10/02/22 - Wayne's Drive-In, Cedarburg WI - Seasonal Favorite

Wisconsin like the rest of the upper midwest has a restricted outdoor dining season. Over the years, businesses like drive-ins have adapted their property to serve all year round. Others, they just keep it seasonal. Wayne's is one of them. No complaints. I hope they enjoy the time off.

Wayne's is one of my seasonal must haves. Is it because it's the best burger? Not really. I think that because Wayne's is seasonal and I can only have it during the warmer months, my mind associates them with that warm feeling of the sun shining down while you lean against your car munching a cheeseburger fresh off the griddle. The building adorned with memories of the history of Wayne's and all the kitschy items new and old that cover the walls. Generations come for meals together to share this. The staff is always working hard, friendly and helpful. It would be interesting how many of the current staff may have a link to past staff members. See what I mean? You got to support this stuff! Families, generations of friends and neighbors. 

Oh yes, I did have a burger. Well, a cheeseburger. With American cheese, tomato and raw onion. It was dang good. They don't use words like grass fed or organic. I think they just get the best beef patties they can. I'm cool with that. Fresh condiments, bakery (buns) are a plus. It was really juicy.

Rate it: 3.5 of 5 Always a decent burger, good price, great service (could be a 4 of 5?)

Wayne's website

09/29/22 - Nite Owl - Time Capsule and Burger Time

Every year as part of this whole burger thing I do, I have a couple of places I "have" to go to for a burger to keep my burger health on course. The Nite Owl is one of those places. Sometimes elusive because the seasonal situation or because of the hours they keep and my ability to be there during those times. Even if you get there during the prescribed time, you may not be able to order anything. I tried early in the season and thought I would miss the lunch hour group. I arrived at around 1pm. There had to be at least 15 or more people standing around. One guy told me they weren't taking any more orders. I didn't believe it. But as I got closer to the building I saw the hand written sign (chunk of cardboard) "No More Orders Today". Whoa! I survived to come back another day. My son Daryl and my grandson Theo met me there. We ordered our food and chatted while we waited. It had been two seasons since we were there. Covid kept it closed and us away. 

My son ordered a double cheeseburger to split with his wife and a hot dog for the kiddo. I got the single cheese burger and fries.

Rate It: 4 of 5 Really decent burgers, price is still in the ballpark. I'll be back next season!

*the other places I "have" to go to? Wayne's-Cedarburg, Hefner's-Cedarburg, Nite Owl-Milwaukee

Nite Owl

09/24/22 - Wedl's Burgers, Jefferson WI - Swap Meet/Burgers

It's been a while since I've written up Wedl's in Jefferson. I blogged about them back in 2011. I know I've been there since.

Anyway, it was that time of year again. The Fall Jefferson Swap Meet and Car Show. I hadn't been there in a few years. Covid being the most recent reason. The show was cancelled for a couple of seasons. Now, it's back! I had to go, for more than one reason. Yes, there's the swap meet with all the cool cars, piles of stuff for sale, crazy vendors and crazy prices but, on the way home, Wedl's. After walking a couple of miles over a couple of hours, I deserve a decent meal. Don't judge me. Burgers and fries cover a couple of food groups if you get all the extras. I did the single cheese burger with raw onions (vegetable) and American cheese (Dairy). An order of fries (more veggies/startch) 

Half of the fun of stopping at Wedl's especially during the swap weekend is that the wait time is fairly long. The conversations you have with others waiting for their order and others around you chatting really makes it special. I met a guy from Rockford IL. He knows a guy that vends at the swap. He and his family come up a couple of the days and spend time just hanging out at the meet. Then, head to Wedl's for Burgers and ice cream. A tradition. His son and grandson were along.

I like to watch the folks working in a building the size of a Fotomat Booth. The gal at the griddle had to have a least 20+ burgers cooking at the same time. They start as a wad of beef and get "smashed" on the griddle top. Some break apart, she re-forms them. Cheese, bacon etc gets added. A person steps out the door of the building or yells out the window "Order for Dan!" You have to sort of watch for the people in front of you to pick up there order. That means your in the que.

