The cheeseburger at the Clevelander at Marlins Park

The new Marlins Park transplanted some of the south Beach feel into the stadium by landing a 2nd Clevelander destination.  The restaurant/club area brings a VIP feel with really cool field seating just behind the left field wall, a pool just feet away as well as club-like bottle service with an outdoor area for cornhole and beer pong.

The food at the Clevelander was very good.  The cheeseburger was fresh and classic served with sweet potato tots, complete with lettuce, tomato, onion and a pickle on the side.  Try the pizza if you go too.

Burgers from Montgomeryville, Miami and Sandy Springs

Amercian Star Diner in Montgomeryville, PA was a destination hoping to improve recent burger adventures in the Lansdale area, but proved once again disappointing.  A classic diner location with a classic menu complete with a classic burger turned out pretty boring.  Definitely edible and only just that good.  Old school iceberg lettuce, a fair patty and well melted cheese, but only to be stamped with regular and far from special.

Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in the design District in Miami, Florida presented a much better burger.  Not even in the same category as American Star or diners in general.  This burger had high expectations to meet from a recent mention in the 25 best burgers.  Presentation was right on lined by a distinct variation with it's yellow tomato slice atop crumbled and melted Vermont white cheddar cheese.  The burger is very good and ‘genuine’ none the less, but a few ounces short of award winning or chalking up on a favorite list.

The burger at 5 Seasons Brewery in Sandy Springs, GA was good.  Tasty and hit all the staple requirements of the American burger sandwich but nothing was special about it.  A meal for sure, but the beer is much more of a draw.

ROK:BRGR

This is all you need to know about ROK:BRGR in downtown Ft. Lauderdale.

Good location,
Fully stocked bar,
And great burgers.

Recommendation: Morning Glory.  This hefty sandwich is stacked high with lettuce, tomato, onion, a hand packed, airy, perfectly cooked burger patty, two strips of bacon and a sunny side up fried egg.  An upgrade of sweet potato fries is worth it, too.  Go for the Glory and get extra napkins, you'll need 'em.

 

looking down

close up

A platter of fried pickles - the only room for improvement, the batter on the pickles.

The Sumney

My first of my three stops so far in the Lansdale, PA area for a great cheeseburger was at The Sumney on Sumneytown Pike.  The hunt must continue.  This burger at The Sumney was not bad, but nothing to get the burger fanatics to come out to Lansdale for.  As shown, it came with the standard components.

Burger Birthday Cake

Check out this fantastic burger cake I was given for my birthday!  A double cheeseburger  and poppy seed bun made of cake accompanied with lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickles, mustard, ketchup, and potato chips made of icing and fondant.

It was completely edible and created by Sabrina of Tutto Dolce.

Tutto Dolce
tuttodolcedesserts@gmail.com





Other Search Keywords:  cheeseburger, dessert, icing, frosting

Chili

I entered a family Chili Cookoff last weekend.  It was a lot of fun - especially since I have never made my own Chili before.  After checking out a few recipes and techniques online, and getting some good tips from my mom, I came up with my very own Chili recipe.

I ended up coming in 2nd (out of 5).  The important part is that I actually like the recipe that I created on the fly. Check out a picture of my 'Gameday Chili'.  Yes, I took the pic and this was my very own concoction.

4 Burgers

I finally have taken some time to go through the pictures on my camera from the last few months. Having done that, I can now share burgers pics from 4 different locations. I'll display them oldest first.

First, some pictures from inside the new Shake Shack in Miami Beach. Sorry there are no burger pics. But I figured some of you may be interested in the interior. Especially since the original location has all outdoor seating. No need for further reviews on the Shack burger. I can assure you that it is as good as the one up north. Nice job on consistency guys...

This is a picture of their logo burned into each table that I edited.

The view from the front door.

The cash registers...

The Shake Shack menu on the wall up front.

A wall full of Shack gear.


Another shot of the Shake Shack logo burnt into a table.

A few weeks later I hit my own trifecta by eating at the latest Shake Shack in Saratoga, New York at the Sartoga Springs racetrack. It was a rainy day but we had a great time none the less. The same applies at this location, consistency.

The same logo and outdoor setup as in NYC.


