Wait, a Patty Melt? that's not a burger!-Birchwood, Up North (08.2019)

A Fall tradition, pulling the pier out for the season. It's one of those events you don't look forward to for a couple of reasons. It's a lot of work and it also means that the warm season in Wisconsin is coming to an end. It's a family project.
Part of the day's events is lunch at the bar that's down the road a piece. The same place we go to pull the boats out. They have a boat launch that is public access.
We usually grab our favorite beverage, shoot some pool and grab a bite to eat. I usually get the burger. This time I thought I might try the Patty Melt. Why not? It' and open face burger on rye. (less carbs!) They always do right with their burgers and other food.
The melt arrives. Looks good. Tastes even better! Now I'm really glad I decided to go with the melt.
Rate it:
4 of 5
Dang good stuff. Funky place on a lake. Up North. Always great eats.

Snug in the woods. (not my photo)

Quaint throwback in Plymouth-Chester's (07.21.2019)

Each year my brother and I make sure we attend at least one race event at Road America in Elkhart Lake Wisconsin. We also include at least one night of tent camping at Long Lake State Park in Fon du lac County, Wisconsin. A chance to hang out, watch races during the day and cook over the fire at night. Often, as is common during Summer in Wisconsin, the weather doesn't cooperate with what is planned. The night at camp was challenging. Storms with gusting wind, rain and thunder passed through several times during the night. The morning offered sunshine and the opportunity to cook breakfast. Then, off to the races! Within 45 minutes of our arrival, another storm came through. This was a big one. The sky blackened. Temperatures dropped. Winds picked up to the point where a Port-A-Potty got flipped. We decided to split.
As we left the area, we passed through the city of Plymouth. Near the edge of town is Chester's. It's one of those places I've always wanted to stop at but, never had a real need. This day, I needed to get some food for lunch. Perfect.
A double cheese burger. Sounds good. We pulled in under the canopy. A young lady approaches and takes our order. Anticipation.
The food arrives. Nice and hot, fresh. Great overall taste. I will go as far as maybe saying it had a "classic" taste to it. Maybe the type of cheese or the bun? No matter, good stuff.
Rate it:
4 of 5
Prompt service. Decent prices. Fun venue. Small town all the way.

Old school. (not my photo)

Cars, Family and Burgers!! Georgie Porgie's Treehouse, Oak Creek WI (07.2019)

July, 2019
It's a car show destination every Saturday during the Summer. It's also a playful, fun place to grab a burger. My birthday falls on July 5th. Sounds like a perfect storm.
Celebrating made easy. We threw a birthday get together in the middle of the weekly car show. Friends and family that attended were encouraged to grab a burger etc. and join us in the show field.
I did the Shroomy. It looked to be the most straight forward burger on the menu. If you've read any of my other blogs, you will know I'm not big on flashing toppings and all that. Such distractions can take away from the burger's true taste.
The burger came fresh and tasty. Nice portion of fries too. Everything worked well together. Not too much condiments, tasty bun. The patty had enough flavor/seasoning for me.
Price and environment make it a great outing for the family. The car show is a bonus.
Rate it:
3.5 of 5
This isn't gourmet. It's decent quick food. Not fast, not sit down. Just quick and tasty.

The guys at the Treehouse Car Show & birthday celebration.

 

AJ's Not Bombing-AJ Bombers Mayfair Collection (06.2019)

Well, I'm way behind on my blog. The season has been very busy. A lot of burgers to write about. That's Summertime in Milwaukee.
06.2019
AJ Bomber's was my Burgers With Brothers choice. I wanted to try the Big Boy Tribute.
Marc's Big Boy was a family restaurant in the Milwaukee area back when I was younger. By the late 70's maybe the early 80's, the Big Boy was no longer available. Then, recently, AJ Bombers got the rights to share a burger that pays homage to the Big Boy. It had been more than 45 years since I had a real Big Boy. Would I recognize it? I didn't have to pay for it in the old days so, I would just scarf it down, with a shake, of course. I've seen pictures of what the original looked like. The photos were taken at an angle to make the sandwich seem huge. Back then, relative to my person, it was huge.
When it arrived, I did my normal burger snob stuff. Pinched off a piece that was condiment free. It was fine. Not heavily seasoned. Then, the combination of just the burger and bun. Better. Finally, I got to chomp a bite of the complete ensemble. I liked it. Does it scream Big Boy on spec? I have to believe they have done everything they could to replicate the experience. (Dave Marcus talks about the recipe)
I don't regret the choice. I'm not running out to tell Milwaukee and the world to get it while they can either. It's a decent burger. I think that daily, several other venues serve a similar burger. Nostalgia gives this one a bit more value.
Rate it:
4 of 5
AJ's does burger well. Price is in the ballpark. Service can sometimes be a bit challenging. Glad I did it. Glad to share with my brothers.

Kopp's (no robbers!)

