Monday, February 12, 2018

The PLI for a Buddy's Birthday

Met some old( yup) friends at the Pontiac Lake Inn last week to celebrate one of the old farts birthdays. Surprised to find out one of us has never been there. Got the PLI burger, friends got the 3 way(?) To get more cheese. Good burger, good crowd. Sundays the burger with fries and a beverage is under $6. Great deal. Rings are a disappointment. Only flaw.
Solid 4 of 6 today. Most times it has been a 5.

Friday, January 26, 2018

Gas and Cheeseburger

Have heard a few people mention a new burger place in Dearborn. Had to give it a try. Took wife and boy. I didn't tell them it was in a gas station hoping for the surprise. It worked. They we very confused, but it was fun. Crazy small, crazy packed. We waited about 10 minutes to order and it took another 15 for the food to arrive, but it is a solid cheeseburger. They specialize in crazy toppings including Doritos, liquid cheez, and Dearborn knockwurst. The do some weird fry combos too. Cole slaw and BBQ sauce, nacho cheez, grilled onions and their special sauce. All the meat is Halal. If you can get past it being in a gas station and can be patient, is worth the reward. 3 of 5. Shatilla Sweets for dessert was fun. I don't know Middle Eastern baked goods, but it was fun picked out a bunch to try. I highly recommend the honey pretzels. Super cheap, too.

Redcoat Tavern Farmington

Wife, boy and I finally went to the Farmington location. Boy and I got Tavern Burgers. The wife got fried clams and some onion rings. Everything is excellent. Minor complaint everything is slightly less done then ordered. i.e. Medium well is medium and medium is medium rare. Slightly more hoity toity than the Woodward location, but still dark and mildly crowded. Not as dark. Not as crowded. Fried clams were fresh tasting and not the Gordon Foods style you usually run into. Burgers are thick juicy and came quickly. Onion rings are among the best in the area. Slightly pricey, but worth it.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

Jay's is stuffed

Jay's Stuffed Burgers in Northville for a summer visit from the burger boys this summer. We tried to get together semi-regularly, but only managed to go out twice. I'm afraid Jay's might have been the reason. No beer. Walk up and order. Wait. I don't have problem with waiting if the burger is worth it, but this burger wasn't. It was; big, stuffed, greedy and overpriced. Crazy greasy. It wasn't; tasty or enjoyable. If you want an expensive  burger that had the kitchen sink inside it that gives you heartburn, all while sitting on wet plastic l lawn furniture, this is your place

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Burger Heaven R.I.P.?

The horrible news began to flow across the inter webs on Saturday. Howell's was in fire and it was considered a total loss. No word on whether it will be rebuilt or if this is the end of a local bar that opened the day after prohibition ended and changed it's name to Howell's in 1941. The bar was home to the best jukebox in any bar I have ever been in and if course Jimmy. Grumpy looking, but friendly master of the grill. Sliced the tomatoes and onions and hand packed those inch plus thick patties and slow cooked them to perfection. I surely hope he has patties to make in the future and hasn't taken this as a chance to retire. 
Attempts to contact Free Press reporters for further information have proved futile. Until then, I look to Sandy's to cure my bar burger needs.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Alive! Or Is Orchard Lake Road Cheeseburger Boulevard?

I'm baaaaack!
On just a two mile stretch of Orchard Lake Road in Farmington Hills there appears to be a developing Cheeseburger Nirvana building.  It all started with Jaws Burger which made the Detroit News best Cheeseburger years ago (4 of 6), then the chains moved in, Five Guys (5 of 6) and Smash Burger (4 of 6), then an old favorite added a hip looking new location, Red Coat Tavern (5 of 6) and now a new joint from the Flint area has put their second location just two doors down from Jaws in an old Burger King.  Freakin Unbelievable Burger, welcome to Cheeseburger Boulevard.   

It is going to be tough to come into this run and make a name for yourself; the competition is fierce. The Burger Joint added their second location in the shell of an old Fatburger that didn't survive in Southfield.  Cheeseburger Boulevard is no joke, you best be ready.
I have been twice and ordered my standard review burger (American cheese, ketchup, mayo, lettuce and tomato), as well as the house special, The Freakin' Unbelievable Burger.  First time in I got the Freakin'. It is an upscale Big Mac, two patties, pickles, cheese and their Freakin' sauce which is a slightly more zippy take on "special sauce". Their meat is guaranteed Angus and their own special grind. It does have a good flavor, however the usual problems kick in when a burger joint tries to get fancy with the beef. It has a weird texture. It is a little chewy and it kind of snaps off in your mouth when you bite through it.  Unfortunately there is a second problem, the grill is too hot. Every burger my guests or I have ordered is pink in the middle and dark on the outside with the odd texture.  Turn down the grill, slow down the process and maybe the texture will improve.  Let's get to the bun. It is Brioche. I will admit it is not my favorite to begin with, but I have had many that were a nice flavor. This one isn't. It is heavy and dense and has a bitterness to it that I could not identify or understand. The taste was there at both visits, so I cannot blame a bad batch or anything.  Toppings were plentiful and varied. Unfortunately much of it cost extra.  Cost was a problem all around. A burger, fries and a pop cost a few pennies under $10!  The decor is very cool, but I don't care to pay for it on my first visit.  I want like this place more, but...these burgers are Completly Freakin' Believable.

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Stella's in GR. is GQ right?

NO. GQ claims that Stella's in the best burger in America. That being said, Stella's is a great bar with grade food. There are 5 or 6 pinball machines and about a dozen 80's era video games. I will go again for sure. The burgers are "Juicy Lucys" or stuffed burgers. They make two thinner patties and fill the middle with cheese before grilling. Great messy burgers. I ordered a "Gov't cheese" burger stuffed with aged white cheddar. I ordered medium as I usually do, and mine came out medium rare if not rare. Yuck. Nice soft bun. Lettuce, tomato, pickles sliced the long way and a single onion ring on top. Difficult to tell the flavor of the meat as the cheese is the overwhelming factor of this burger. There needed to be more meat. Or less cheese. A better balance was needed. The cheese is vital, but needs be the best supporting actor, not the leading man. The menu looks great: we tried a few things, but I could work the appetizer menu for a month. Bacon fat drizzled popcorn. Huge bacon and cheddar tots, BLT nachos. Wow! We tried the jumbo tots. They were good, not awesome. You think tots, you think Napoleon Dynamite...I mean, you think crunch. This was more like a fancy potato cake from Arby's. Good, but you are not proud you ate it. The fries have a jalapeƱo kick, but not too much to be the dominant flavor. They were over cooked, and if not for the spicy ranch dip that came with it, I would have passed. The crowd is GR friendly. I was asked about my Warrior Dash medal and shared a laugh or two about arcade games. While I was looking at the games deciding which one to play, I heard, "Which game are you going to choose to play?" from a gosh, oh gee polite GR patron. I say this not to mock, because it is refreshing, but to inform. If you bring your gruff Detroit attitude, you are going to stick out in a bad way. The area around Stella's is full of young people living in a very cool urban setting trying to be hip. That being said, if I was in my twenties, I would be looking for loft space within a few blocks of The place. Try Stella's. It's no Howell's, but it's not trying to be.