Me enjoying my Shack burger and beer out of the rain.

Later on the tail end of this trip to upstate New York we were flying out of Ithaca. So why not try and get another burger? We tried a spot in the Ithaca Commons called the Mahogany Grill. Let's just keep it simple. Worth the money but nothing to boast about.

A view from across the street.

Table and Menu.

My burger and sweet potato fries.

And the last of the left overs was by far the best. Ray's Hell Burger in Arlington, Virginia. I was in the DC area for work a couple of weeks back and got a hold of some friends I hadn't seen in a while. We decided to all meet up at Ray's - boy was it worth it. Apparently it started years back as a location aside their steakhouse where they ground up unused steak to sell as hamburgers.

An edited picture of their front sign.

The front as we approached.

The inside. Note the world map for patrons to mark their origin.

The counter to order from - Cash Only.

The burger I ordered was perfectly cooked with the outside charred to seal in the medium rare juices. The bun was awesome; it had seeds on both the top and bottom and completed the perfect burger to bun ratio. It was in between a sesame/poppy seed and and everything bagel topping. The menu presented enough options to please nearly any burger fan and I opted to keep it simple with burger plus cheese (white Vermont cheddar). I of course went with the sweet potato fries...

The Vortex Bar & Grill

I went on my annual away game trip to Tuscaloosa, AL this past weekend only to watch the Gators get beat pretty bad. Since we were flying back south from Atlanta airport we tried to bring some life back into our deflated weekend by trying out The Vortex, a burger recommendation I received a couple of weeks back.

The guys I was with opted for The Vortex location closer to the airport in Midtown. I bring this up because apparently the other location in the Little 5 area is the original. Upon arrival, this restaurant's character starting shining through right away. The entire inside of the Bar/Restaurant was filled wall to wall with cool signs, souvenirs, antiques, and knick knacks. Not like the layout and assembly that you might find at a T.G.I.Friday's either. The closest place that I can resemble it to is one of the three Barney's Beanery locations in the L.A. area.


I scanned the menu for their burgers and found a whole page long list. You can look up some of the others on their site. I am just going to tell you about my meal: the Coronary Bypass. I was going to go for the regular burger before I scrolled my eyes to the bottom of the menu and located this beast. It came with a half pound tasty sirloin patty, topped with a fried egg, three slices of American cheese, and what looked like 6 pieces of nice bacon. The bun was a sesame seed, with lettuce, tomato, and onion presented on top. I opted for the side of fried plantains and asked them to leave the mayo in the kitchen. I'm sure this may seem a bit weird for some of you a bit farther north, but for me, this is an tasty side often available in the Miami area.

As soon as it arrived I carefully placed the condiments atop the fried bacon and then folded over the bun top in order to get to work. I grabbed for my knife, stabbed the center of the bun, and cut it in half. I stuffed the edge of burger in my mouth immediately instead of wiping the drool from my face. The burger was great. Perfectly cooked, and tasting better than every component that my eyes just ran across.


I am so happy that I followed up on the recent recommendation. The Vortex Bar & Grill is a place I'd recommend as well. It looks like a great watering hole too.

Matchbox

I am the DC area for work this week and met up with a friend in the Chinatown area (not much of a town, really just an archway) for dinner at Matchbox. We went there for some pizza and I inquired about the 3.6.9 on the menu and learned that you can order 3, 6, or 9 mini burgers as an appetizer.

The picture I have is horrible as I forgot my camera. But the burgers were awesome. The presentation was really cool with a heaping of onion strings in the middle. Each of the buns was sprinkled on the top with cheese too.

Matchbox was a great spot to meet up and eat.

Theater Square Marketplace

I had eaten at Theater Square Marktetplace in Louisville, KY a few times but didn't try the burger until recently. Note that I have been sitting on this picture for a few weeks so my commentary is quite short and no longer fresh.

About all that I can report is that the burger, restaurant, presentation, and server were all quality - I do remember that much. A great burger for lunch but not a top 10 in the country or anything to drive to Kentucky for. The place is more of a nice restaurant and far from a burger stand. Quality ingredients and quality staff. Did I mention quality?




These pics are over a month old and were taken from my iPhone.

