In New York City, I guess that price range is reasonable. $8.95 to $11.95 seems to be the going rate for a burger and fries in Seattle. Acknowledging that a restaurant needs to make a profit, and a low price may suggest lower quality, I don’t think price is a fair metric for determining the tastiness of a burger.
The best burgers I’ve had were in the early-'70s at a place that no longer exists. Joy’s was on the outskirts of Barstow, CA. It was a small place with only a counter for seating. ‘Air conditioning’ was a swamp cooler. The screen door was on a wooden frame and was closed with a simple spring. You don’t see those much anymore, and I wonder how many people remember the distinctive WHAP! whap-whap sound they made when they closed. Joy had an elderly mother who needed care, so she eventually closed her diner to take care of her. She made the best burgers, and a macaroni and cheese-chunk salad that I’ve never found successfully replicated. I recall the chocolate malts were good, too.
Anyway, the burgers. Hand-formed patty of meat cooked on a flat-top grill. She had a ‘cellar’ from which she’d season the meat. It must have had both salt and pepper in it, since she only used the one dispenser. Toasted bun, leaf lettuce, tomato, white onions, pickles, mayonnaise or other condiments. Meat, heat, salt and pepper. Why were these the best burgers ever? Because i was young and with dad? The ramshackle setting? No, they really were that good. I can’t explain it.
The second-best burgers I’ve eaten were at the Kittyhawk Café at Santa Monica Airport. They used in-house ground chuck. The place was sold and became The Spitfire Grill. (Trivia: The writer of The Spitfire Grill had an office above the diner, and that’s where he got the name.) They must have cleaned the grill, because the burgers weren’t as good.
Last year Dope Burger opened in Seattle. They weren’t as good as Joy’s, but their technique was similar to hers. These were the best burgers I’ve had recently. I’ve read that they’re like Red Mill, but I’ve never been to a Red Mill. Dope Burger had a fire, and are now gone.
The thing is, it seems that everyone seems to think their burgers are precious little meatflakes. Thick, half-pound patties. Now, I like beef. I’ve made some monster burgers at home. But if you’re going out for ‘a burger’, it’s overkill. A quarter-pound patty is good for a burger – if the restaurant doesn’t over-do it. Too much fancification and the meat gets lost. For a restaurant burger, one-third pound is good. Thankfully, many or most places do serve 1/3-pound patties. But they’re afraid to season them. You need salt and pepper. Oh, but salt is eeevil! Can’t put too much on, lest the patron collapse from a burst aorta or something! Pepper? Granted, I like lethal amounts; but people seem to be afraid of that too. The meat is always too bland for me.
The bun. Either the bun is bland and boring, or it has to be focaccia or ciabatta or a French roll or something. Two Bells Tavern in Belltown uses French rolls. The good news is that their beef patties are tasty. The bad news is that their beef patties are exceptionally greasy.
Why must burgers be served with aioli? Oh, yes; to show how hip the restaurant is. OK, it tastes good; but we’re talking a burger here! Cheddar cheese. I like Cheddar cheese. But for a proper burger you need American cheese. (Not ‘cheese food product’; actual cheese.) I’ve been to places where that is not an option. Blue cheese? I like it without meat. As I mentioned in another thread, there are a number of toppings I like on a burger. Avocado, bacon, Ortega chilis, fried egg with a runny yolk… It’s all good. I can even understand mushrooms, though I’m not into them on a burger.
The point is, a burger is a burger. People’s tastes vary, and burgers are made any number of ways to suit them. But sometimes one likes a ‘good, honest burger’. No fancy bread, not aioli, no truffles, no massive amounts of meat that dulls the taste buds by the time you’re finished, and no piles of toppings that overwhelm the beef. A burger doesn’t need to be ‘fancy’ or ‘special’. Concentrate on the meat, and the seasoning of the meat, and the cooking of the meat. Use a tasty bun, and toast it. And it doesn’t need to cost $10 (or $20 :eek: ).
As for cooking, it should be cooked on a flat-top grill. Flame-broiled? Charcoal-grilled? Those are fine in their own right. But the perfect burger should be cooked on a flat-top.
