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.