The Great Austin Burger Hunt - so far

It has been nearly a year and half since I started The Great Austin Burger Hunt, and I have now reviewed ten burgers. At this less than momentous occasion (let's be honest), I thought I would take a look back at the burgers I have reviewed and provide a rating of the first ten. I cannot say that I have found a truly spectacular burger. Some have been surprisingly good, and several of them have been good, but nothing like the reaction that you see in the The Greatest Burger in New York episode of How I Met Your Mother.

Some may complain that I am not experiencing the burger as intended, because I do not like all the fixings, and I know many people, my wife included, who feel that I burger is naked without onions and tomatoes. Well, I think that fixings can be used to mask poor choices of beef and bun, and bad cooking. I think that the best way to experience the burger is with nothing on it, but cheese and condiments. It is an argument that won't get decided in the pages of any blog, and since I don't like tomatoes and onions, I have to remove them, or I won't like the burger.

So, here is the list, and I won't make it a Top 10 list with the best at the bottom.

• Chili’s
  12901 N IH 35
  Austin, TX 78753-1018
  512-251-2442
  


• Texadelphia
  9828 Great Hills Trail Suite 140
  Austin, TX 78759
  (512) 338-1338
  

This was as close to a tie as I can imagine. I have given the nod to Chili's because I don't ever plan to have another burger at Texadelphia. I always order a Cheesesteak, so if I am thinking burger, I doubt I will think of them, but it was very good.

• Five Guys Burgers and Fries
  3208 B Guadalupe St
  Austin, TX 78703
  (512) 452-4300
  


• Hill-Bert’s Burgers
  5340 Cameron Road
  Austin, TX
  (512) 371-3717
  

Another close pairing. Hill-Bert's was less pretentious and I liked them for that. The fries are a big draw at Hill-Bert's.

• Wingzup
  1000 E 41st St
  Austin, TX 78751
  (512) 323-2587
  

Good burger when you want to watch sports, because watching sports, not burgers is the reason to go to Wingzup.

• Posse East
  2900 Duval St
  Austin, TX 78705
  (512) 477-2111
  

The Fries are the big draw.

• BB Rovers
  12161 Jollyville Road
  Austin, TX
  (512)335-9504
  

When you want an unusual beer with your burger.

• Whataburger
  11135 N. I-35
  Austin, TX
  512-251-0528
  

Wait-a-burger, but nothing to complain about

• Terra Burger
  10611 Research Blvd.
  Austin, TX 78759
  (512) 382-5864
  

Dry

• Short Stop 12
  3811 North IH 35
  Austin, TX
  

It fills your stomach, but don't expect much more.

So, there you have it, the first ten reviewed burger places in Austin. I am still on the hunt for a really good burger, so send me your suggestions.

The Great Austin Burger Hunt

Posse East
2900 Duval St


My wife has raved about this place for years. When I first started the Great Austin Burger Hunt, she suggested it. When her boss decided to take her to lunch there, I tagged along. Posse East is on the edge of the UT campus. It has been around for 40 years and is a well-known campus watering hole. It has kind of a rustic appearance, and it sits on an inconvenient corner, which makes parking hard, but with a 40 year history, obviously they are doing something right.

I ordered my usual, a cheeseburger and fries, and of course had them leave off the pickles, onions and tomatoes. You can get a selection of cheeses and this time I chose Cheddar. That keeps it closer to the other burgers I have reviewed, though I might choose Swiss Cheese the next time. This is the sort of place where you pick up your order when they call your name, but it is small enough that isn't a problem.

The burger arrived on a seeded bun, with green leaf lettuce and mustard, with a pile of fries beside it. The burger was not the juiciest I have had....how exactly do you say that I burger was not juicy without giving the impression that it was dry? I am not sure I have a good answer, but that is what I am trying to express. From a juicy-ness standpoint it was okay, but not great. In fact, from a taste standpoint, the meat was okay, but not great. The cheese was good, but not enough to really improve the burger all that much. The bun was good, but nothing terribly special. The lettuce was okay, except that by the end of the second bite it had wilted so completely that I took it off.

I think I did it again. I have given a review that seems to say that the burger was bad. Well, it wasn't, but it didn't stand out. It was a burger. It was even a good burger. It was not a great burger. It was not memorable. It was also rather light on condiments. Next time, I will try adding a bit of mayo and a bit more mustard and see if that helps.

But, the fries more than made up for any deficiency in the burger (and there wasn't really anything to make up for). The fries were some of the best I have ever had. They almost looked like they had a light batter on them. They were incredibly crispy, with almost a little crust on them. They were perfectly salted and delicious. I cannot speak highly enough of the fries. Far and away the best fries of any of the place I have reviewed.

I will not be putting Posse East at the top of my Best Burger List, but it might go at the top of the Best Fries List and that might be enough of a reason to visit Posse East again. I certainly won't be afraid to order a burger, but it will be the fries that I will truly be looking forward to.