3.5 of 5 The burger is good. The price is climbing but, still reasonable. Nostalgic. Family owned. Small town.

 

Sorry no picture this time. :(

Their website

08/19/22-Cafe Hollander Wauwatosa, WI - Lunch with the Kirchens!

 It's always a treat to get together with our son Daryl and his family. I will admit, hanging out with our grandson Theo really makes the day special. After a morning of playing at the park we headed to the Cafe Hollander in the village of Wauwatosa. Theo's choice. I guess he thought they had something for everyone, including grandpa. He knows I like a good burger. I've had a burger at almost all the Lowland owned restaurants. (Hollander Tosa, Hollander MKE, Benalux, Centraal) They are usually very good. No difference this time. Served close to the way I like it, could have been just a little more pink. I know that can be tough to get based on timing etc. Just a moment longer and poof! No complaints. It was delicious. The company kept added to the experience.

I think they serve what I would consider a fairly consistent burger. I've never been bummed that I ordered a burger while at their restaurants.

Rate it: 4 of 5 Decent price. Tasty. Consistent.

*this post was created several weeks after the actual date.

08/15/22-Cruize the Spur Elm Grove, WI

 Another gorgeous night to be in Elm Grove for a "Cruise the Spur". Cars, food and comrade. We took the '60 olds convertible to the cruise in. We decided to enjoy a sit down style dinner rather than doing the car show cuisine. They offer a less expensive smaller menu on the area where the cars are parked. Sort of nice. Otherwise, attending a car show can get expensive without even calculating in the fuel cost!

The Silver Spur has always served decent food. Not "wow, this is delicious" but, pretty decent. For some reason, maybe the cook was in a better mood, fresh spices who knows? The food was extra tasty. Not much of a story to tell. I went to the show with the intention of consuming a burger. All the toppings were fresh and flavorful. 

I'll be honest, I'm writing this some time after the fact. Details fade unless I write them down. I just remember, it was pretty remarkable. 

Rate it: 4 of 5 Decent price. Tasty.

09/07/22-Sister from another mother birthday outing @ Double Bs BBQ/MKE BBQ

 It was time to go out and celebrate my sister-in-law Therese's birthday. Being the considerate person she is, she chose a place that offered a lot of choices, including burgers! That's pretty cool.

I've been to BB BBQ before for the BBQ. It was delicious. So I figured the burger might be as good. I was right. My order was the 1/2 Fresh Angus Burger w/Cheese. I had American. They describe it like this: A fresh, lightly pressed, char-broiled patty, served on a toasted brioche bun with your choice of cheese: American, Mild Cheddar, Swiss, or Pepper-jack.I describe it like this: Yummy! If you read any of my posts on this blog you will find I'm not a big fan of the Brioche bun. In this case, it worked out well. The flavor complimented the burger instead of detracting. The burger itself could have been just a little less cooked. Still it was moist and flavorful. No need for all kinds of extra stuff loaded on. I did have raw onions and added a bit of ketchup and stone ground Düsseldorf mustard. Fries were the side.

Relatively inexpensive according to today's pricing. Delicious. I don't know if I will go back for the burger specifically because they do so well with the BBQ. Great atmosphere.

Rate it: 4 of 5 Price and quality are a value. Atmosphere adds to it.

Sorry, I don't have a picture of the sandwich. :( 

Here's their menu

 

Good City Brewing=Good Burger 07/08/2022

 My wife heard about a burger that I should check out. It was my birthday week aka burger week. I consumed a burger once a day for five days in a row! I didn't mind. I did run more miles than my usual in an attempt to pre-burn the calories.

The story told was that Good City  Brewing at the Mayfair Collection was one of the best burgers in town as ranked by On Milwaukee columnist Lori Fredrich. She was correct in her assessment. 

