Cheeseburger with mayo, mustrd, ketchup, lettuce, onion and tomato.
We've had fancy high-end dinners, and now it's time for a good, old-fashioned burger in Seattle.
Dick's Drive-In is an institution in the city serving up no-frills burgers that are not customizable. That's right, not.
Our business model is based on instant service rather than custom orders. To achieve that speed of service, all our burgers are made the same way. We make them shortly before you order them, so your server can take your order and serve your burger, fries and shake immediately. Many people really enjoy our burgers and we encourage all our customers to try the way we make them at least once. We have a satisfaction guarantee, so please return your burger for a full refund if you are not completely satisfied (SOURCE).
The menu has a few burgers that basically vary in terms of weight, addition of cheese or pickle relish. According to the website, all burgers are made with 100% real beef, delivered fresh and never frozen. The buns are locally made and delivered fresh each day.
After looking over the menu, I went with the "deluxe," which is two 1/8 lb. grilled patties with melted cheese, lettuce, mayo and pickle relish. I also got a side of fries, which they say are hand-cut daily.
There's no place to sit, so we took our food and stood over near a counter. The burger was OK. The addition of the relish made it a little oddly sweet. Otherwise, pretty average. Same could be said for the fries - plus you have to pay for ketchup. Odd.In sum, it's fine. I don't think it'd be on my short list if I visit Seattle again, but it's one of those local places that folks tend to have an attachment to.
Grade: B
Every time I visit a new city, I always try to find a decent burger joint.
After some searching, Hopdaddy Burger Bar came up as a must-try.
This place is a little nonconventional. For starters, there was a line out the door. I didn't think that was too bad, so I joined behind the last person. The line, however, stretches all the way past the dining space and to the back kitchen where you place your order.
Along the way, they slowly take care of small things - how many people are in your party, then you're assigned a table number, as you progress, an idea of what you might want to order and finally, ordering at the counter.
After you order at the counter, you come out to the dining space to find your table number, and your food is delivered.
The good we make begins here. The FRESHEST available, all-natural ingredients. Our beef comes from HUMANELY RAISED COWS, never, ever given growth hormones or antibiotics. We grind everything in-house daily. Our fries are HAND-CUT from select Kennebec potatoes. Our buns are made from scratch & BAKED FRESH all day everyday. ENJOY!
After just a bit of waiting, my food arrived: Magic Shroom burger made with angus beef, Texas goat cheese, field mushrooms, mayo, basil pesto, red leaf lettuce, white onion and beefsteak tomato. Truffle fries were also a must.
This burger was great. It was large, but it was flavorful, all fresh ingredients and a good combination of flavors. Solid burger.
The fries - complete with a delicious garlic aioli - are the things my dreams are made of. It's just unfair how good these are. Umami is my weakness, and it just doesn't get much better.
It's definitely hipster-y and a little tedious as far as process goes, but my meal was worth the wait.
Grade: A
There's a new-ish sports bar in the Northern Panhandle that has been making a name for itself in the craft beer arena - offering great local options. Basil's Sports Bar & Grill has a very cool digital monitor behind the bar listing what's on tap, and much of it is from local breweries around the state. How cool is that?
The space itself is not very large - but it is open. I had to wait at the bar for a few minutes before a table cleared up. But, the fact that they are busy is a good sign. They have a sports bar theme, with TVs on each wall and sports memorabilia decorating the space. It's family-friendly, though, and there were a few families there.
The menu features burgers, hot dogs, wings and more. I figured a pretty standard burger would be a good measurement for the restaurant. I ordered the "Basil Burger," which has two half-pound handmade patties with the owner's seasoning and served on a kaiser roll with applewood smoked bacon and melted bleu cheese.
The burger was so finely ground, I thought I was eating a meatloaf. This is a good thing - I love meatloaf. :) But, it was very flavorful, very well-seasoned and delicious. The shredded iceberg lettuce did it no favors, though, and I ended up pushing most of it off. The bun was also a bit too soft to hold up the ground beef. But, that patty was delish. Overall, a really solid burger.