The Great Austin Burger Hunt

B.B. Rovers
12161 Jollyville Road
Austin, TX
(512)335-9504

B.B. Rovers is an Irish pub with a fairly nice atmosphere and a large selections of beers, so many that the beers have their own menu. Now, I'm not a drinker, so I don't really care about that, but while eating there with friends the other night, I decided to try their Burger and review it for the Great Austin Burger Hunt.

I decided on the rather plain Cheeseburger, which is offered with a choice of cheeses, Longhorn Cheddar, Swiss, Pepperjack, Provolone or Blue Cheese. I decided to try the Longhorn Cheddar this time, despite being a big fan of Swiss on burgers. When I ordered they gave me another choice, white, wheat or rye? Being intrigued by the rye, I ordered that. I was not given a choice on how I wanted my burger cooked. Now, many places don't give you that option, but it is much more common among sit down restaurants. I was a little surprised by the lack of choice, but not that much.

I took a little bit of time to arrive, and then the waitress tried to give me the wrong burger, but eventually I got my burger with chips on the side. I was pleasantly surprised to find my burger on a pair of slabs of nicely toasted marble rye. Unfortunately, the bread was the best part of the burger. The bread was perfectly toasted so that it had a slightly crunch to it, and the bread was very tasty.

The burger was a rather dry, a little overdone, and just not very tasty. It wasn't bad, just not very good. It came with a single leaf of leaf lettuce, which wilted before I finished the first half of my burger. I removed the lettuce from the second half. There also wasn't much evidence of condiments on the burger and I really wonder if the cheese was Longhorn and not American. It didn't add much to the taste.

In fact, the burger was nearly a patty melt, which is a burger with swiss cheese on rye bread and then the sandwich is grilled. I love patty melts. It would have been better as a patty melt.

The side order was a small pile of out-of-the-bag chips, absolutely nothing special.

It wasn't awful, but I think I will be avoiding the burgers at B.B. Rovers.

Yummy Bowl

Here in Austin, we have a strong Food Truck/Trailer thing going on and one of the newest locations is the Longhorn Food Court near the UT campus. And that is where you will find...

Yummy Bowl
610 West MLK
(512) 436-4319

I had the Shanghai Pan Fried Chicken Dumplings and Sesame Chicken. Now, that is a lot of food for one person, and technically the Dumplings are an Appetizer and should probably be shared.

First, something about the service. It isn't real fast, and when you are standing outside in 100 degree weather that can be a small problem. The food is worth the wait, so it really isn't a problem, but don't expect it to be as fast as McDonalds.

Chinese Dumplings are generally steamed, and then in the case of Pan Fried Dumplings, they are thrown into the pan for a bit of frying. Steaming dough can give it a somewhat soggy texture, and that was the one problem with these Dumplings from the Yummy Bowl. Now, it probably didn't help that I carried them back to work before eating them, but there you have it. It was not a fatal flaw and was really the only negative thing about the dumplings. They were very tasty. They include a dipping sauce with the dumplings, and watch out, it is hot. I cut the sauce with a bit of Soy Sauce, and it was excellent. I have also seen this type of dumpling called a Pot Sticker.

Now, on to the Sesame Chicken. I am a big fan of Sesame Chicken, as readers of these pages will already know, and Yummy Bowl is not going to make my favorites list. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. The chicken was served on top of a layer of broccoli, which was unfortunate, as all the sauce drained off of the chicken. I don't really like broccoli and definitely not with Sesame Chicken, and this broccoli did not look at all appetizing. Even considering what drained down into the broccoli, there was not enough sauce, but the sauce was tasty enough, not spectacular, but good.

The chicken itself was chewy, and towards the bottom of the pile of chicken there was a block of chicken pieces stuck together. They were tough to separate and the areas between the pieces were not cooked very well. It was served with white rice, which was good, but nothing to write a blog about.

Looking back at this review, I see that I have said a lot of negative things, and that is unfortunate, because the meal wasn't bad. Maybe I am being too hard on them because I see a lot of potential in what they make. It was good. It could have been better with a few changes that have nothing to do with flavor.

I am definitely going to give them another chance, but maybe after things cool down...in October or so.

A Picky Gourmand

So, do any of you know what it means? Yes, it does have a relationship to the word gourmet, and a point to Gryffindor.

Gourmand does mean someone who likes to eat, just like gourmet, but it is what and how much that separates the gourmand from the gourmet. The gourmet wants perfectly prepared dishes, sometime with delicate and subtle flavors. Small portions are not a problem, because you are supposed to savor the flavors.

There is nothing delicate or subtle about what the gourmand wants.

The gourmet wants the perfect filet mignon. The gourmand wants a big greasy delicious burger. The gourmet wants a delicate boulognese over hand made pasta. The gourmand wants a big pizza.

It isn't that the gourmand is willing to put up with less taste in order to fill his belly, oh no. The gourmand may have a bit of the glutton in him, and at times gourmand has been translated to glutton, but it isn't just about over indulging. Let me say that again. Gourmand isn't JUST about over indulging. It may certainly include it, but that is not all it is.

The gourmand likes to eat. The gourmet likes fine food. The gourmand likes simple food, and lots of it. The gourmand does not like bad food though. The gourmand does not find his favorite meal at McDonalds. The gourmand might however start a quest to find the best burger in his home town.

