"I believe that the great American hamburger is a thing of beauty, its simple charms noble, pristine. The basic recipe--ground beef, salt, and pepper, formed into a patty, grilled or seared on a griddle, then nestled between two halves of a bun, usually but not necessarily accompanied by lettuce, a tomato slice, and some ketchup--is, to my mind, unimprovable by man or God. A good burger can be made more complicated, even more interesting by the addition of other ingredients--like good cheese or bacon.....relish perhaps, but it will never be made better." - Anthony Bourdain, from the chapter entitled 'Meat', in his book Medium Raw.

November 5, 2011

The Cheesecake Factory (Riverside, CA)

The Macaroni and Cheese burger ($11.50, with an upgrade to sweet potato fries for an additional $1).

A charbroiled burger topped with a fried macaroni and cheese patty and covered in cheddar cheese sauce.

The Cheesecake Factory calls their hamburgers "glamburgers" and in the case of the macaroni and cheese burger, that's pretty accurate.  S. split this burger with guest blogger C.C. and both agreed afterward that was a wise decision.  This burger is rich and decadent and they're not quite sure it would be possible to eat an entire one solo.  Plus, sharing the burger also left room for them to share a slice of cheesecake so that is win-win!  S. always orders her burgers well done and between the macaroni and cheese and cheddar cheese sauce, the burger still tasted moist (which is not easy to do with a well-done burger!).

November 4, 2011

Hash House a Go Go (Las Vegas, NV)

The Apple Smoked Bacon and Mashed Potato Burger with side of Macaroni and Cheese.  The burger itself is $8.95 and sides are an additional $2.95.  Rather than just offering the standard fries with a burger, Hash House a Go Go has many options for sides: crispy fries, salad with cucumber dressing, mac & cheese, or au gratin potatoes.

Two half-pound patties of ground beef with a hefty dollop of mashed potatoes in between.  Genius idea.

It was so good,  S. said, "I kind of wish I could take a nap here in the booth and then finish the rest of this burger."  The portions at Hash House a Go Go are crazy-big.
The Fresh Mushroom and Swiss Burger.  Guest blogger C.C. loved how the cheese and mushrooms were just oozing out of the burger.


You could easily share one of these burgers and then order an appetizer or dessert (or both!) to share as well.