I'll cut right to the experience. I ordered the Double Cheeseburger. That's two quarter pound patties! Upon arrival I knew it was going to be a decent burger. I cut it in half to better manage consuming it. I could smell the flavors as I brought it to my lips. Yum! I think this has to be one of the better burgers I've had recently. Perfect color, just a little pink. Juicy, fresh.

I can't find anything I didn't like about the burger. Just the right amounts of toppings, hand packed patties.

Rate it: 4.5 of 5

Staff was awesome. Price wasn't crazy for such a well crafted burger. I might have to go back to be sure it was really that great.

I Made it to Dairyland 07/07/22-"Burgers with Brothers"

(Update 10/22. This location has now been closed)

 I'm always keeping my eyes and ears open looking for my new favorite burger place. A couple years back, Dairyland Burgers opened a brick and mortar location on the South side of Milwaukee. The opened a second location in downtown Milwaukee. It was a food truck. By the time I was able to head over for a burger the pandemic was in full swing. Neither location had regular hours. They changed every week. Fast forward to this year, July. My turn to call the burger joint for "Burgers with Brothers". At this point, Dairyland has closed both locations. Dairyland is now "embedded" inside of local brewery and part of a Food Hall. I chose the brewery location for convenience of parking.

The experience was far from dreamy. There are a few tables near a doorway with the Dairyland logo above it. The tables have a QR to scan that then takes you through the ordering process. So, we ordered our food. Clicked the place order. We hoped it went through. A text came through assuring us that it would be nearly 30 minutes before it would be ready. For burgers?

I had the Bacon Cheeseburger. My brothers had "The Wiz" and "Big Man on Campus". 

The order was ready. We had to retrieve it from the counter outside the area where they make the food. So far, no real interaction with the staff. We guessed there were people in the back because the food appeared at the counter.

The food was fine. Frozen patties, grill top. Buns were fine, not exceptional. 

Rate it: 3.5 of 5

Lucky for them the burgers were at least decent. Pricing was okay. Not interacting with the staff was just weird. The location inside the brewery took away any personality that may have been present at the brick and mortar. I have to say, I'm a little bummed. Should have done it as take out.

Fest and Show Burgers

 I'm not going to get all fancy with these burgers. They were more of a what the heck, I need something to eat. Of course, default for me is a burger.

Summertime offers quite a few opportunities to grab a burger. Summerfest is one of those places. Eight days over 3 weekends. Tons of music and tons of food vendors. My first visit to the festival was on Friday July 1st. My wife and I have a few "must haves" while attending the event. This time, burgers got on the list. We went to Ward's House of Prime. The name makes you think this is going to be something special, even at a festival. Nope. Not at all interesting. Lacked flavor. The bun was okay. Pricey. 

The next time at Summerfest was July 9th, I was alone. My first burger was from the Charcoal Grill. It's a chain restaurant and that's okay. Chances are they serve something consistent with there brick and mortar locations. I can't compare because I've never been to one. No matter, it was a decent burger. Frozen, formed patty. Grilled on an open flame. Love their set up. It's out in the open. Flames licking burgers, chicken and brats. Yes, I stand in the smoke for a moment each time I pass. Pricing was consistent with overpriced fest food. Before the evening was over, I'd have one more burger. I stopped at Major Goolsby's. Goolsby's is a local Bar/Restaurant in downtown Milwaukee. I would have to say, of the three burgers I had on the festival grounds, this was the best. Pricing consistent with the fest food.

Rounding out the week, I went to a car show on Sunday July 10th. Great day for a show. I went over to the registration tent to sign in. The smoke from the grills in the concessions area filled the registration tent. Prices on the food were a bit high for a car show. Burgers were $9, Cheeseburgers $10. Hot Dogs were at $7! Thank gosh they took credit cards because I spent all my money on registration. I got a cheeseburger and a bag of chips. Classic car show/church festival cheeseburger. The cheese is placed on a hamburger and isn't even partially melted. Don't get me started on flavor. I guess that's why there are always a lot of condiments available.