Yes, that was a shameless plug for The Great Austin Burger Hunt, as seen on these pages.

I spent some time in France, a very long time ago. I enjoyed the food there, and then came back to the land of McDonalds and Taco Bell. I brought back with me a love of good bread and good cheese. I watch lots of cooking shows where they prepare meals I probably wouldn't eat. Why? Because I am a picky eater. The list of things I don't like has grown a little shorter over the years, but it is still long.

Onions
Mushrooms
Most Fish
Any Seafood that isn't fish
Cauliflower
Zuchini

That is only the start of the list. It took me years to find something on a Chinese menu that I liked (Sesame Chicken), because it seemed like everything had broccoli, or tofu, or something else I didn't like.

I am a gourmand. I cannot afford fancy restaurants and high priced wines. Well, to be honest, I don't even like wine. I love pizza, but not just anything will do. Oh, I'll eat it, but it isn't what I would choose all other things being equal. I like a good crusty French bread, and I hate Wonder bread...well, except occasionally for toast. I love good cheese, and I won't touch Kraft singles. I love a good pizza, or a burger, or a big plate of Sesame Chicken. A mirepoix (celery, onions and carrots) seems like a waste of carrots (cooked celery is on the list too).

I can be opinionated about food, and I like to cook, but my way. I spend time redacting recipes to see how things taste with onion powder, instead of real onions (it's a texture thing). I will pay a little more for good cheese, or a good bread, but you cannot give me plastic cheese...anything that has to have the word "Food" after the word "Cheese" and I do not want to see the word "Processed" before it. Pasturized Processed Cheese Food is an offense against nature, and if Dante was writing today, there would be a special place in Hell for those who created it.

I think it is time for me to find a good strong cheese, a crusty loaf of bread, and maybe some real salami, preferably dry...but I will still wash it down with a Coke Zero.

The Great Austin Burger Hunt

Wingzup
1000 E 41st St
Austin, TX 78751

I ended up at Wingzup up to watch the Formula 1 race from Montreal. The place is new, and seemingly relatively unknown. It looks nice inside and out, so no qualms there. It is a sports bar/eatery, so it is a bit loud. Great if you want to watch sports, not so great if you want quiet conversation.

But of course, the big question for today is....how is it if you want a great burger? Now, remember that it is a wing place, so burgers are not their focus, but they do a pretty good job.

I ordered the plainest burger, the Wingzup Burger. The burger arrived relatively quickly, but there were about 30 of us there to watch the race, so it is not too surprising that service was a touch slow. The burger came out open faced, with a slab of meat, 1/2 pound before it hit the grill, two pieces of bacon and a dollop of blue cheese dressing on one side, and lettuce, tomato, red onions and pickles on the other side. I jettisoned the tomato, onions and pickles and closed it up.

Now, two things that could be called sauce. First, that blue cheese. It was barely a dollop, and definitely not enough to make a real difference in the taste of the burger. It was a little disappointing. The second is a feature of Wingzup. Each of their burgers comes with one of their wing sauces. I ordered the Spicy Garlic...and this is important...ON THE SIDE. Remember that, it might be important to you. I had a little warning about the sauces. It was quite hot. It was good though and I used a small amount on my burger, definitely a plus, though I might try the milder garlic sauce the next time.

The burger was quite tasty, with a nice Ciabatta Roll as a plus, and marginally overcooked meat as a minus. The price wasn't bad, but it did not include fries. With a big soda, which they refilled for me, I got out the door for under $10 (just over with tip). I will not be putting Wingzup on my list of favorite burger places, but I will not avoid it, knowing now that a good burger awaits me there.

Oh, and the race was fantastic on the 20 big screen TVs.

Buffet King

Buffet King
5451 N. IH 35
Austin, TX

I was looking for a Chinese Buffet that wasn’t too far from work, and I found Buffet King. I had noticed Buffet King a few months ago, before they open while visiting Office Max at Capital Plaza but never found the time to try it out. The restaurant is quite large and well appointed. That may not last (that being the way of buffet restaurants IMO) but for now, in its first year of operation, it looks nice. It is very bright with a lot of dark wood paneling. The price is about on a par with other large buffets, $8.00 without drink, and I had my buffet with only water, because they have made the awful decision to serve Pepsi and their only diet offering was Diet Pepsi…bleah. So, with one strike against them, I approached the buffet.

I was in the mood for Chinese, so that was where I started. For me, Chinese food means Sesame Chicken, Fried Rice, Egg Roll and Hot and Sour Soup. As I searched, I discovered that the buffet is huge. There were two long salad bars I one with green salad and the fixings, and another for fruit, pudding and the like. There were also two long buffets of Chinese with fish selections, various beef and chicken choices, eggrolls, won ton…well, all the usual Chinese buffet suspects. There were also enchiladas, pizza and sushi.

Well, as I said before, Chinese, for me, means Sesame Chicken and I had no trouble tracking it down, and that is where the first chink in the armor appeared. The Sesame Chicken sauce was red, and thin. Next to the Sesame Chicken was General Tso’s Chicken I which was closer to the right color for Sesame Chicken, but also very thin. The fried rice was nearby, but full of large chunks of onion, which I am not fond of.