Gilbert's 17th Street Grill

Taking the recommendation of the recent Sun Sentinel Best Burger poll, we went to Gilbert’s 17th Street Grill in Ft. Lauderdale the other night for dinner. Gilbert’s is a bit different from the staple 'best burger' joints one might encounter when traveling around the country. The major differentiator here being the location's age. This is because this Gilbert’s establishment can’t be more than 5 years old; where most other burger classics have 30 years plus on this newborn.

Opening up the door and entering in you quickly realize this is a friendly establishment that probably caters to a busy business lunch crowd. When you complete your order you are given a number to post on your table so the food runners know where to drop your burger baskets off.

We arrived late, 8:30ish, marched right up to the area where the ordering line forms. We studied the menu and then went to the register to place our order. Behind the counter was Mr. Gilbert himself. We didn’t know that at the time, but his caliber of service indicated that this gentleman was probably more than just an order taker and it was confirmed later when we were waiting for our baskets and Mr. Gibert was working the room to make his guests feel more comfortable. During that time he introduced himself. I can’t remember a time in south Florida where someone delivered such premiere service.

I ordered their cheeseburger after salivating by watching the grill. I wanted one of the more deluxe burgers (bleu cheese or bacon) but figured trip #1 should be with the classic. Behind the cash register you could see these heaping burgers scattered all over the grill’s hot surface. They must roll out a sheet of angus meat about an inch thick and then use a round cutter to punch out the patties. I say this because of how loose and large the patties appeared as they were carried to the grill area. I completed my order with sweet potato fries and told the gentleman medium rare when asked about my temp.

A while later our baskets arrived. Mine was cooked pretty much perfect. The outside of my burger was charred to lock in juices. The inside had a cool, completely pink center. This perfect patty had 2 or 3 slices of American cheese tossed on top. These are the fresh kind of deli cheese slices that they probably sliced in the back themselves. Then on the other side of the open face bun was fresh lettuce and tomato. Sitting behind my burger in my basket was a handful of sweet potato fries cut in perfect strips and fried off in brand new oil. I also asked for a side of barbeque sauce to dip my fries in.

I cut my burger in half and worked through it like it was my job. The ingredients Gilbert’s uses are top notch. My cheeseburger could have used some more seasoning. I’m not sure if some salt and pepper would have done the trick or maybe some additional spices. But I knew ahead of time from the Sentinel article that they opt to keep the meat unaltered and not add anything to their Angus.

Overall, great service, good quality food, and a staple location. I’ll be back.


--Note all of these photos were taken with my iPhone. You can click on each of them for a better image.--

Burgers times 3

I am a little behind on my to do list in every category. So rather than giving a review for each burger I had on my honeymoon separately at a later date, I figured my blog would be better served with a single article and lots of pics rather than waiting any longer.

We hit a semi-landmark burger spot in Ocean Beach (San Diego), California called Hodad's within the first few days after getting married. Then I had the Jimmy Buffet burger in Bora Bora, French Polynesia at Bloody Mary's. And then towards the end I scarfed down the burger at Snack Hinerava in Teahupoo, Tahiti; which was also in French Polynesia.


Hodad's, Ocean Beach, California

Hodad's - from across the street.


Hodad's - cool mural on the west side facing the beach.

Hodad's line nearly around the block.

Hodad's storefront with burger fans everywhere.

Hodad's - the inside.

Hodad's Menu - I ordered the single with Cheese, a strawberry shake, and split an order of onion rings with my new wife.

Us at our table - what a coincidence! I'm originally from New York and she is originally from Michigan (note the plates). We were just sat at the first table available. How cool.

My single with cheese.

Me eating my burger - tasty!

My strawberry shake - tableside.

A Hodad's vehicle outside.

Bloody Mary's, Bora Bora, French Polynesia.

The entrance...

Me and my wife at Bloody Mary's. Note the sand floor...

The restaurant at early lunch time.

My Jimmy Buffet Cheeseburger.

Snack Hinerava, Teahupoo, Tahiti, French Polynesia

Looking at the front of the restaurant towards the Teahupoo waves.

My Burger and Hinano beer.

Mile Marker 0 and the plaque for the annual surf competition.

And...another angle of my burger.