Sorry I didn't take any pictures of the burgers. Here's a picture of our car at the show.

Winner-Winner NO Chicken Dinner @ Oscar's Winner's Circle 03.31.2022

This was a bit unexpected. I needed to connect with a friend of mine Rob to return a piece of art he created as part of a show back in February. Rob suggested we get together, have something to eat and chat. That's always a good thing to keep us on our creative journey. Sort "check in" on each other. He suggested Oscar's Winner's Circle, a short walk from the print shop he works at. Oscar's has another place to the East a couple of miles. Every time I've been there, the burgers rocked. Will this be similar? Let's hope so.

After a long debate with Rob, I decided to have the Tailgate Burger. I'm not a big fan of all kinds of junk piled on my burger. Not only can it interfere with the overall taste, it can get messy. They place Pulled Pork, BBQ Sauce, Smoked Sharp Cheddar and Haystack Onions on top of what had to be a 1/2 lb patty. It was gorgeous. Stacked and pinned together with a toothpick. The roll had a bit of a glaze/shine to it. Cooked to perfection. Juicy, full of flavor. The patty snitch proved the burger was great on it's own. The added layers enhanced the experience. No conflict with flavors. It all worked together. Very mellow. Delicious.

Rate it: 4.5 of 5 (5s just don't happen)

Priced at $7.75 it's hard to imagine a better burger at twice the price. Oscar's did it again. When folks ask me "what's your favorite burger?" Oscar's will roll off my lips.

 The Tailgate Burger...

 

Camino West Allis, WI 03.31.2022

 Today was sort of a day off of regular life. We planned to go for lunch at a place that serves Peruvian dishes followed by the local Realtor's Home and Garden Show (looking for inspiration). Well, the Peruvian place wasn't open for lunch. We didn't let that stop us from enjoying the day. Where should we go? I suggested the new hot corridor of restaurants in West Allis, WI. It's just to the East of where the show was going to be. Convenient, right? I had seen the Camino a couple weeks back when I drove past. The sign in the window says "Craft Beer & Burgers". It didn't take much to convince my wife to go there. She likes beer. I like burgers. Well, so does she.

The inside is pretty cool. The walls feature a local artist, Brian R Hibbard. The pieces are part of the Hot Pink Bullshit series. The fixtures are rustic chic. The staff is also rustic chic. Tattooed and wearing black.

The menu offers quite a few tempting versions of a burger. We chose to share "The Burger". Plain and simple. It was gorgeous. Just enough pink, juicy and tall. The seasoned fries were delicious. No need to dip, although we did.

Rate it:

4.5 of 5

This has to be one of the better burgers I've had in recent years. All the flavors worked perfect together. The patty stood on it's own when I took a little snitch without all the toppings. The price was $10.50. Well worth it and then some. I've spent more and been served something lesser.

By the way, the Home & Garden Show didn't start until later in the day.

Our burger...

Big Deal at the Big Boy 03.29.2022 (Burgers w/Brothers)

 It was time for another "Burger with Brothers". This time, the youngest of the three got to pick the place. He chose a trip down memory lane, Big Boy. Recently opened, Jerry's Wisconsin Big Boy in Germantown, WI, has been all the buzz on social media, television and general conversation when someone mentions getting a burger these days.

The Big Boy story goes back to 1936 in Glendale, CA. Our reference is the late 60's through the mid 90's in Milwaukee where Marcus Corporation ran what was known as Marc's Big Boy. The restaurants weren't fine dining but they still looked pretty fancy inside. The Big Boy statue on the roof or near the door just made it that much more magical. I'm not going to say I recall everything exactly the way it was. In my life, there is quite a bit of romance and nostalgia associated with Big Boy.

