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...