Late June of this year, I found myself back at one of my favorite places of any kind. They just happen to have burgers!
Yes, I've been to Kopp's before. Kopp's goes way back for me. There was a Kopp's, the original, in my neighborhood at N 61st and W Appleton Avenue. It was Jumbo burgers and custard. They've got 3 or 4 locations plus a fancy place downtown, Elsa's named after the founder, Elsa Kopp.That's a whole different burger down there.
It was a date night and a chance to take our 1960 Oldsmobile out for a cruise. It's always cool to pull in at a burger stand with a classic convertible.
This night, I'll split a cheese burger with "the works".
The staff is hustling to get the orders ready for all the folks waiting. A separate line cranks out all things Custard. It's great to see that all the staff wear the customary Kopp's uniform, including the paper caps, aprons etc.
Our number gets called. As we step towards the counter, another of the crew brings over our custard order, fresh made for our order.
It's all I expect of the Kopp's Jumbo Cheese Burger. Some grease oozes, cheese squashes out a bit and the over the top quantity of condiments. And of course, the pickle set on top of the bun, getting warmed. (Dill) It's all good. Flavor is still great. The bun, no doubt the same or similar to what is has been for over 60 years.

Rate it: 4.5 of 5
I'm not going to claim it to be the best burger in the area but, Kopp's delivers a quality sandwich at a decent price.
Don't fix what ain't broke.

Staff at Kopp's. Black bow tie and all!

Wahlburger-Burgers with Brothers times two!

The Wahlberg brothers are in business together. That business is about burgers as well as other good sounding food. My brothers and I go out for burgers together at least three times each year. Sounds like a good match, right?
This time, it was my older brother made the choice this time. Wahlburgers has been on my list as well. I only learned that such a restaurant existed because we got our first one in Milwaukee just a few months back. The Wahlberg family has been at this since 2011! Good for us. We should get the best product after 8 years in business.
Our Wahlburgers is located at a place called The Corners. One of those town center, shopping center places. A lot of stores, restaurants and apartments. Not a stand alone facility. The store front almost blends in. There's bright green everywhere. (signature color) The staff is quick to greet me and check if I would like to get on the waiting list for a table. They take your cell number so they can text you. I always hope it's a fairly secure system they are using. If I begin getting random calls on my cell, I will know why. you can see in to the kitchen where there are stacks of bright green cardboard boxes to the to-go/doggy bag. The staff buzzes around. Plates with burgers, tots and onions rings!
We place our order. All three of us went for Our Burger. It seems like the most straight forward sandwich. The Double and Triple are only slightly more meat. Not needed. I got the Thin Crispy Onion Rings. My brothers both got the Sweet Potato Tots.
The food arrived on a small rectangular tray. A bit too small for me because, along with the built burger, there is a mini frying basket with my side in it. I put my frying basket full of rings on a napkin so placing my burger down wouldn't be too complicated. The sandwich looks pretty decent. All the toppings appear to be fresh. The roll is lighter in color. First bite. You get just about all the content, top to bottom. The roll is sweet and plays well with the onions, tomato etc. Quite a bit of juice squishes out the back side. The rings are tasty. I didn't read the name too well because I envisioned the regular onion rings. Glad they were the thin crispy ones. The sweet tots were decent. I'm not sure if they are sweet potatoes or just sweet potato tots. They were a different color.
Rate it:
I would say the food was nicely done. It makes me think they've got the other stuff like the Mac N Cheese locked in. It is a franchise, there can't be too much variance in the product. That makes me think the meat for the burgers could be frozen. I couldn't find anything online that mentions how they handle it.
The burgers were tasty. I'm not going to say there was a specific seasoning to it. I did my usual pinch a piece without all the stuff on it, pretty much tasted like meat. The bun, Wahl sauce and other vegetables gave it flavor. I thought it was bit cooled off by the time it arrived at our table. Could have been warmer. Sides were good. Not great or really different. I guess people like the tot idea over fries.
The location and restaurant itself, not terribly memorable, other than a big screen advertising their food and showing pictures of the Wahlbergs. It felt a bit like a cafeteria. Price is what's expected.

3.5 of 5 I'd get take out next time.

My burger and crispy onion rings

Raised Bar, Chicago IL

It was a super cold night in downtown Chicago. Windchill at -10 degrees. We had a room at the Marriot Renaissance for the night. In town for the Interpol concert at the Chicago Theater, across the street.
Most of the time, I wouldn't dine at the hotel restaurant just because the prices and a lot of times, the food is good but not worth the $$$.
Throw that one out the window! I'm glad we were afraid to go out in the cold to scavenge for mediocre food. Nice and warm with a view of downtown Chicago. During the warmer seasons, the rooftop is made available. We started with Edamame and a drink. I had a Tequila based "Old Fashioned" I plan to stick with Whiskey or Brandy in the future. The Edamame, something I've never had before was delicious. When it came time to order dinner the choice was clear, a burger. Grilled beef, smoked bourbon pork belly, pickled slaw and butterkase (cheese) on a seeded brioche bun. Presented beautifully and cooked perfectly. What a burger! I'm thinking this may have been one of the best I've had. At least the top five.

4.75 of 5
Forget the price. It wasn't that high anyway. What you get is worth it. I took part back to the room and warmed it up later, still delicious!

