Homemade Burgers!

Well, not totally homemade. I didn't grow the cows. Butcher bought ground beef and ground sirloin. Not just plain burgers, of course. We did some mushrooms, bacon and medium cheddar. The buns were toasted under the broiler. Fries and baked beans (vegetarian) were served as sides. The fire was a little hot so things got a little more cooked than I hoped for. I like a little pink in there. It's Christmas this week so, grill night is being changed to Thursday evening. Cool with me. We plan to have shrimp. Not sure if it's kabobs or the tasty bacon wrapped with chipotle sauce.

It probably won't be until next year before I blog again!

Take care,

Dasburgereater

Winter time will be for Catching Up (or Ketchup?)

I was just looking through my burger "manual". It it the beginning of my burger records. Originally, I wanted to have it hand written. Then, I thought I'd do both. Handwriting offers more of a look in to my mood that day. I've also kept receipts and taped them along side the review. I enjoy this electronic format because, more people will read and hopefully join in on the discussion. I'm definitely not the only person that rambles on about grilling, burgers etc. Be on the lookout for those back tracks of never published before entries.

It will be great to relive some of those burgers, with you.

Ketchup or Catsup?

Dasburgereater.

I'm already looking at 2012, for burger-ventures

At this time of the year, in Wisconsin, food consumption is kept indoors. The patios are closed down and in most cases, the grill is put away. You know mine will be out all winter. Matter of fact, I was cleaning out a garage space where I park my classic car and uncovered a nearly new Weber Smokey Joe grill! I asked the lady who owns the garage if it was hers (totally hoping it wasn't) She said "no" it came with the house and she had no need for it. It's mine now. The other Smokey I've been using is a "frankenstein" of three other Smokeys. They have a tendency to deteriorate.
So, here's the 2012 plan.
Scour all the Milwaukee county and the surrounding counties munching burgers. We've got some great places in the Milwaukee county area that I have never been to or visited recently. Eat and review. As soon as the nicer weather returns. I like to sit outside or at least be in t-shirt and jeans when I'm chowing a burger.
Continue checking in during the winter months. I plan to grill some tasty burgers in the snow cave!

Happy Holidays,
Dasburgereater

Swap meet/hamburgers. It doesn't get much better!

Traveling the backroads of Wisconsin is a great way to find good places to eat. You would never find such places cruising the freeway at 75 mph. It also means you wouldn't pass through the town of Jefferson. Two times a year, the town plays host to thousands of people looking for that special automotive part or nostalgic piece of Americana. It was the Fall swap meet at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds this weekend. (That means it won't be long before outdoor dining will be suspended for the season.) The event is hosted by Madison Classics, if you want to search the event.
In the town of Jefferson, WI there is a couple of places to grab a burger. I'm pretty sure I've written about Burger Corner. Great name, decent burger. This time, on a suggestion from my friend Curt, we stopped at Wedl's burger stand. The name says it all. Just a small building next to the main building (where they also have an ice cream parlor). The building is no bigger than a small tool shed. The meat is fresh ground daily and it shows in flavor. The price was just right, $1.85 for a single cheeseburger with raw onions. I snitched a couple of fries from my friend's bag of fries. They were tasty. Nothing fancy. I wish I would have had some ice cream.

Wedl's gets 3.5 of 5. A good burger at a good price. Fun to watch the grill.

Burgerman.

Five Guys. One bag.

This summer has been a busy one for burger eatin'. I finally stopped at Five Guys tonight. I've been driving past on my way to night school. People said they had good stuff. All the information on their website points to an excellent meal & deal. Very interesting.

The store is only slightly interesting, I can't see myself sitting down inside the restaurant. They have it decorated with only white and red tiles, everywhere. Maybe it has something to do with the original store. The music was quite loud. Maybe it was just the staff's doing. Three guys, one taking orders then, dropping back to work the fryer while the other two set up the burgers. I was surprised that the grill guy slapped a chunk of ground beef on to the grill top. After a couple minutes of intense heat, he flipped and squashed the beef. Finally, I could smell some stuff cooking. The ventilation system is too good. Being the cheapo I am, there was a bit of sticker shock when I found out that it would be $7.03 for a "little" hamburger and regular fries. The burger was $3.79 and for the money, darn good. The fries were interesting. Regular fries are $2.89. That's a lot of lettuce to shell out for fries, according to me. On the other side of the coin, I got a lot of fries for the money. Also, they taste fresh cut. Just a little greasy for my buds.

Over all, I'd say it was a decent experience. Would I go back? Probably. There is a lot of competition for my burger budget.

4 of 5 stars.

Later,

Burgerman

Silver Spur, Elm Grove serves a tasty patty.