Have you been? What's the best? I keep eyeing those wings!Grade: B
Boston's favorite burger joint is a no-frills, beer-serving, late-night piece of deliciousness. Tasty Burger has a few different locations throughout the city, and we made it a point to stop at one nearby before I headed out of town.
Born behind Fenway Park in Boston, Tasty Burger instantly became one of Boston’s favorite neighborhood Burger joints. Tasty Burger represents the fruition of our goal to create a Modern Fast Food Burger restaurant with the old school sensibilities of the great early places that created the genre. We took a look back in time to the late forties and fifties to study the process, energy and enthusiasm that made the humble hamburger America’s favorite food. We studied hard in our attempt to give this national sandwich a Boston relevance and vernacular.
In the process we learned to love the burger world and the entrepreneurial spirit that drives it. Our Mission is to create a fresh flavorful flat patty burger, made from the finest all natural American beef. We have visited the pastures of family ranches where our cattle graze to get a first hand understanding of where great beef comes from. Our all natural beef meets HFAC third party review standards at all stages and is NEVER given any growth hormones or antibiotics. The steer are grass fed and finished on a 100% grass and grain diet, for an uniquely savory steak flavor. We apply this same level of care to our homemade Buns made in the old Sunbeam Bread factory, from scratch sauces, proprietary Hot Dogs made locally and all of our fresh daily ingredients. All this with the goal in mind of offering a complete menu with similar options and price point to the most familiar fast food places, but prepared with a more individual attention to quality ingredients. We wish to operate with professionalism, focus on details and quality at a fair price (Tasty Burger).
Tasty Burger has a few menu items - the 1/3 lb. certified all natural beef burgers, the "sack of 5 burgers," crispy chicken sandwiches, all beef dogs, salads and side items like nuggets, onion rings, french fries and tater tots.
The location we went to had an upstairs that looked like a retro diner, and then a darker downstairs that had games -- and served alcohol. Clearly, that's where we headed. The tables were stocked with Tasty Fry Seasoning and Spicy Tomato Ketchup - neither of which I was impressed with. The seasoning had some cinnamon and brown sugar, and the ketchup had a little zip.
I ordered "The Big Tasty," which came with cheese, lettuce, pickle, red onion, tomato, and Tasty sauce. I also got an order of the tater tots, which are "deep fried, grated potato." The burger was pretty good. I liked the toppings, and there was plenty of cheese. I wish the burger had a touch more seasoning; a bit more flavor. But, not bad.
The tots were good. Definitely on the greasier side, but a nice thick crunch to them was certainly satisfying. Overall, a pretty decent burger joint. Not the best I've ever had, but a solid contender.Grade: B
Huntington's hipster burger joint, The Peddler, is back to flipping patties -- with extra cool ingredients.
The Peddler, along with Backyard Pizza, went up in flames a few years ago but has recently reopened -- much to the pleasure of locals. And me.
The Peddler is a cool place, with an arcade upstairs and game-themed decor. It's also supposed to be opening a brewery, Cootie Brown Brewing Company, in the near future.
After playing a few games, we went downstairs to browse a menu and order some burgers. The menu features some really tasty-sounding one like the "Big Texas" with beef patty, brisket, blueberry BBQ, cheddar, onion strings and candied jalapeno. Then, there's the "El Camino" with beef patty, housemade pimento cheese, tomato, field greens and aioli. I ultimately went with the "Brass Monkey," which has a beef patty, sliced banana, smoked applewood bacon, cream cheese and Thai peanut sauce. A friend got the duck fat fries, which I was more than happy to try.
This burger, as crazy as it sounds, was so flipping good. I had never had cream cheese on a burger, but I don't know if I ever want to have another burger without it. The banana and Thai peanut sauce were a perfect flavor combo -- plus the salty bacon gave a nice crisp bite.
The duck fat fries didn't do a ton for me; they tasted kinda like regular fries? But, they're not bad. Fries are fries.
I really liked this burger place. I love the creative burgers, especially the one I ordered, and the idea of an arcade + brewery is great. I could see myself spending an evening there -- if it were just a bit closer.
Grade: A
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