So, how about the burger? My brothers both got the standard Big Boy. I went for the Super Big Boy! Four patties, stacked. My guess was that the patty size is probably 2 ounces so, 8 ounces total. Plenty enough for me. Here's where things go off course a bit. The construction of all the burgers were lacking the "Big Boy" structure. (see image of burger build)

I don't think any of these 3 versions were adhered to. In the end, it was a decent cheese burger. Nothing super special about the patties that I'm sure arrive in large boxes. Overall flavor was good. The small trace of any kind of condiments didn't overpower the burger. The bun was classic sesame seed.

Rate it:

3.5 of 5 I think I might have given it a better rating if I wasn't expecting to have the Big Boy described in the diagram. $12 wasn't the worst but, I've had better for less. The restaurant is fun if you like nostalgia. All different versions of the Big Boy statue throughout the restaurant and television screens running a loop of Big Boy history. They also have a retail area that offers a chance to own some Big Boy swag.

My burger...

Time for Elder Rime-01.22.2022

It was a Saturday night and we felt like taking the night off cooking. Our son and his wife gave us a gift card for a local restaurant, a bit upscale but casual, the Elder Rime. It's housed inside of the Renaissance at Mayfair Mall shopping center. We heard some good things about the place and thought, let's go!

Super cool vibe. Especially considering it's at a super busy corner for traffic and the mall is in plain view. It's all booths unless you decide to sit at the bar but why?

We ordered drinks. I ordered the Reykr Old Fashioned. Great choice. The presentation was something else. The server brings the cocktail under a dome of smoke. The drink is perfectly mixed and has that smoked edge to it. Totally setting the scene for what's to come.

About the only offering for burgers was the E+R Burger. Described like this...wisconsin grass fed beef, Roth Butterkase (WI company), smoked onion jam, house pickle, potato bun, hand cut frites. What I know is this, when it arrived I was surprised at the bun to meat ratio. Somebody finally figured out that I like the bun but really want the burger. All the components were also in perfect ratio. The cheese was buttery and flowing out from everywhere. The beef was near perfect cooking for me. Would have liked it a bit more pink. Wonderful seasoning. Not an inexpensive burger but, presentation, flavor and balance of ingredients made it a decent value.

Rate it: 4 of 5 The patty could have been a bit more pink. Maybe they don't like to serve it that way? Maybe a bit less cheese? Really, there isn't much to pick on.

Nothing Flat About the Burger: Flat Iron Tap-Lake Geneva, WI 01.26.2022

 This past Wednesday we were headed to Geneva WI to see the Ice Castles at the Geneva National Resort. It's almost an hour drive so, we decided to grab some food in nearby Lake Geneva. Mexican? Pizza? Plenty of choices for both. What about a bar that boasts an awesome burger? Well, I guess, if I have to. 

The Flat Iron Tap showed up on the list of local places for dinner. No kidding, this is on their website header "Lake Geneva's Best Gourmet Burgers". Whoa!

I got the Cheesehead. I almost got the Plain Jayne Playne w/cheese. The idea of Gouda and Cheddar made it seem as thought they did it on purpose. Hill Valley Dairy cheddar & gouda on a toasted brioche bun – mixed greens, heirloom tomato & red onion on the side. I appreciate the tomato and onion on the side. It gives me a chance to snag a bite of the burger by itself.

The burger arrives on a piece of paper that has the look of an old time newspaper in a metal pan. Fries are covering at least half the pan/paper. Pickles are stacked on one side along with the greens and onion. The burger stands tall in the midst of all this. The bun is got a slight gloss to it, the edges are toasted nearly perfect to my tastes. It's big chunk of meat. Hand formed and the texture suggested it was probably cooked in a big iron pan. I didn't get a look at the kitchen area to verify. No fear for seasonings. The flavor was wonderful. I like a little pink, that's what I got. Juicy, flavorful.

It's been tough to find a place that can get it all together at the same time. These folks did it.

4.5 of 5 The $14 price isn't shocking especially when it's a damn good burger.