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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 jalapeño 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.

The Burger Joint in Milford

We have family in Milford and don't often go out to eat there. Milford has several excellent restaurants, but we just don't get to them much. On a side note, can Farmington get their act together? I know there are issues with liquor licenses, but three restuarants that serve liquor in the downtown and one is awful, one is tiny and the other one thinks that Irish stew is is worth $16.99? Really? We can do better, and we would definitely support it. I prefer Redford for drinks and grub. Sorry, I'm back. We happened to have time to kill between kid stuff and family stuff, so we went searching for a burger. We saw a couple of bars that looked plausible, but then we saw the obvious choice. On the south end of the Main Street was "the Burger Joint". Not sure if we are supposed to pronounce it with the Midwestern "thuh" or the Elizabethian "thee", but more on that in a minute. simple set up: queue up,read the sign boards for your choice of meat, order up and then be patient, because quality takes time. Similar to the Five Guys model, you have plenty of free toppings. First off you choose from Ground Chuck, Turkey or Prime beef. Got the Chuck. No time for playing around. Wife tried burnt onions, banana peppers and garlic aeoli... 'nuff said. Smart member of the party ordered the kids meal and got a 1/4 pound burger, a small frie and a small drink. That is the way to go, $3.99 for that plan. That is McDonald's cheap. Unnamed member of the party ordered a chicken club......... You try to pass on your years of knowledge and... Sometimes experience is a better teacher. The review; the burger was a heavy medium well, could have used more juice. The wife's had a better color and was full of juice. Toppings were spot on. I even liked the foo-foo aeoli. Wouldnt put it on my burger, but it was good. Let's talk buns. Often overlooked, the simple round bun, can make or break or good burger(Yes, burger. Andy stay focused). This one was the best I have ever had. Seriously. The bun(Andy!). It alone elevated this experience to something bigger that just a burger. It was a simple looking thing. No sesame seeds, no multi grain, just a simple bakery fresh bun that they smothered in butter and dropped it on the grill for a golden brown tan that gave the burger a crunch that outcrunched the onion. I want to have that bun on every sandwich I eat for the rest of my choppers existence. It was that good. Compare this to Woodstock's(out of business) oversized and half stale bun that ruined the experience, if not the business. The fries were solid, on par with Five Guys. Rings were average, too much crunch. Go figure. My daughter recommeds the IBC float. Two scoops and a bottle of IBC. I give it 4 1/2 napkins and the title of "thee" burger joint of Milford. Now just have to figure out how to sneak off to Milford without having to visit the family. Just kidding, dear.

The Fat Prince of The D?

The Prince Returns to His Boyhood Home. Striaght out of nowhere we get this blast. Great news. It may lead to some good questions, but they are good questions to have to ask. If you aren't familiar with his batting record, here it is: .282 BP, .340 OBP, .540 Slugging and a .929 OPS. Add to that 100 walks and at least 32 HR a year for the last 5 seasons. With him protecting Miggy (or hell, vice versa) it just makes them better. We will deal with the issues of who plays where and how good they will be defensively later. I felt like a little kid with the news. When does spring training start again?

Poole's retap or Scoring in the Back Bar

Retap at Poole's I was so good the first time I had to hit it again. I took a buddy with me just like last time. We tried to get in the front door, but were blocked and told we needed to go for the back door. We both nodded, slightly confused, but eager to score, we followed directions. Once around back we got what we wanted. I have to say it wasn't as good this time. My buddy enjoyed it, but he is on a cold streak and just happy to get anything. I am better fed, so I can be fussy. I think I enjoy it more on the front side. It is warmer and a little bit friendlier. Some people like it to be cold and difficult to find, but me I like it easy... The Back Bar is just what it sounds like a bar on the back side of Poole's. It has a seperate entrance, a different atmosphere, but the same menu. Anything you can get at Poole's you can get at the back bar. I like the home town bar feel of Poole's. It is just the way I want a bar to be. Raucous, busy, full of TV's and people. The burger was different this time and I just can't put my finger on why. Maybe it is because last time I got a three cheese cheeseburger, I dont know. The meat didnt seem to have the seasoning that it did last time. Still an excellent burger, but only 3 out of 5 this time. It was a little under done. That might be it. I also went back to Mason's. Nothing to add. Great burger in a simple place. I went aroun 4:00pm and was the only person in the bar. Seems like there isn't more than 3-4 tables busy any time that I have been there. It must be full of after work drinkers to keep the place open. It is fairly close to an industrial section, maybe it is hopping at lunch too... I desperately need a burger place in the Canton or Belleville area. I am there often and have had no luck with burgers. Please don't say Culver's. Give me some ideas. I have about a dozen places to try on the East side, thanks

Whahappened?