Well, so they aren’t doing so well, but I find the egg roll and the Hot and Sour Soup and head back to my table. The sauce may be a bit thin and the color isn’t quite right, but it tastes okay, and the Hot and Sour Soup is good, not great, but good. The fried rice tastes good, but I have to fish out the onions. The egg roll is surprisingly good. Steam tables and heat lamps are not the best friends for an egg roll, and most Chinese buffets are plagued by semi-soggy eggrolls. These were above average on two different trips to the buffet.

On my second trip to the buffet and I tried some of the battered chicken that goes with sweet and sour, and I found the cream cheese wontons, which gets a big thumbs up from me. I tried a slice of soggy garlic head, and a Chinese donut, but for most of my eating, I stuck to the Sesame Chicken.

Two more things that I didn’t really try, one end of the restaurant is a big Mongolian stir fry bar, and the only thing I got from the desserts was a small bowl of ice cream. The seemed to have, large selection of cookies, but they looked store bought.

I walked out of Buffet King very full. I wasn’t the best Chinese I’ve ever had, but it was good. Nothing that I picked up was inedible, though most of it could have been better. I’ll probably try Buffet King again.

Great Austin Burger Hunt - Short Stop

Short Stop 12
3811 North IH 35

Sometimes, the exterior and the food don't match. Such was the case with Hill-Berts (link). Unfortunately, such was not the case with Short Stop.

I used to frequent Short Stop when I worked at Dell, not all that often, but quite a few times over the ten years I worked there. I thought I would give it a try and present the results to whoever may be reading these pages.

I ordered the standard double burger, my usual way, no pickles, onions or tomatoes. They do live up to their name, and the burger arrived quickly, with my order of fries. Opening a short stop is not for the faint of stomach. It didn't look good. The bun was nearly squished flat. Also, I am trying to figure out how they managed to wilt the lettuce before they put in on the burger, because I unwrapped it less than ten seconds after they handed it out to me, and the lettuce was already wilted. It was not a brilliant start.

But, my first bite raised the bar a bit. The meat was well cooked, and had a bit of crunch from being cooked on a flat top grill. A couple of more bites were enjoyed, but then I had to look for the cheese, which I couldn't taste. Well, the cheese was there, but it really wasn't doing much for the burger. This is the problem with American Processed Cheese. It is almost cheese in name only.

The burger was filling, but it was not something I enjoyed all that much. The fries were somewhat limp, but they were tasty, and they tossed some salt packets in the bag without me needing to ask for them, so thumbs up to Short Stop for that.

It the search for a quick and relatively cheap meal, Short Stop might make my list. In the search for Austin's Best Burger....it is at the bottom of the list so far.

The Great Austin Burger Hunt

Texadelphia
9828 Great Hills Trail Suite 140
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 338-1338

This time, I have made a sacrifice in the name of finding Austin’s best burger. My wife raves about the burgers at Texadelphia, but to me, nothing tops their Cheesesteak. In fact, the Texadelphia Cheesesteak might be my favorite sandwich, full stop.

But, in the hopes of uncovering Austin’s best burger, I pushed aside the menu with its Cheesesteak temptations and considered only the burger menu. I decided on the Bacon Cheddar Burger. Some will consider it ridiculous, but of course, I ordered it without tomatoes or onions. It couldn’t be my favorite burger with either…or pickles either.

For those who haven’t visited Texadelphia, you order at the counter and then sit and they bring you your food. It doesn’t take long and the décor is relaxed and comfortable. My burger arrived open faced, with shredded lettuce on the topside opposite the burger. This burger comes dry, with Hickory BBQ sauce on the side. It needs that sauce, or some of the Mustard Blend sauce that I love so much on the Cheesesteak.

No! Bad blogger! Stay on target, burgers!

Sorry about that. I tasted the meat, just a bit without anything, and it seemed mildly bland, not bad, but it definitely needed something. So, I closed my burger and took a bite. Yes, it needs some sort of sauce. I added a little of the BBQ sauce. That’s much better. I tried a little of the Mustard Blend. Yes, that will do nicely too. I eventually came to the conclusion that the BBQ sauce goes better with the bacon than the Mustard Blend, but it wasn’t a quick decision.

Now, on to the details.

The bun is soft, but has some nice tooth to it. It doesn’t mash into nothingness when you pick up the burger and it might almost be considered a wheat bun, but it wasn’t too heavy. Very nice.

The shredded lettuce was crisp with the only problem that it ends up all over the basket…and the table….and your lap, but that is the nature of shredded lettuce.

The cheese was…well cheese. Since I think it is hard to wrong with cheese, I liked it, it made the burger better, but it didn’t really jump up and call attention to itself. It was an excellent compliment.

The bacon was well-cooked, but not quite crispy enough for my tastes, but excellent.

Now, I mentioned that the beef was a little bit bland as a solo act, but in concert with the rest of the burger chorus, it is quite nice. This may be the best of the burgers I have reviewed, and I would definitely say that I would try it again, but….

