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.

Mason Street Grill-Tasty Burger-Pricey Drinks (12/11/2021)

Ah, downtown Milwaukee during the holiday season. We attended the afternoon showing of "A Christmas Carol" at the Pabst theater. What better way to finish the day but to head over to the Pfister hotel's Mason Street Grill. Top notch venue for sure. A place for seafood, steak and burgers! I've been to the Grill before. It has been some time. Not much has changed other than updates per Covid.

Our server, Casey took good care of us, making sure we had a full understanding of the menu. I just wanted my burger. Selfish not shellfish, right? First order of business, cocktails. We had to go through a long list of Bourbon makers to find one that was in stock. I guess the supply chain issues are having affect on the restaurant business these days. I ended up with an Angel's Envy Manhattan. Tasty, yes. Also pricey! $25 per. Ouch!

This blog isn't about expensive drinks. It's about burgers so, I'll move on. I ordered the Mason Street Grill Burger. As described on the menu, 10 oz. Black Angus Chuck and Sirloin, Honey Glazed Onions, Muenster Cheese, House Relish. I ordered my typical "medium rare". Some pink in the middle, please.

The burger itself was delicious. Maybe a bit past medium but seasoned nicely. The Muenster cheese really added to the flavor. The roll was fine but didn't seem fresh made. I would guess in the old days the roll would have been cooked on site. Maybe I'm wrong. Over all, I was pretty happy with the assembled sandwich. Interesting that by the time I finished eating the patty seemed to have "dried up". Moist to start. Hmm, not sure what happened. No matter, the plate was cleaned off when I finished. 

Rate it: 4 out of 5. Mostly because I think it was a bit to well done. With such good meat and the venue, I was expecting it to be medium without fear of being under cooked. I also think that making sure the rolls are fresh is important. Maybe it was just me. $18 isn't crazy for the service and venue.

First meal after our release from Alcatraz. Hillstone (09.21.2021)

 It was our last full day in San Francisco. We decided to take the boat over to Alcatraz prison. The tour of the island was really interesting. The island's history dates back before the Civil War. It was a Federal Prison for a less than 30 years.

After the tour we thought we should grab a bite to eat. The Wharf  in San Francisco offers quite a few different opportunities to enjoy fresh seafood. We were looking for something a little more like a light lunch. Salad, sandwich or soup? Across the street from the Wharf is a wonderful little restaurant called Hillstone. Nestled in a garden of trees and plantings, there's a sculpture of a cowboy riding a fish at one end of the cozy patio.

Enough about how cool the scene is. Let's talk burgers. Yep, another burger. Six burgers in 10 days! This one brings me back full circle to the start at my brother Dan's place. We decided to split a Hickory Burger. Applewood smoked bacon, grated cheddar, onion, hickory sauce. Sounds delicious, right? It was! Cooked to perfection on a fresh bun. The price, $21 didn't even matter anymore. This was a great burger.

Rate it: 4.5 of 5

Again, $21 is a lot for a sandwich at lunch time but, we are in San Francisco at the Wharf area. The restaurant is part of a hospitality group. I don't think that matters much. This location is upholding the company standards of service and quality.

 Look at the stack of cheese and onions!