By the Footloose Foodie
I am especially excited about the subject matter of this month’s article. I love a good burger!
Footloosing it, I meandered uptown in search of a good burger. What makes a burger good? There are as many answers to this question as there are burgers! Everyone has a personal set of taste buds, creating a personal flavor desired in the foods they consume.
This in mind, I will create the burger as I taste it. Agree or disagree or agree to disagree, it’s all okay with me. Just enjoy a good burger!
First off, give kind words with a tip to the servers, cooks, host, and dishwashers. To everyone who puts themselves forward in service, showing so in kindness and friendly professionalism, “Thank you!”
Okay! Now to the burger. Ground chuck is the most affordable of the finer burger meats. Ground brisket is awesome, but a tad bit more in dollar value. An 80/20 split in fat content is preferable; the first number is the meat percentage. I like this percentage. Beef fat is a flavor carrier. Oops! Apologies to my cardiologist.
The bread or bun is an important part of the burger. Bread is the first thing you bite into, so it has got to be a quality bun. No need to be “bougie,” just good.
Off-the-grocery-shelf potato is at best a substitute for a kitchen short list. Yes, thank you for the effort, but a kind gesture from the kitchen would be to provide a bit of “decisional” information … Pros, cons, the options of wanting the burger with the bun or no burger at all, being the bun used is lacking quality. Server, offer up a conversation that gives direction!
Fresh lettuce, but please, not romaine leaf ends! Sliced tomato, dill pickle, and onions on the side are preferable. Mayo I like only to regulate the flavors that ketchup and mustard give my burger. I ate a burger last Wednesday in which there were lots of onions slathered in a “special sauce.” The beef lost its flavor. The sum of the ingredients brings out the “good” burger in burger! Some like it that way, as this place has been known to sell out on Wednesdays! Kudos!
Many times, I find my day ending late, so a burger run is a great, simple, and easy thing. I must shout out to Sporty’s. Their burger is consistent as all get-out, made with love, or a lot of care. The beef patty is flavorful. Side condiments are mine to choose. The hamburger relish is a nice twist in which I imbibe at times. Yes! The K2 burger is a pretty good choice. Consistently served with a kind word and smile. All-around deserving of a compliment in kindness and a fine tip! Never been disappointed!
Consistency is so vital in the food industry. Much money is made by return customers. Consistency is what brings many back. People know what they like and how and where they like it! Good thing the most consistent burger on the Island has nowhere to dine in, so its “grab ‘n go!”
Freedom of speech is a right. A consistent burger is a blessing! Every burger is as close to a clone as one can get. When the flavor is good, I do purchase a double or two singles, preferring a larger meat to bread ratio! American cheese has earned its place on a burger! A burger emergency is just as it sounds, so enjoy the freedom of choice!
Often, I get the quick raised eyebrow ordering a burger at a Mexican cuisine house. I have enjoyed some really good burgers at such a place.
The prolific use of the “limited menu” idea is a rebirth blamed on the pandemic. Understandably so. With to-go orders, limited staff, and sporadic business, limited offerings are good cost control for the house. Limiting your menu can work, and does for many. Coming from 48 years of cooking experience, I would like to see excellence in the flavor of the limited foods offered. Easier to focus on the creative love.
But a recent limited menu burger was disappointing at best! Mostly because I recognized the “beef patty,” knowing the business. There was a problem a while back with meat temperature, but the flavor was there. Hand-pressed is a great start, but like all foods, they are only as good as the sum of their parts! Make it good, be consistent, respect it, make it well, and make it with love.
Please note that I write from personal experience. Food is a personal thing for me. I like good food, ambience, and quality when I dine out. I am no way coming from a nefarious place. These are my opinions, and not those of this publication. Once again, agree, disagree. Agree to disagree in kindness.
I am looking for a someone who likes beer, as the breweries are my next Footloose Foodie adventure. I can do the food, but not more than one beer. My treat!