Ok at Joe's K Ranch

A couple of weeks back I was having an all Cudahy day with my great nephews. (both are great and well, great) We went bowling at Motion just off of Packard Avenue. Unlimited bowling for two hours, shoes for $8. Milwaukee area at it's best.
Generally, when I'm out with these guys, it's a burger run. Why be any different this time, right? Quite a few places offering a burger in the area were closed on Sunday. The one place, Joe's K Ranch on Whitnall Avenue suggested they have a tasty temptation. In business since 1958, surrounded by industrial buildings, auto scrap yards, upholstery shops and just down the road from Ladish Co., the location must have seen Cudahy/Milwaukee during the boom.
The interior has been modified to accommodate larger groups but, the original bar area shows a vignette of what it may have looked like before.
We all ordered burgers. One stripped of almost everything, another with cheese and not much else. Mine came with the works, raw onions.
They are big burgers. 1/3 pound and I think that's after cooking. I got the haystack onions. They were good but not amazing. The burger, cooked almost perfect. A little pink. Seasoning was just enough. The bun was griddle toasted making it a bit more tasty.
Over all, it's good stuff. Price was pretty much aligned with current market pricing.

4 of 5
I'm not going to say it was the best, certainly not the worst. The atmosphere was a little to family dining for me. The large party room wasn't separated making it less cozy. That didn't make it taste bad. It just sort of took away from the experience.

Paradise Pup. Hot Doggy!

We were on our way home from a short trip to Chicago and decided that we needed to find an interesting (and tasty) place to stop for lunch. You might never guess what I was hoping to have, a burger. Well, my wife is down with that. So, a quick search along our path home produced a couple of interesting places. The stand out one was Paradise Pup on Des Plaines River Road.
Guy Fieri stopped by this funky little place during his 2nd season. He gave it two greasy thumbs up.
I agree. The building is tiny and the parking, at this time of year is a bit of a challenge.
Once inside, you see the magic happening. I felt like I was getting the insider's view of Santa's factory. The team of guys working the grill area had the perfect system to keep the orders moving. One of my favorite things was this huge pile of onions resting on top of the griddle. I would think they serve a couple of different purposes. One, to "season" the griddle and two of course, future toppings to a burger.
We went with the suggested Char w/Merkt's Cheddar plus "the works" which includes raw onions, tomato, pickles and mayo. We paired it with an order of Crinkle Fries. The only thing that I wish I would have done, ordered a shake.
A thick juicy burger, fresh seeded bun. The sandwich dripped from the combination of pickle, tomato and mayo. Make sure you have something under it to catch it.
Great taste. Seasoned but not over the top. Everything worked.
The price was decent. I think the total was $9.80

4.5 of 5
I would love to visit during the Summer and sit outside, sipping on a shake.

Lokal Serves it with a dash of nostalgia

We were in Coconut Grove Florida for a couple of days and as is usual, looking for a good local place to grab a bite. If it happens to be a burger, well that would be okay.
Lokal was a short walk away and according to what we read online, they serve a decent burger.
We got a table outside. Inside, the decor was pretty much what you might expect with one exception. The bar front was covered with cassette tapes! In the one corner, a telephone booth that had a sign that said "time machine". Interesting... through the back side of the phone booth was a "malt shop" that was created to appear similar to the owner's parent's place back in 1986. Part of that included video games that were popular in that time. I had to play a couple of games of Galaga.
Our order came. The bun on my burger had the Lokalz logo "branded" into it, (always a cool touch) Cooked just right, a little pink. Everything was tasty. The girl suggested going 50/50 on regular fries and sweet potato fries.
A bit pricey but, I think that's just how things go down there.
Rated: 4 of 5
I loved the scene. The food was darn good. Glad I went there.

Burdines Waterfront Marina (& Burgers!)

Recently, we spent a few days in the Florida Keys. There is plenty of fresh fish items on all the menus. Burdine's Waterfront Marina has fish and more. I was surprised to see how many variations they did on burgers. That made me think they might be a valid burger to check in to.
Our hotel was only a couple of blocks away so, we walked over. Easier said than done. Hwy 1 doesn't stop for pedestrians. Once across the road, we passed a little Cuban Cafe'. Behind the cafe', in a fenced area was a small village of trailers and campers. I would guess that they were regular housing. The outsides were all decorated nicely. As we walked along the parameter down the road to Burdine's, we got to glimpse in to a couple of them. Families watching television, eating. Far out. Then, a rooster and chickens! What a nice little added bonus to the night's adventures.
The walk turned out to be about 3/4 of a mile back in to the dock/port area. Burdines is obviously about the people that use the dock service and some locals that no where the good food is.
The restaurant is atop the dock service store and office. The posts are wrapped in license plates from all over the place. The bar area is decorated in an island theme.
How about the burger? Well, it's a fairly large patty and bun. First thing I did was pinch off just the meat to get the true flavor. Cooked just right, seasoned nicely. Not bad for a fish joint, right?
As we ate, the sun set on the bay. Smaller boats were still coming in giving us a postcard like moment.
Rated: 3.5 of 5
It was really good. I wasn't blown away. The fries are tasty. Location is special, hidden from the whole "Keys" experience. Nice.