It costs about as much as the Cheesesteak, and when I go to Texadelphia, I go for the Cheesesteak and I find it hard to imagine myself forgoing a Cheesesteak for a burger, even one this good. Oh, and it is priced like a premium burger, but it is well worth it.

So, obviously the big winner in this review is….Texadelphia, great Cheesesteak, and one of the better burgers in town. So, anyone want to go for a burger? How about Texadelphia?

The Great Austin Burger Hunt

Terra Burger
10611 Research Blvd.
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 382-5864

Before getting into the meat of my review, I need to point something out. I am in favor of organic produce. Now, that probably seems odd to say in a burger review, but if you know Terra Burger you will understand. Now, I am in favor of organic produce, but I don’t buy it very often. Why? Two reasons, one, the price and two, I can’t taste the difference. Okay, I should add the caveat…usually. I usually cannot tell the difference. I could go further and say that most organic produce is priced out of my range.

This needed to be said because Terra Burger’s biggest selling point seems to be their organic beef. That intrigued me enough to pull in.

I ordered my usual burger and fries, but when it came to a soft drink I was presented with a dilemma. They didn’t really have any diet drinks and being diabetic I avoid anything else. What they did have was came sugar sodas which fits very well with the organic billing. I chose a small cane sugar root beer. I love root beer and this was better than most. A&W fountain root been might be better, but not by much.

Unfortunately, that was the high point of the meal.

The burger was okay, but it was a very average burger at a very premium price. The bun was nice, soft with sesame seeds (I like those too) and with a little more tooth than most. The meat was tasty, a little on the dry side, but I don’t mind that. It came with lettuce which was not crispy and did little to improve the burger.

The fries were a disaster. They were limp and greasy. They tasted okay, but I couldn’t finish them.

Lastly, Terra Burger has no inside dining area. They do however have an outdoor dining and play area with a children’s playscape. One note…you have to cross the drive-thru lane to get from the order window to the picnic area.

I cannot recommend Terra Burger. I expect better when I pay $9 for a burger, fries and a soda.

Great Austin Burger Hunt….NOT!!

Well, not Austin, but they taste like a cheeseburger…

Doritos
LATE NIGHT
all nighter
CHEESEBURGER

I saw them and had to try them. I tried the all nighter Taco flavor once, but it mostly tasted like the old Taco flavored Doritos.

The funny thing is that they got the flavor pretty close. There is the flavor of beef, and cheese, and a touch of smoke and mustard. Now, I find it funny that they got close, but it is what they got it close to that I find really funny. They don’t taste anything like a good cheeseburger. They taste like the awful cheeseburgers that you buy at a cheap drive-thru in the middle of the night.

Now, some of you are probably thinking of McDonald’s, and they don’t taste anything like a McDonald’s cheeseburger. They don’t really taste like anyone’s cheeseburgers, though if I had to pick one, it would probably be Burger King, or maybe the DQ Brazier Foods like you get out west. I haven’t tasted one of those in a few years though. That touch of smoke flavor means that they don’t taste like a fried burger.

Oh, and I don’t really like them, though they do sort of hit the spot when you are looking for a snack that is more than a plain chip. They are interesting, but after a handful they start to get old. So I doubt I will buy them again….at least not for myself. They are the sort of thing that I might bring to a potluck lunch at work and see what other people think about them.

The Great Austin Burger Hunt

Hill-Bert’s Burgers
5340 Cameron Road
Austin, TX

Hill-Bert’s has three Austin locations. Oddly enough, two of them appear to be in old original Taco Bill buildings. The restaurants aren’t much to look at, but in a burger joint that isn’t always a bad thing. I used the drive three which is probably the way to go.

I ordered a cheeseburger and fries. The burger was quite good despite the bun being decidedly over toasted. In fact, I was a little surprised to be served a bun that clearly qualified as burned. I burger tasted like it had been cooked over flames, which is always a nice touch. They used a very nice leaf lettuce. Overall, I was impressed and would rate this burger as above average.

The fries were excellent. They were unsalted, but salt was included in the bag without asking. This is an example that other burger places should emulate. Unfortunately, the fries were served in a low paper basket which is a bad choice for a drive-thru. They were crunchy in a way seldom seen and very hot and fresh. Hopefully, I no longer need to define what I mean by a French fry’s legs, but Hill-Bert’s fries definitely had good legs.

I will definitely be visiting Hill-Bert’s again.

The Great Austin Burger Hunt

Whataburger
11135 N. I-35
Austin, TX

Well, being in Austin and looking for burgers it was inevitable that I would end up at Whataburger. There are many in Texas who consider Whataburger one of the all-time great burger places, but I didn’t grow up here and I am not among them. I often call it Wait-a-burger. They take a long time to deliver your burger. Now, if you take longer to deliver a burger then ought to deliver A burger worth the wait.

Well, I cannot say that I think they do. I ordered a double Whataburger with cheese, waited my half hour (okay, it only seemed long) and then sat down to eat.

The burger was hot, fresh, juicy and utterly…average. There was nothing wrong with it. It was tasty, but it wasn’t really any better than a McDonald’s burger and I waited twice as long for it.

