Burgers I didn't blog about but, worth mentioning.

Yep, 2019 is gone by, fast. Faster than expected. I try to make good notes, reminders of my experiences while dining out. A lot of the time, I find myself only remembering the food or the venue. Sometimes I have a deep memory of exactly how it went down. That being said, I will make mention of a couple of burgers that I had but didn't write about.

A&W (August 2019)
There's an A&W in Clintonville, Wisconsin. It's classic small town USA. They have pictures of the local team they support and pictures of the establishment from back in the day. The food is A&W. The atmosphere is Up North Wisconsin. Like a fast food version of a Supper Club. Grandma and grandpa bring their grandchildren and sit in the booth for a sit down meal. No drive thru and eat in the car experience. If it were Summer, they'd be outside at a picnic table. Always good food at a decent price. Definitely miss the car hop days.

Morty's Pub (September 2019)
While on one of my adventures during the past year, I stayed in the town of Bayfield, Wisconsin. There are plenty of places to eat. Some are fancy. Others are only open for breakfast and lunch. The main strip of businesses offers a couple of popular venues to go for a beverage, sandwich and your favorite sport on the big screen. Morty's was on the "best of" list for most folks that reviewed the food around town. So I tried it out. I can't recall turning to my wife and saying "this is really good, you need to try it". I also don't have any real negative memories. I'd say that it was okay. I'm not going to rate it. Just saying, it wasn't the worst or the best I've had. The venue was a lot of fun. The crowd had gathered for a game. Pretty sure it was Packers vs Bears.

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