swiss, salsa, guacamole, lettuce and tomato. brian chowed down on the glutinous double cheeseburger topped with a fried egg and various condiments. the patties were small in diameter with a gratifying thickness, moist and tasty. i spoke with the cook and he said they get their beef from ron's meats on loveland-madeira, but i could not find a listing for it. my sandwich was pretty damn good. the salsa and guac were a perfect complement. my only complaint is the shredded lettuce and tomato slices. they were a bit anemic and tasteless. very disappointing given the yumminess of everything else.

also delectable fries. the whole check came to only $16.10. even if i would have ordered the root beer float, we still would have made it out of the cafe, stuffed, for under $20. one con, there were tvs at some of the tables that proved very distracting. overall, brian and i agreed on a heavenly 5.5.