The Diplomat on Brady Street (Burgers w/Brothers!) 11.20.2024

 It was the third installation of the Burgers w/Brothers 2024. The eldest made the choice to go a bit more upscale for his burger. Not that we've been hanging out at dives or dumps. We've enjoyed quite the range of locations and varieties of burgers. His choice, The Diplomat. Located just East of Van Buren on Brady street. Cool vibe as soon as you walk in. There is a front space/bar area that's pretty chill. Around the corner is the dining room area. Well done. Warm, almost cozy space with plenty of art and little vignettes with interesting items. Our server was Roxanne. The menu is very simple, not many items. The idea is shared plates. I'm just not a fan of the term "small plates". Shared I can handle. Anyway, there is only one burger to choose from so that's what we all had. "The Diplomac". Prime beef burger, tomato, lettuce, American cheese, "1000 Island Dressing", pickle and red onion. (their description) $17 without a side.

How about that burger? Dang, it was good! I don't know if it was because I was surprised by how tidy it looked or the choice of roll/bun. No matter, it all worked together perfectly. The "1000 Island Dressing" is nothing like the Kraft foods version. All the condiments were freshly created on site. It made a difference for sure. The sandwich held together bite after bite. Nothing sliding out the back or slopping on to my plate or lap. I took a snitch off the side, just meat. Not crazy seasoned. Could have had a bit more flavor but maybe the rest of it makes up for that. We shared a plate of the Diplomat Fries. These aren't your average fries. Blanched and then fried 3 times. Light and crisp.

Rate it: 4.5 of 5

Overall great taste. Fresh ingredients made for a great mix of flavors. If I'm paying $17 a burger it should be like this.

https://www.thediplomatmke.com/

Smashing Good-Tide & Boar (Moncton Canada) 10/19/2024

 Yet another unintentional burger. 

We met a relative that gave us a tour of the city of Moncton Canada. She shared stories of relatives that had lived there and times past. Lunch was in order by the time we finished touring. Down the street from our hotel room was an interesting place called the Tide & Boar. It looked wonderful inside. The walls had photos of musicians like Roger Daltry, Bob Dylan and Neil Young. The beer selection is quite large. The menu is also diverse. Of course I saw they have a "smash" burger. I couldn't resist.Two patties, cheese, onion, red onion, "house" ketchup on a potato bun. Yum!

It looked beautiful. The patties were crispy on the edge and hanging out from under the bun. Cheese drooped over the edge of the patties. Cut open, all the layers of condiments were in good proportion. The patties had plenty of seasoning. Overall, excellent. The fries looked fresh cut.

Rate It: 4.5 of 5

Tide and Boar

 

 

Pump House is Here to Pump-You-Up! (Moncton Canada) 10/18/2024

 I really didn't plan to check out burgers in Canada. I was supposed to be going out for poutine rapée. The restaurant where they serve it closes at 6PM on a Friday night! It was a long day of driving and too late to go looking for another place serving it. Maybe we'll check out a local place for dinner and a beer. The Pump House was just a block away from where we were staying. Worth a shot? Sure.

It looked like the pizza might be a good choice but the list of burgers grabbed my attention. (go figure). Brew Pub Burger it is! A simple cheeseburger.It was. Good flavor, fresh roll and just enough toppings. Seasoning was decent. 

Rate It: 4 of 5

I'm thinking they aren't known for their burgers. It's more about the beer and pizza. It was a good burger and I'd suggest it for anybody that stops in. 

Pump House

They Did Not Butcher the Burger (Portland, ME) 10/17/2024

 I'm on the East coast of America. I should have seafood every time I go out for food, right? Well, maybe not. I had a Lobster Roll the night before that might cover me for a couple of days.

 I was in Portland Maine for a couple of days. There is seafood everywhere. Lobster rolls are sold at food trucks like tacos. Chowder a dominant word on most menus. I'm glad to try those things. I did but there's a place called Butcher Burger in the port area that has some high ratings. I had to.

The first thing you will notice about the Butcher Burger, it smells like burgers are being cooked. Go figure. So many places don't have that. I'm not sure why. I think even Burger King makes sure that you can smell burgers being cooked from blocks away. It was sort of cool because the sun shined through the window and cut the smoke into strands. There's a cool outdoor patio space but we opted for the inside seating. The seating area is small giving it the appearance of always being busy.

We had the Cheeseburger. Pretty straight forward. House patty, tomato, lettuce, onion, cheddar and block sauce. They did not ask how I wanted it cooked. I'm not sure if that would have made a difference. It arrived after quite the wait. That's okay, I was watching the crowd and what they were eating. 

My first impression, it looked like a burger. Not quite as big as I was expecting a 1/2lb burger to be. My first bite was full of flavor. Raw onions, spicy pickles on a sort of sweet tasting roll. The burger was not heavily spiced. All the other flavors made up for that.