09.20.2011

It was another one of those days when somebody makes the suggestion... let's go for a burger! I will be the last person to say "NO". My father was in town for the weekend and thought we should go to the Silver Spur in Elm Grove, WI to have one of their burgers. It's a half pounder. Plenty options for what to put on it. Cheeses etc. I went with the Mushroom Swiss, medium rare. It arrived prepared exactly that way. I snitched a small piece off the corner. Pretty good. It was lacking some seasoning. I would still say they did a fine job. Will I go back? Sure. Will I rave about it, not really. Rounded off, it was a $10 sandwich. Seems to be the going rate these days. A wonderful deck on the back side of the restaurant made it an enjoyable time.

Til the next time,

Dasburgereater.

Griff's a pleasant surprise and delicious!

There were quite a few places to have a burger while in Albuquerque. New fancy places and some old ones. We got the list down to three. Then, we took a drive. Cruising Central Ave. (Old Rte66) checking the activity and style of each. Griff's had it all. Style, no doubt modified to be more current at the time, it still had some of the old charm. You can easily see the hops bringing the food out to you. The following day, we did lunch at Griff's. Packed to capacity during the noon hour. We chose the Giant Burger. Crispy edges, great burger taste. The bun took me back to the old time burger joints I knew when I was younger. The staff was fun and worked as fast as they could.

Delicious.

Dasburgereater

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Griff's_Hamburgers

Back in Tucson, AZ

My brother-in-law gave me an article out of a local rag in Green Valley/Tucson that covered some of the regional burger joints. We've been to Lindy's on 4th Ave. Great burgers, yummy tater tots. One of the places mentioned in the articles was The Monkey Burger on 6th Avenue. I really didn't plan on having a burger for lunch but, what the heck. Located across from the transit terminal in a sort of hidden part of town you will find the Monkey Burger. It's in the middle of the block. Next door is a barber and a couple other shops. Anyway, back to the burger talk... we got the Great American. $8.50 got us involved with a tasty and juicy burger. Nothing too fancy, lettuce and tomatoes. Great little dish of sauce for dippin'. Fries were seasoned with something yummy. My brother in law enjoyed a Veghead, Portabella sandwich. Fresh made chips were included with his.

I would go back. The one thing that could have made it a bit more fun or interesting, more people. I think that 6th Ave on a Saturday afternoon might not be the most active part of tucson. 4th Ave was hoping with U of A fans. The trolley was running, very cool.

3.5 of 5 (or 7.5 of 10)

You won't regret it.

Later,

Dasburgereater

Can't believe it's almost Labor Day...

Wow, Labor Day is almost here! You know I will be at the grill. I can't help but think about the "normal" grilling season closing soon. At the same time I find myself excited about grilling during the winter. Until then, I plan to enjoy the crisp Wisconsin nights on the patio, a fire in the pit maybe some jazz on the stereo.

I plan to post soon.

Later,

Dasburgereater

Home Grillin' Still Rocks!

Well, there are a lot of great burgers out there. Quite a few restaurants make 'em the way I like 'em but, nothing can compete with the homemade version. You can only blame yourself for the lousy service and quality of meat. This past Friday evening, after attending an art exhibit opening, I set up for a grill session. It was already pretty dark out. Instead of my usual baked beans I decided to use some of our farm fresh green beans. Fries in the oven, stovetop steaming the beans, fire for the grill and the chimanea. It was just plain old Angus Beef. Cooked just right! One burger was treated with our Neys Steak seasoning (local beef farm product) and the other with a mix of basil, garlic, salt and pepper. The garlic had cheddar cheese the other, swiss. Buns toasted on the grill. Perfect timing, everything came together. A glass of lemonade to wash it down.

Til the next time...

Keep grillin'

Dasburgereater.

What's the deal? Tallgrass Beef, overcooked?

It was my birthday yesterday. Being the birthday boy, the dinner choice is mine, old tradition. Gee, I wonder what a guy like me might want for dinner? Burgers. Specifically, burgers that someone else made. I've got a long list of places that say they have the "best" or "tastiest" or whatever they claim. Locally, we have quite a few places with such claims. Talk about getting psyched up... we're heading to Sobelman's Tallgrass Grill for Milwaukee's BEST Burger! Remember, I always make the statement that, maybe my tastebuds are different than yours but, dry is dry and overcooked means overcooked. A severe case of cottonmouth followed. I was really sad because I thought for sure they would take the time to care for each $7 burger they made. Aside from the burger just being done so wrong, the fries were really good and the vegetables used to garnish the sandwiches were all fresh and tasty. I wonder where they get their buns? Even a small amount of juice could have saved the burger with the excellent quality bun they use. I almost forgot to mention that the atmosphere and staff were not at all interesting. Pop dance music cranking in a room that echos, staff really didn't respond to the order with anything more than preset statements. It should be more earthy and cool.

I would go 2.5 stars only because of everything but the burger.

Burgerman out!

Tackle Box Grill: Big Success!