They ask if you want mayo or mustard and when you say both, they slop it on like they have an investment in French’s and Hellmann’s. The lettuce was thick and chewy, as if cut only from the base of a head of Iceberg. I don’t do pickles, onions or tomatoes so maybe that is where they earn that reputation, I don’t know.

The fries were hot but still a little limp and they had no legs at all.

Now, at the start I may have come off a bit harsh. I like Whataburger and I stop there with some regularity. Of course, what I really enjoy is the biscuit and gravy for breakfast. I suspect that some of Whataburger’s rather grand reputation in Texas comes from small towns where the only competition is Dairy Queen, and there is no doubt that Whataburger is a big step up from DQ when it comes to burgers.

The Great Austin Burger Hunt

Chili’s Oldtimer

Chili’s
12901 N IH 35
Austin, TX 78753-1018
512-251-2442

“I want my baby back, baby back, baby back…..”

Okay, not really. Purely by accident, Chili’s is second on my Great Austin Burger Hunt. Accident, because I went out with my wife and my mother-in-law and that is where we ended up. Now, what I really love at Chili’s is the Skillet Queso, but when it comes to dinner, you can do a lot worse than the Oldtimer. I picked the Oldtimer, because I wanted to try the burger, somewhat plain-ish, if you will. I didn’t want a burger buried in BBQ sauce, or bacon, or what have you. I wanted a burger, plain and simple.

Funny thing, well actually 2 funny things, when I ordered it the waitress didn’t ask how I wanted it. I expect that in a sit-down restaurant, and I seem to remember it from past trips to Chili’s. I told her medium well anyway, and asked for some mustard and mayo. I asked her to leave off the red onions, but forgot to mention the tomato, and pickles, which I didn’t want either, my bad.

So, I finished my Skillet Queso, with a little help from my Mother-in-Law (my wife does not eat meat) and waiting for my burger. It wasn’t long in coming and that is when I noticed the second funny thing. The burger was considerably smaller than I remember. They are called Big Mouth Burgers, and it wasn’t exactly tiny, but it was not the same enormous burger that you used to get at Chili’s.

It was good though. Once again, not spectacular, but it was good nonetheless. They put plenty of mayo on it, but I did have to ask for some mustard. Now, that does not really detract from the burger, so much as from the overall dining experience, but it is something to note. The meat was juicy and tender and cooked perfectly. I ordered Swiss Cheese, which was nicely melted. There wasn’t nearly enough lettuce, especially after I removed the tomato and pickles (again, my fault).

Chili’s Fries are very good and these did not disappoint. They may not travel well, but they don’t need to and they remained crisp and tasty until I finished them, and never turned greasy or soggy. I am not a big fan of pepper on fries, but it works for Chili’s.

So, for a conclusion…the burger itself was good, but not great, and the fries were very good.

If I had to compare them to Five Guys (do I? why yes, I suppose I do) I would probably put them about even. Neither excelled into the burger stratosphere, but both left me willing to come back for more, and isn’t that what a restaurant is really looking for, repeat customers?

The Great Austin Burger Hunt

Five Guys Burgers and Fries
3208 B Guadalupe St
Austin, TX 78703
Tel: 512-452-4300

Cheese Burger

Good, but not spectacular. Meat was well cooked and the lettuce was crispy. The bun was above average, better than the standard balloon bread bun you get at most places.

Bacon Dog

I was disappointed, but it’s not what you think. I was expecting a hot dog, but what I got was more of a brat, or a polish. Now, I love both of those, and this one was good, but it was not what I was expecting. The bacon was perfect, but on a brat, it was a bit much. Next time I will try it without the bacon, and there will be a next time.

Large Fries

Five Guys delivers their fries in a cup…well, sort of. All Five Guys orders come in a bag. They don’t ask if it is to go, they just deliver it in a bag. After putting your burger in the bag, they fill a cup with fries and put that in the bag, but then they also fill a small metal bowl with fries and toss that into the top of the bag. It was a very large order of fries.

And, they were hot, almost too hot. Even after walking out to my car, they were extremely hot. They were well salted too. Now, that is a big deal to me. Fries without salt are bland…well, let’s be honest, potatoes without salt are bland, no matter how you prepare them. So many places have gone to minimal salting that I almost always ask for salt when I order fries. I think it is some health conscious lunacy that causes it.

If I were health conscious I wouldn’t be eating fries.

Now, don’t get me wrong, they weren’t over salted, something which I am somewhat prone to doing. They were well salted, and that is a good thing. I grabbed some salt on my way out, but I did not use it. So, back to being very hot. They were tasty, large cut fries with the skins on. Now, I am not a huge fan of skin on fries, but I don’t mind it, except for the occasional fry cut from the edge of the potato.

I also judge fries on how well they travel. Almost all fries are good when they are hot and fresh, but some remain tasty for a few minutes. McDonald’s fries are among the best, but they do not travel well. 5 minutes later, they are bland, soggy, strings of potatoe. On the other hand, Wendy’s fries are not quite as good when fresh, but they travel well. 5 minutes later they are still pretty good.

