Five Guys, here in NJ (a good chain on the East Coast)
Miller Burgers (Miller's Bar) in Dearborn, Mich. (I don't know why, but a plain Wonder Bread roll and a burger fried on a greasy grill, but they taste great!) |
Larry's Famous Hamburgers in Heber Springs, Arkansas. Just a little hamburger shack on the highway. I have traveled far and wide for a great burger. This is tops in my book, especially while enjoying rides on our motorcycles through the mountains.
Whatta Burger, Russellville, Arkansas
CJ's Burger Boy, Russelville, Arkansas |
In Atlanta, the best burger can be had at the Vortex. |
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Sounds like a heart attack waiting. |
My own DIY burger, local raised top ground sirloin. ($3.74/pound) |
Bongofury, Nickel Diner is one of the great little secrets of downtown. Honestly, eating there made my night. You've got to try their homemade red velvet cake and Ding Dongs. Unfortunately, they were all out of donuts when we got there.
I have to go back and give Apple Pan another try. Back in the mid 90's, I was on a quest to find the best apple pie in Los Angeles. Of course, I had to try the Apple Pan. The pie was disappointing and the burger even more so. It was a greasy spoon, alright, but not in a good way. But, everyone keeps saying it's great, maybe I just caught a bad day?
BTW, the best apple pie I found, at that time, was Cafe Montana in Brentwood. Although, I think their deserts were actually made by Cafe Buglaoo. Anyway, it was their apple-boysenberry. 3" thick. Apples cooked, yet still firm. Not too much sugar. And a a great crumb/granola crust and top. |
Azaud: Apple Pan is great. So was the original Pie And Burger in Pasadena. Nice tip on Le Grande Orange. Joe's Cable Car in SF also grinds their meat to order. |
D Mob: The Nickel Dinner is incredible. I also like their bacon doughnuts. |
I'm not a fan of the new, high-end, high-priced designer burger fad. Kobe beef? Wagu? Give me a friggin' break. What's next culinary foams or suspensions? It's a burger for Chrissakes, not Haute cuisine
Honestly, if you can't get it right for under $10 in this economy, get out of the game. Good meat, hand formed patty, good bun, thick slice of tomato, sliced or grilled onions, some lettuce, etc. Nothing particularly tricky, but so many get it wrong.
Good burgers in LA:
Original Tommy's
Nickel Diner - 525 Main St. downtown
Fatburger - (go for the XXXXL, four 1/2 lb patties)
George Petrelli's Steak House (Culver City) - seriously old school steaks and burgers, stay away from everything else.
Rick's Tavern On Main - Santa Monica
Posthumous nominees
Meaty Meat Burgers
Original Fatburger location |
I'll go along with Hodad's in Ocean Beach, i.e. San Diego! |
The Nook-West L.A.
The Counter-Santa Monica
The Organic Panificio- Marina Del Rey |
Luke: Incredible gumbo
Schipo: I work out five days a week. So my heart is at the right pace. |
I'm still crying about losing Jays (Santa Monica and Myra) and Meaty Meat Burgers (Pico and LaBrea), and the Fatburger on Western and Adams that burned (baby burn...) in the Rodney King riot.
Any of you Angelians remember Ara's Armenian Burgers? The cat was a composer of classical music who played his stuff while you ate one of the best burgers in town in his little shack. I don't remember where it was though. In the Valley I think.
Carney's on Sunset is still good;
The Original (not the satellites) Tommy's Burger on Beverly and Rampart. There's one in Vegas now (actually Henderson), so I'm hoping Phoenix is next!
Cassells on 6th near Vermont;
The Apple Pan out on Pico.
In Vegas, you've GOT to try the Original NY DB Burger at Daniel Boulud at the Wynn: 9oz of sirloin stuffed with braised short ribs, black truffle and foie gras. The best $32.00 burger on the planet! It does come with Pommes Frites :)
In Phoenix (my home for the last two decades), but also now in Pasadena and Santa Monica from what I've heard (you L.A. folks have GOT to check this place out), Le Grande Orange doesn't grind the meat 'til you order the burger! It's pretty freaking good, especially the green chili one. 12 bucks though... This place is primarily a wood-fired pizza joint; but got "Best of Phoenix" in the New Times for it's BURGER last year! The wings are unlike anything you've ever had, and are incredible in their own rite.
Also, we've got a Cheeburger Cheeburger (I know there's one in San Diego; but not sure about the L.A. market) that's pretty stellar;
Delux Burger on 32nd St and Camelback is great, AND open late for post-concert fare;
but my favorite is The Wineburger on 19th Ave and Bethany Home. Their grill is like fifty years old, and seasoned to absolute shed-a-tear perfection. Their meat is insane, their burgers come in sizes of which the largest would make Guy Fieri break out in a sweat and their buns are magnificent.
Los Angeles is to hamburgers what New York is to pizza. When I visit my mother, she is under strict orders not to cook anything; because I only have so many appetites in one weekend trip!
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Martin Wine Cellar - New Orleans
Luke - New Orleans
Port Of Call - New Orleans
In N' Out - anywhere I can find it
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Forgot to second the Father's Office! Crazy good! |
The Fix Burger in the Silverlake area. Had an awesome Seoul Burger! Yum! |
I see by your two postings on your daily food intake. that it leaves me to think that you don't care to be around much longer on this planet so that you might enjoy your system just a little longer.But I see with your diet, that you should make sure that you live very close by the best heart speacialist on the planet. |
Zim's in San Francisco Bay Area, been out of business for years but made theirs with ground sirloin |