It was an almost perfect night for grilling. The original plan was to just get the Smokey Joe out and cook up some burgers. Close. I recently built a grill using an old tackle box. The first burn to remove any paint that didn't want to hang around had been done a week before. So, the grill was good to go. My normal lack of confidence told me I should try something simple like hot dogs on this new grill before jumping in to burgers etc. No time like the present to discover the unknown! I grabbed a pound of Angus Ground Beef, Mild Cheddar and fresh onions, good to go. The buns were getting toasted on the grill so, I prepped them with butter and a sprinkle of Garlic-Basil Salt. Sort of a light garlic toast. Everything turned out excellent. The grill fared pretty well, not too much mess. I need to come up with a removable liner for the bottom. Things could get funky. I've posted video of the grill on my Facebook page, not sure how many folks can see the post.

'til the next event...

Be safe out there!

Dasburgereater.

Twasn't Burgers...

Tonight was Italian Sausage. The wife threw together some green peppers, onions etc for add ons. Baked beans, vegetarian style. Zucchini, cooked up with mushrooms and onions. Super tasty. The night was perfect for outdoor eats. (alfresco, for you fancy folks.) We had RadioParadise.com playing some great tunes.

Later,

Dasburgereater.

Memorial Day/First Night for the cruise

I don't think I could call myself an American if I didn't grill on Memorial Day. This year the day was perfect for some grillin'. Beer Brats and Burgers on the grill, a game of Jarts and some margaritas. I lit a small fire in the chiminea for atmosphere. Close family and conversation. The burgers weren't as dreamy as I wanted. Not sure if it was me or the meat. Blame it on the meat, it won't fight it. I have to say, as a follow up lunch the next day, it was all yummy.

Tonight was the first night for our classic car cruise. We meet a place called Weissgerber's Gasthaus. As you might guess from the name, it's German cuisine. They serve quite a bit of their sandwiches on pretzel buns. Last season, I really didn't care for them. Tonight, I had one of their Bacon Cheddar Burgers. Sure, the burger is a prepared patty but, it was pretty good. Relatively priced for the size and the fact they give you some fresh made potato chips.

Staycation: Milwaukee-Burgers & Jazz

Okay, maybe you wouldn't normally associate Jazz with burgers but, it's me we're talking about. For some time I've been wanting to go to Stack'd in downtown Milwaukee. I had visions of a big 'ole burger, juicy, smokey. Well, I misinterpreted the name...Stack'd has to do with stacked items. Pictures of books, cookies etc embellish the walls. Burgers are a large part of the menu. I can't say they are the best part of the menu. Maybe it was all of those thoughts running through my head and taste buds before I got there that night but, it was chewy, flavorless and the bun was really wet (soggy). Pretty high priced also. The place itself is very nice and looks like a great place to stop with friends for some mini burgers and a couple of beers. The jazz came much later. First, we went to Koz's Mini Bowl. Didn't get to bowl but, what hoot! Jazz was at Caroline's on 2nd and Florida Streets. Martini's like water, smooooth.

Til the next time.

Dasburgereater.

Friday Nite Grillin'

Last Friday evening made for a perfect grilling scene... temps were pretty decent, nice when I don't have to wear thermals. I grabbed some Tall Grass Beef on sale at my favorite local grocery store, Sendik's. Their butchers are always glad to help. It's so cool to be able to get 3/4 lb of beef without feeling like I'm some kind of dork. Hey, I also grabbed 1/2 lb of Turkey, for a couple of lean burgers. In addition, I had to get 8 strips of Nueske's bacon, yummy! Guess what was grillin'? Bacon Swiss Burgers! Baked beans, some corn I'm good to go. One of the best things about cooking more than I can eat at one sitting, lunch the next day. Chow.

Next time, I'm going in to my "Way Back Machine" to cover places I have been to that were just too cool/good to not mention on this blog.

What a great weekend! I got to grill all three nights.

Friday eve, Chipolte Shrimp Kababobs with Pineapple and Red Onions. Wouldn't you know, I snuck a couple of burgers on the back side of the grill.

Saturday eve, it was Chicken (Amish raised) with GreekFest Seasoning.

We've got a couple of great spice shops around town that supply flavors from our Summer/Fall festivals. The spice house is a funky little place, ran by an older couple. They seem to have just a sense of what works best. The other, Penzy's is a huge producer of all kinds of spices. They are online and publish recipes. I think they are both related to each other but, have different ways of looking at life.

Sunday eve, Farm Raised Salmon, skin on with one of our favorite spices, Northwoods. Sort of a classic black pepper mix. Excellent on the grill.

A weekend like that will chow up a few pounds of natural hardwood charcoal. I will have to score some more Cowboy charcoal before the week is over.

Later.

Dasburgereater

Winter's holding on...

I fight the good fight for all grillers during the winter but, gee how about some Spring like weather? Believe it or not, I didn't grill last weekend.

What?

It's weird being outside when it's light, first of all. Then, the weather has been sort of mediocre. Not too inspirational. I've got a couple of Polish asking to be cooked this Friday, we'll see what happens.