Quick update. Woodstock has gone out of business.

Box Bar - Plymouth

I joined friends for some rowdy conversation and a burger at "the Box" last night. Enjoyed the friends more than the burger. It looked great. Nice looking homemade bun, a perfect slice of onion, but the burger is a perfect circle. Wait, is that a good thing? It is cooked right, nice and juicy...Oh wait, no juice. None. It is full of long grains of meat and no juice. It might have been made from fresh meat at one time, but it wasn't today. Bummer. Nice bar, great beer list, the wait staff put up with my friends and I. Heck, she may have been laughing with us, not at us, but the burger was a dud. If you have to eat it, load up with toppings, chew fast and drink one of the great beers they have on tap. Better yet, head down to Northville to Poole's, they make 'em fresh every day.

Wheat and Rye and Bigg Burger

Tried a couple of new places this week. Wheat and Rye in Romulus and Bigg Burger in Livonia.

The Wheat and Rye is a bar near the airport in Romulus. Nice bar. Good menu with lots of specials. We got there for lunch and they have a half pound burger for $3.25 if you purchase a beverage. I was good. I had a Coke. There were conferences that night. Anyhoo... Nice fat burger on a large bun. Very flavorfull beef flavor, no spices detected. Like way too many bars, though it had a slice of crappy cooking onion, which killed my taste buds on the first bite. I got past it but it was by far the overpowering flavor. It would be a good bar to hand out in. Lots of screens good service. I will try the burger again. It was above average and worth a try.

Bigg Burger is a new fast food joint on the bend of Five Guys or Fatburger, in that it has a simple menu with fries, burgers and shakes. They cook it as you order, so you wait a bit, which is good. Their fries have skins on the end, are cut thinner than Five guys and are salty. I didn't check, but I would guess it was peanut oil. They offer a lot more free toppings. The usual condiments plus a blue cheese mayo and a garlic herb mayo. Fresh veggies galore including; tomatoes, onions, lettuce, cucumbers, and alfalfa sprouts. Grilled onions, grilled mushrooms and more. There was an extra charge for bacon and guacamole. A single cost about $3.25 and was probably about a quarter of a pound patty. It was $5.89 for a single burger with cheese, a small fry and a regular soda. Good and juicy. I will try a double next time as the temptation to put a hundred different toppings on is strong, because they are all free! Very comparable to Five Guys, I liked it better than Fatburger. Nice, fresh toppings nice flavor on the burger. Some seasonings, but really overwhelmed by the relish, mayo, tomatoes and onions I put on mine. next time I will get a double to have more of the burger taste. I would put the fries a close second to Five Guys. Really nice flavor. I didn't eat mine until I got home and they should have been terrible, but they still tasted pretty good. I will definitely be back.

Remembering Sparky

Sparky Anderson lived my boyhood dream. His career was baseball. He surrounded himself with friends, and he just had a joy about himself that I am envious of.

Quick story(obvious lie). I lived in Florida from 1993-1999. From 93-96 I had a job that allowed me to sneak over to practices at Joker Marchant in Lakeland. I used to put my quarter in that egg-yolk yellow box get my Free Press, park my carcass amongst the Detroit retirees and just breathe baseball. I loved it. I went in one day and decided to sit behind home plate. I was enjoying Trixie's(Dick Tracewski) banter as he harasses the half asleep infielders into taking some ground balls, when up pops that white hair right in front of me. He starts talking to me about "the boys" and says "Hey, little feller" to a boy who has walked up to see the field up close. Sparky then says it was nice talking to me, winks, points over the boys shoulder and then drops a ball at the boys feet and tells him to get it quick. I am not sure who had the bigger smile, the boy, me or Sparky. That's what made him great. He enjoyed that moment as much as I did, maybe more. I need to find that joy. We all do.

