Burger with my brother from another mother (09/11/2021)

 Burger with my brother from another mother (09/11/2021)

Here's something you might not know about me... my name is Dan, I have a half brother in California. His name is Dan also. California Dan knows that I'm all about the burger. When he found out that my wife and I would be visiting he thought he'd give himself a challenge to cook a burger even Dasburgereater (me) might enjoy. Tall order. 

His focus was intense. Everything was fresh and hand picked by him. No room for error. His counter top had perfectly cut tomatoes, onions etc. The patties, well they looked just right. My guess, 1/3 pounders. CA Dan uses a gas grill. I only harassed him a little about that. You still need to be on your game when it comes to timing. The seasoning will still shine.

Did they turn out? Sure did. Juicy, flavorful with just the right amount of everything on it. I did have to cut it in half because it was just that big!

Rate it: 4.5 of 5

CA Dan stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. There was no doubt. Was it the love and care added? Was I influenced by his charm? Maybe it's his name that got me? It was one of the best homemade burgers I've had. You know I've had plenty.

The Chef:

The Burger:

Homestyle Burger (08/31/2021)

 I'm calling this the "Homestyle Burger". I'm not going to lie, I do love the burgers I make at home. Meat from my neighborhood butcher counter, rolls from the local bakery and a stack full of Cowboy brand hardwood charcoal. My Weber kettle helps assure the flavors circulate properly. I use Ney's seasoning. Ney's is a family owned farm in Hartford Wisconsin. I haven't found a spice that can do what their spice does for steak, burger or pork.

I use a timer but, visual and a general sense of when to pull the patties off the fire and allow them to rest seems to be the favorite way to grill. The timer keeps me on track I guess.

There's not much to talk about when it comes to staff attitude. My Sous Chef, Annette is one of the best when it comes to setting up a night of burgers at our home. As for the price, an excellent meal for the price!

Time to rate it:

4.5 of 5

Service, presentation, quality, taste and of course price are all top level.

I ordered a burger, go figure. (07.15.2021)

The English Inn is a Supper Club in Fish Creek Wisconsin. They are known for their Beef Wellington and other high end dishes. What did I order? A burger! I loved the reaction of the two ladies seated near us when I ordered the Burger Platter. Hey, I figure that if they can do meat right, their burger should be good. 

I wasn't sure what I was getting into. I didn't get the usual questions about onions (fried or raw?) or what type of cheese I would like. No matter, they know what they are doing. I hoped.

The burger arrived. And that is all there was. I was a bit taken back. Really? Just a cheeseburger on a bun? No tomato, onion, lettuce or pickle. Weird. Should I ask for toppings? I figured I would try it before going that route. First bite, wow. Tons of flavor. Maybe I don't need toppings. I did put some ketchup on it. Really surprising how good it tasted "as is". Juicy and seasoned well. The bun to burger ratio was right. Small bun with a big burger.

Rate it:

3.5 of 5 

Decent burger. Bun was a bit dry. Price was disproportionate ($18) Still puzzled about the toppings etc.

Burgers with Brothers is back. This time, Badger Burger Co.

 Hey, it's my birthday soon and I got to pick the burger joint for "Burgers with Brothers". 

Sometime back, while in Richfield WI, I passed a building with a sign that said Badger Burger Co. Never heard of it. Well, within a couple of weeks I ran into the others. Mukwanago and Brookfield. A quick look at the menu online convinced me that we needed to have a taste.

It was a Monday night at the Brookfield location. The restaurant is in a strip mall but they did a really nice job with the space. Two levels for dine-in. The upper level has tables with chairs. The lower level has several booths, a couple of larger tables for groups and a bar that looks like you can order almost anything you like. Decor is cool. Not too over the top.

We got a booth. Seats were a bit stiff. I did one of those "drops" onto what looked like a cushion. No such luck. There was a slight piece of foam at best. Not a concern. Once I got past that, it was fine.

The burgers are all sort of crazy builds. A lot of bacon and cheese variations. Go figure, Wisconsin. One brother got the Burger with sweet potato waffle fries. The other had the Smokey with chive fries. I did the Badger with steak fries. I think we all order medium.

The burgers arrived. Instant craving. It looked great. Just enough fries and a garlic dill. The burger was obviously made just for me. The meat was nice and loose, cooked just right. All the toppings worked great together. Nothing overpowering the other. I'm not a fan of Brioche buns but this worked. 

I'm not going to say the service was lacking but, it could have been a bit better. The food was all great and didn't take too long to arrive. Price, not too outrageous. I think the total bill for the three burgers and a couple of sodas came to around $35.

Rate it:

Clean, cool setting, decent service, delicious burger cooked just right. Price, not crazy. If I were the type to grab a drink on a Monday night, I bet it would have been good also.

4+ out of 5

North of Milwaukee: Wayne's and Hefner's

 Just need to mention a couple of places I always enjoy returning to...