Five Guys fall somewhere in between. Well, when fresh. The fries were good, but again, like the burger, not spectacular. Unfortunately, they did not travel well. 5 minutes later they were greasy, soggy, and barely recognizable as edible potatoes. I won’t be ordering the large fries again. A small cup will be more than enough.

My conclusion? Good, but not spectacular. I will go back, but not all that often, because they don’t have a drive thru…at least not on Guadalupe.

How I Found Funky

Monday is my TV night, but you might be surprised. Now, considering the time of year, you might think that Monday Night Football would be on the agenda, but no, that would be way too simple. Back many months ago, I discovered Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Now, across last summer, I began to follow it nearly religiously. I say nearly because I cannot get religious about anything on TV.

But, my Monday night goes beyond Triple D. The night starts off with Alton Brown’s Good Eats. Alton Brown’s take on a cooking show is unique. You do see him actually do see him cook, but cooking is only part of his show. Good Eats is about teaching. Most cooking shows show you how to make a recipe, but they don’t really teach. Alton Brown takes the time to teach you about cooking, while still teaching you several recipes. It is no accident that one of the lead-in teasers has Alton saying, “There’s a lesson here.”

Tonight’s episodes were pancakes and waffles. Now, most cooks would not bother with a show on pancakes, unless they had a signature pancake that they wanted to demonstrate. Alton Brown teaches us how to make simple, plain pancakes. Well, he does add blueberries to them. I had seen the pancake episode before, that is where I learned that a whisk is the right tool for mixing pancake batter. I still don’t bother with making pancake batter from scratch, but I carefully follow some of the things I learned on the show to make my pancakes come out better. Well, I actually prefer waffles.

After two episodes of Good Eats, we get two episodes of Unwrapped. Unwrapped is not one of my favorite shows, but it is sometimes fascinating. I often go off and fix dinner, or do something else for an hour. Tonight it was dinner, and then making my usually bowl of popcorn to eat during Triple D.

But, finally we come to the star of the evening. Let there be no mistake, Guy Fieri is the star of the show. The restaurants are merely his stage. Now, that is not to say that he steals the shows. He spends most of his time showing off the food and the cooks.

For those who have never seen the show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives is a restaurant show, where Guy visits three restaurants during each half-hour episode, but there is always something different about that restaurant. What is different depends on the restaurant. They have done restaurants in auto body shops and gas stations. Often it is a restaurant where you can get something that you would not expect, based on the outside of the restaurant, like the fast food drive-in that serves prime rib. Sometimes, it is a type of restaurant in a location you would not expect, like the Mexican restaurant in Lincoln, Nebraska or the Chili Parlor in Seattle, Washington. And sometimes, it is the owner or cook who is unusual enough to draw Guy to the restaurant, like the metal sculptor turned restaurateur, or the….I don’t know what to call any of the others.

The show has become so popular that they now get lots of suggestions, and recently they did a show where all three restaurants were from viewer suggestions. They have done shows all over the country, including some out of the way places that you would not normally associate with great dining, like Salt Lake City, Utah and Boise, Idaho. There are a few things that are common to all the restaurants. The cooks and owners are enjoying what they do. They prepare food from scratch, and it isn’t what you expect.

Tonight’s restaurants were…

LoBello’s in Pittsburg, where they are making many Italian classics from scratch.

Pizzeria Luigi in San Diego, where a native Italian who learned in Chicago is making the best pizza in San Diego, in the words of his customers.

Pasquale’s in Baltimore, another Italian restaurant.

As you can see, I was busy for a few minutes, and I did not take any notes about Pasquale’s. Sorry guys.

They show two Triple Ds back to back, but the second is always a repeat, but since I have not seen them all, I sometimes get two that are new to me.

Then, the evening finishes with another Good Eats, and then they start repeating with the earlier episodes of Unwrapped and then Triple D. I usually don’t sit to everything twice, but I did tonight while I wrote this. I enjoy my Monday night lineup, and I won’t miss it until my beloved 49ers appear on Monday Night Football sometime late in the season.

Come join me some Monday night for the best night on TV.

Oh, and the title, “How I Found Funky”? One of the catchphrases of Triple D is, “If it’s funky, we’ll find it.”

888

I had lunch today at 888. Their sign is something like 8 8 8, with the middle 8 larger. Not sure why, but it makes an interesting logo. Here is the address.

888 Vietnamese Restaurant
2400 E Oltorf St # 1A
Austin, TX 78741
(512) 448-4722‎

Now, as their full name suggests, they are a Vietnamese restaurant, but they also have a Chinese buffet. One of those in my party had suggested the place because he was in the mood for Pho, the Vietnamese Noodle Soup dish. I decided on the buffet.

First, let me start with the restaurant itself as we ate in the restaurant. It is a small place, stuffed into one of the strip malls that line Oltorf. It is rather a long way from the freeway, and east of I35. As you start down the hill past Willow Creek Drive, you turn into the parking lot. It is on the south side of Oltorf. It does not look like much on the outside, and that carries over to the inside. It is clean and pleasant, but not in the least fancy. Now, understand that I am not a huge fan of fancy, so that did not bother me.