Mr. Joe's Reopening

My buddy John invited me to see the U of M vs. Notre Dame game at Mr. Joe's. I hadn't been there since they had reopened. My first thought was, "Wow, if I brought my wife into Joe's now she wouldn't try to run away when she saw the inside." They cleaned off years of smoke and grime put in a new floor, some more big screens and built a step up section so that you can see a little better. The best news is that they haven't changed the burger. They are more food, but swear there will be no change in the burger. The pickle jar is gone from the table, though.

New link

A quick story about the Lindell AC for those who not lucky enough to visit before it was torn down for a bus terminal.

Sidetrack in Ypsi

Several suggestions in the past, so it was finally time to try it.

Very cool bar and Depot Town itself is pretty interesting. Great motto(Beer is the proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy - Ben Franklin) and a lot of microbrews on tap. If you are dying for a Bud or Miller light on draft you are SOL. I think LaBatts blue was the only commercial beer on draft. Amtrack flying by every so often. Great atmosphere. A nice blend of a crowd, from hipsters to college students to one particular hottie with a zebra striped bra that my friends will not forget soon. (I didn't really notice honey, they told me about her later)


Great looking burger cooked to order. They had no problem making a burger the proper way, medium with ketchup, mayo, tomato, white onion, and American cheese. The meat was spiced nicely and the first two bites were great. Then the next 4 or 5 were just OK. It was weird. My first thought was that it was going to be near the top of the list and then it faded. It was good and definitely worth the drive, it just wasn't as good as the first taste.

On the drive in on Michigan Ave. I noticed a couple of old school looking joints I am going to have to try. Roy's and Gariel's. Anybody tried either of them?

Revisit of Bagger Dave's

Brought large boy-type child home from Leadership Training Camp at Mich-a-Luca and he requested a cheeseburger. He was with me the first time and was reluctant, but he was also starving and would even have eaten McDonald's at that point.

Much better this time. The burgers were overdone, but they were still juicy. I would put them in the average range. I still don't like the fries or the sweet potato chips. Both are very inconsistent. Some burnt, some just right. Not much salt. Marci said the Sweet potato chips were the best she had, so...

Went to a Bagger Dave's in AA, cuz it was only thing open while I waited for an appointment.  The burger was served well done, I asked if it could be served medium, and the response was, " that's the way we make them."  That is it. I am officially done with Over Cooked Burger Dave's. 2 of 6

in and out burger

Finally made it to an in and out in Vegas. Very good, simple burger. Two thin patties with a nice crust to them, while still maintaining the grease. Nice relish and white onion too. I rented a convertible Mustang for the day so we could go out to dinner for our anniversary and renew our vows at the Little White Wedding Chapel. WE both remembered in and out had a few locations in Vegas, so the Garmin was checked and we made a beeline for it right after we got the car. It was definitely worth it.

Update Time

Lindell AC(RIP) For those of you who never made it there, I am truly sorry.
Howell's Great Burger cooked slow. Staff can be entertaining.
Sandy's by the Beech Great neighborhood bar with a great burger and good specials
Red Coat Tavern Now 2 locations. Go to the original. Not cheap, but good.
Mr. Joe's Temporarily closed. Hopefully reopens with the same food.
Poole's Good bar great burger. Triple cheese and bacon, mmmmm
Don's of Traverse City Nice old school diner burger.
CheeBurger CheeBurger Best chain burgers, shakes and frings. Yes, frings.
Five Guys Another great chain burger. Great fries. Order the small.
Fuddrucker's Overpriced, but very good burgers. Add your own toppings.
Miller's Very good, but not as good as the hype.
Nemo's Great place to go before a game, pretty darn good burger.
Cutter's Really good burger right the the meat packing plant

The Good

Mason's Great when cooked right. Great local memorabilia on the wall
Grenwich Time Better than average burger, pretty cheap.
Fatburger Good chain burger. Terrible atmosphere(in Southfield)
Jaws Maybe too much butter on the buns?
Lakepoint Yacht Club Good burger. Better atmosphere.
Bagger Dave's 2nd visit
Harry's
Blarney Stone
Bar Louie High quality beef. Not enough fat. $1 on Tuesdays


The Not So Good

Bagger Dave's(1st try)Over cooked(twice)
Balloon Saloon Over cooked and dull
Checker Bar Frozen Patty
O'Charlie's Gray meat, creepily greasy.