The first is Wayne's Drive-In, Cedarburg. They are only open seasonally so, you have to go while you can. I grabbed the 1/4 lb cheese burger (American cheese), pickle and raw onion. I stood in anticipation, waiting for my number to be called. W127! that's mine. I didn't get fries, this was a burger only stop. I'm pretty sure I had lunch already. Still, yum! I'm not saying this is the best burger you'll ever bite into but, consistent great flavor and tasty. Priced right. Where can you get a burger for less than $5 these days?

Wayne's is always on my list of places to get a burger.

The second is Hefner's, also in Cedarburg. Hef's is a cool little place between Grafton and Cedarburg. Some folks might not even notice it at the turn when headed North. I talked my friend Jim into coming along to get his take. I told him about the Huge Hefner burger. It's big, that's for sure. I was less adventurous, bacon cheeseburger with onion rings. My previous experience(s) with Hefner's were pretty good. I think I rank them near 4 of 5. This round, not so much. Not that it was horrible but, there was definitely something different. Maybe the whole cleaning process for Covid is making it difficult to develop that great layer of flavor on the flat top griddle? Also, the Huge Hefner had way too much bun. I won't knock 'em down yet. I'm giving them a Mulligan on this one.

I was on business in Grafton, visiting one of the galleries where my artwork is sold when I decided to run to Wayne's. Hefner's was only a mile from a work site in Cedarburg, why wouldn't I go there? Guilty as charged.

https://www.hefnerscustard.com/

https://waynesdrivein.com/home.php

Dream a little Dream Burger-Art Bar Wonderland 11.11.2020

 The pandemic is on. Stay home orders have been announced. It's our job to support local businesses. Especially one that supports local artists (like me!). It's the holiday season and the Art Bar is hosting their annual "Mini Show". 150 artists, pieces smaller than 12"x12" and selling for less than $100! I have 12 pieces in the show.

Don Krause and his staff have maintained there mission to be both a bar and an art gallery. A short time back Don decided to convert the adjacent building into a cool diner vibe place. I must say, it was well done. It's not too hip or square. It almost feels like it's been there all along with some updates.

We've eaten there before but, tonight we headed down to check out the Mini Show and thought, let's get take out! Hmm, check the menu. Salads, soups and various sandwiches. Ah, burgers. 1/3 pound single or double the meat? Dream or shroom? Dream seems the most straight forward. I decide there's no need to add more toppings. Order of fries, yes.

Because it was ordered online, I'm not sure when they cooked it. We finished checking the show out and grabbed our bag full of delicious smelling food, jumped in the car and headed home. We couldn't resist grabbing some fries out of the bag. There's nothing like driving with the windows closed, fresh cooked take out smelling up the car. (Pizza has to be the toughest) By the time we got home the food had cooled. Should I have taken a bite of the burger right when we got it? Maybe. What's amazing is that I decided to microwave the burger back to temp. Wow! I don't know if I've ever done that. It worked. 

How about that burger? Obviously a pre-formed frozen patty, not a concern. It was seasoned well. The bun was a decent ratio to the patty, sort of low profile too. Not so tall. The toppings were great. The seasoned butter really came through as an excellent compliment to all the other stuff. And heck, any burger that can come back from being cooled off right back to tasty, that rocks.

4 of 5 (4+) because of what I said in the review. Great job Wonderland!

Lost In The Woods (Birchwood Bar & Grill) 07.11.2020

When I was a teen, our family used to rent a cabin in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for a week. There were nine of us. (7 children and 2 adults plus a dog) The place we stayed was just down the road from a funky little bar and grill, Birchwood. It was classic late 70's mixed with "Up North" A jukebox, sodas all the way around. The parents enjoyed cocktails. A great place to drop into during a rainy day for sure.
After a couple of years renting, my parents bought a lodge that originally was the office with guest rooms for the Limberlost Resort. They bought it in 1979. This weekend, we were moving them out. 40+ years of memories.
We decided to head to Birchwood for dinner. Tonight's visit to Birchwood might be our last for some time. This put a little pressure on your burger eater man. I chose to take the biggest challenge, Stark Tower, a homemade burger topped with onion rings, cheese curds and American cheese, another layer of ham, green peppers, onions, diced tomatoes and Swiss cheese, finished with bacon and melted cheddar. Held together on three layers of Texas toast. $17.99
I have to say, I was expecting a "tower" of food. It was tall, trust me. (see photos) The flavors all played together, none more outstanding than the other. I pinched off a piece of the burger patty just to be sure it tasted that good. Yep, good stuff.
Over the years, Birchwood has change owners. The current owners have elevated the cuisine to a much higher level than Bar Food. You can still get some of the classics, just better. Pizzas, Patty Melts, Fish Fry.

4.5 of 5
Relative to what I got, the price wasn't too crazy. I'm sure some folks that pass through might consider a $18 sandwich at a little bar and grill in Northern Wisconsin a bit much but, what a special treat. The staff had to stop out on the patio to view the person that took on the "Tower"