Rate It: 4 of 5

I'm going to be a bit tough. It was a really decent burger. I think they could step up the seasoning. Again, the 1/2lb looked a bit shy. Overall, good value. I'd say if you are near and want to have a good burger, here ya go. I wouldn't go out of the way to have one.

https://butcherburger.com/portland/

Annual Trip to the Nite Owl 08/09/2024

 It might be a new tradition, at least one trip to the Nite Owl with my son's family. The Nite Owl has a limited window to get there and grab some food. The season seems short. Their hours, even shorter. The amount of food sold per hour determines how long they will be open on any given day. The meat is ground fresh on site and when it's gone, they close. They are closed on Sunday and Monday. Tuesday through Saturday, 11AM-3PM. I've heard of them closing by 1:30PM because they "sold out". The whole thing is just a total experience. Expect a long wait, it's not fast food. Arrive early, they might run out of meat. Bring cash.

How about the burger? I went with the plain cheese burger. No nothing on it. Actually, raw onions. On this day the wait wasn't too bad. Just enough time to catch up with my son and grandson. It's Theo's third time with grandpa. I'm pretty sure he and his dad stop there at least one time without me. We quick drove back to their house to enjoy our food on the sunny deck. My burger was just right. Juicy, decent size and loved having it plain. Very good. I will say that I was getting more of the "meatloaf" taste. Quickly, the meatloaf taste is when the burger has the same flavor as meatloaf. I'm not saying that's bad. I'm also not sure how they make their burgers. Do they add stuff to the beef? It was tasty no matter.

Rate it: 4+ out of 5

Prices are increasing each season but, that's business. ($3.90 in 2012) Overall, they still serve a decent if not great burger for a decent price. It's fresh food. The staff is always friendly. It's interesting that they still have you pay when the order is ready. Is that in case they run out of meat, they don't have to refund the money?

Al's Diner-Green Bay WI 07/12/2024

 We were in Green Bay Wisconsin for a opening night reception for the Art of the Automobile at the Art Garage, 1429 on Main Street, Green Bay. I have a couple of pieces in the show. We planned to grab dinner on our way back to Milwaukee. Since it was "my" night, my wife decided to look up burgers near the venue. The usual stuff showed up, Culver's, Burger King, McDonald's etc. On the same list was Al's Diner. Once I heard the description, I had to go there. First opened in 1934, Al's has been serving up some classic grub for nearly 90 years! A small white building snuggled between a couple of older three story buildings. Interesting. The main dining room is classic malt shop vibe. Booths and a counter with little stools covered in a shiny red vinyl. 

We ordered the Deluxe burger as a half pounder. That's two 1/4 lb patties. Add some fries and a strawberry shake, good to go. It didn't take long before the food arrived. It looked like a decent burger. Our waitress was nice enough to have the cook cut the burger for us to share. They also split the fries. Nice.

How about the burger. It was good. I'm not saying like, shout from the rooftop but, tasty. I feel like it was me but the burger had a bit of a "sausage" flavor to it. Maybe something on the grill top. No matter, all was fine. The burger was a bit messy as a 1/2 pounder. I think one patty at 1/2 pound with the same toppings would be the way I might do it next time. The fries were excellent as was the shake. Gotta love the mix of flavors. Sweet and savory.

Rate it: 4 out of 5. Great scene and service. Fries and shake, top notch. The burger was darn good. Price was fairly good. I'm getting used to paying $14 for a regular burger. 

Al's Hamburger

St Bibiana's-Burgers With Brothers 07/08/2024

 Three times a year my brothers and I get together for what we call "Burgers With Brothers". The brother that has the birthday is treated to a burger of his choosing. The process rotates through each brother's birthday. It was my turn again. Part of the BWB is to try something new. I check the burger listings for Milwaukee. I chose St Bibiana's because it had been ranked in the "8 Best Burgers" recently. Located on East Brady Street in one of Milwaukee's older neighborhoods it's definitely got the "cool" vibe. The inside feels like a local watering hole. Some nice touches are the church theme art etc. The menu has breakfast all day! Of course I'm not there for breakfast. This is a burger outing. I ordered the Bibiana Burger. Described on the menu: "Two 3-oz., handmade ground beef patties, American cheese, grilled onions, sliced pickles, and sweet, savory Saint Sauce on a sesame seed bun". So, not quite a half pound. I was a bit concerned about all the add-ons. The description made me think of Big Boy or McDonald's Big Mac. I'm not a fan of the "sauce" part but, it's their signature burger. Go with the flow! Ordered exactly like suggested, I found it to be okay. The patties got "lost" in the sauce and grilled onions. I did pinch off a chunk of the patty to see how it was on it's own. Fairly good, not great. I thought the price was a bit high for a couple of 3 ounce patties and an order of fries. 

Rate it: 3.5 out of 5. I'm being tough on this one. The price for the sandwich had me a bit off course. The burger itself was fine. Not anything to write home about, I guess it was blog worthy. I'd say, try it. It might be what you've been looking for.