"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.

June 1, 2013

MacCool's (Ogden, UT)


MacCool's is an appropriate name for this locally-owned restaurant because they're.....well, very cool.  Or is it not cool for me to say that?  Maybe I'm trying too hard to sound like I'm cooler than I am.   Maybe I need to admit that I can't pull off something like that.

I digress.....on to the burger!


The Fried Cheese Burger

 The menu says that the The Fried Cheese Burger is made with a half-pound certified angus patty, which is then topped with fried aged Irish cheddar cheese and a smokey tomato vinaigrette.  The cost on the day we dined there was $10.99.  

 Do you see that thick slice of oozy, gooey, coated-in-panko-bread-crumbs slice of fried cheese?  It looks almost too beautiful to eat.  Almost.

Guest blogger E.H. ordered this burger.  He could only say "mmmmmm" while eating it, but we did manage to get this quote from him after he'd finished this burger: "It was a straight-up delicious burger topped with fried cheesy goodness.  A heart attack on a plate."  He ordered a side salad to go with it, "to be heart smart," he said......with sarcasm, of course!

 There was no smoky tomato vinaigrette, as teased on the menu, but E.H. didn't mind because he considers himself more of a purist when it comes to food.  E.H. ordered his burger medium.

 We all really enjoyed the atmosphere at MacCool's.  It was busy, but not noisy.  It's a great place for a business lunch.  Our server, Bethany, was especially helpful and friendly.  The owner stopped by a few times to see how we were doing.

 So back to the cool thing, if you don't mind indulging me and my desire to wear out that play on words, here are some of the things about MacCool's that I think are especially cool:

  • They are locally owned and operated. There are four locations in Utah (Ogden, Layton, Salt Lake City, and South Jordan).
  • They use high-quality ingredients.
  • They use locally-sourced ingredients (e.g. Snake River Farms)
  • They are friendly to those of us who suffer from food allergies.  While they don't have a dedicated allergy menu, they'll happily tell you what's in an item and modify it in a way to avoid your particular allergen.
  • They partner with other locally owned companies (like Five Wives Vodka, Underground, Beehive Cheese, etc.) to create special dining nights that have prix fixe menus highlighting the item they are featuring.  Each course is made with the featured item.  
  • They celebrate St. Patrick's Day on the 17th of every month.........they call it St. Practice Day.
  • They often feature live musicians.
  • They have a weekend brunch.
  • They have yummy food.
Other than burgers, my favorite items on the MacCool's menu include Finn Skins, Bangers and Mash, Hummus and Pita, the Red Beet Salad, the Hot Turkey Sandwich, the Kobe Beef Hot Dog, and the Fish and Chips.  They also have traditional Irish fare, like Boxty's and Shepherd's Pie.

www.maccoolsrestaurant.com

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