The buffet was smallish, but it had Sesame Chicken, so I decided on that. I had Sesame Chicken, Fried Rice, Vegetable Egg Rolls, and Hot and Sour Soup. Everything was okay, but nothing was great. The sauce for the Sesame Chicken was sweet and not spicy, just the way I like it, but the chicken itself was over cooked. The Fried Rice was good, but had rather too many onions for my taste. The egg rolls were cold, not frigid, just not hot, though they were tasty and crunchy. The only real success to my meal was the Soup, which was excellent. I am a bit fan of Hot and Sour soup and 888 did not disappoint in this one department.

I did not taste the Pho, so I cannot comment on that, except to say that the bowl they brought to my friend was enormous, and it was the small size. He claimed that it was 3 times as large, and that he had it last time, which is why he bought the smaller serving today. It looked and smelled good, and he seemed to enjoy it.

If you are looking for a Chinese buffet, then I think there are much better choices. The selection was somewhat limited, though it seemed to have all the big favorites. As I said, the chicken was overcooked, which makes me wonder about other things. It may be much better on the Pho.

I cannot truly recommend 888. I would not avoid it, but I would not suggest it either.

Changes

Well, I have not posted in a bit, because I had a bit of a problem, which was then compounded by another. The second problem has caused me to rethink a number of things, and face some changes.

I am diabetic.

I discovered this in the aftermath of a lesion that had to be lanced. They tested my blood sugar and it was 455. Now, that may not mean much to some of you, but those who know anything about diabetes will be rather alarmed. As I understand it, normal is somewhere below 100. That day, I was given insulin. Since them I am on medication, and for the last four days, my number has been below 200. Understand, that this is all very recent, and so I have less than a week of numbers to go by.

So, the first change has been Cokes. Yes, I was a coke-aholic. I used to drink 2 liter bottles in 8 hours. My daily intake was huge, and that has stopped completely. That has been a big change for me.

Second, no sweets. I love chocolate, and candy of many sorts, and that must go too. Now, I will admit that I have cheated a little bit on this one, a few candied nuts, a single skittle, and a dark chocolate pastille. If I can find dark chocolate that is not too bitter, then I may be able to give in to this temptation on occasion, but only in small doses.

It has been a depressing time, and it is not going to get better soon. Most of my comfort foods are now denied me. I used to eat, and drink, when depressed. Now I have to find something else.

Well, I thought I would have more to say, but I think it has petered out at this point.

The Magic Wok

This is my first food review, so bear with me.

The guys where I work decided to order chinese today, so I had the idea to review what I ordered. First, the restaurant.

The Magic Wok
2617 Guadalupe St.
Austin

Don't confuse this with the (note small t, not part of the name) Magic Wok chain with locations in Michigan and Ohio. They do not seem to be related, at least from what I could tell from their websites.

Now, we ordered for delivery, and that leaves me with the dilemma of whether or not the food would be better when it comes straight from the kitchen, rather than trucked 10 blocks, but I cannot change that, so oh well.

Sesame Chicken, with brocolli
Fried Rice
Hot and Sour Soup
Egg Roll (not sure what sort)

The portions are good sized, with the typical three compartment take out box. The large section is filled with chicken and brocolli, and the two small compartments are filled with rice.

The egg roll was packaged seperately, which is a nice surprise. An egg roll should be crunchy, and it is hard for it to remain crunchy when sealed in the box with other steaming foods. So, point one to them. The egg roll was tastey and at least somewhat crunchy, even after being taken for a ten-block and eight-story journey.

The soup suffered more from the journey and was barely lukewarm when it arrived. I don't count that against the restaurant, but it may be better when served hot to your table. I am a big fan of hot and sour soup, and I am considering trying to make it from scratch. Packet Hot and Sour Soup being hard to find and less than satisfying in most cases.

Now, I should say that I am a big fan of Hot and Sour broth, as I do not really like the vegetables, etc. in it. I generally spoon off the broth. The broth was lighter in color than I expected, almost as if it was made from a chicken stock and the others were made from a beef stock. I do not know if that is the reason, just a way of describing the difference in color. The taste is much the same as other Hot and Sour Soups I have tried, however, it lacked some of the initial bite I expect from Hot and Sour Soup, though it did have the pleasant after burn (not afterburn) that I expect. Not the best I have had, but not bad either.

The chicken is breaded or battered, it is hard to tell which under the sauce, and it does not really matter. The chicken was tender and tastey, with the breading adding a little soft almost crunch (not sure how to describe the texture) which was very nice. The sauce was sweet and not very spicy, just the way I like it

The rice was a bit tasteless, nothing bad, but nothing to really praise either. This seems to be a common problem with chinese restaurants, for the fried rice that they serve with meals. When you order fried rice as a standalone dish, the fried rice seems to have a lot more flavor. But, there was plenty of sauce to mix the rice with, so it worked out well and was very good.

Overall, I am impressed. I do not have a rating system, but I would not avoid The Magic Wok. In fact, I will going there again. I changed jobs, and I had a favorite chinese place near where I used to work, but I needed to find one near the William B. Travis building in Austin (17th and Congress). So far, this one is the best one that is close and I will be trying it again.