On 8/29/2012 10:29 AM, Andy wrote:
> George Leppla > wrote:
>
>> You misspelled "ketchup" but got the lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and
>> onions correct.<vbg>
>>
>
>
> George L.,
>
> There's a famous local burger joint "Charlie's" in Springfield, PA. It's
> run out of a psychedelic Winnebago. Has been selling greasy burgers for
> over 50 year.
>
> It maybe sits 10 customers, with the kitchen occupying the rest of the
> open space. No waitstaff. You just tell the cook, how many and toppings.
>
> When I got his attention I said "I'll have two cheeseburgers with onion,
> tomato and ketchup."
>
> He looked at me in disbelief and asked loudly "YOU WANT TOMATO and
> KETCHUP?!?"
>
> I sheepishly said "No ketchup!!!"
>
> Shaking his head, he went about making my order.
>
> I was so embarrassed, I never returned after making such a bad first
> impression!
>
> "Hey, you're the idiot who wanted a tomato and ketchup cheeseburger, 15
> years ago!!!"
>
> I fear it could happen! LOL!!!
>
> Their burgers are really greasy. Even the buns glisten. Still, they've
> had a decades old dedicated following.
>
> An aside: Charlie's is closed on Tuesdays for Wimpie to "gladly pay you
> on Tuesday" hamburger tab.
>
> Maybe you remember the place?


Yes I do! I opened the Kmart on McDade Blvd back in the late 70's...
early 80's. We ate at at Charlie's a few times. The burgers were
good... but I always felt that this is one of those places where the
local reputation outshines the actual product. Like Geno's or Pat's
Steaks. Great reputations and huge followings, but the food wasn't as
good as most other local places.

George L

On 8/29/2012 12:14 PM, gtr wrote:

>
> I use to love whata-a-burger when living in the South, because they
> chopped their lettuce and you could get a LOT of it on a burger. It's
> the only time I've A) Eaten a burger exclusively with mayo and B)
> Always ate a jalapeno with it and C) always had chopped lettuce. Damn
> I loved those things.
>

Had lunch at a Whataburger yesterday. Best fast food burger chain in
the US.

http://www.whataburger.com/

George L

On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:27:36 -0500, George Leppla
> wrote:

>
> Had lunch at a Whataburger yesterday. Best fast food burger chain in
> the US.
>
> http://www.whataburger.com/
>

Not much chance finding it outside the South, but I'm going to find me
one of those soon and give it a try. Their burgers resemble In-N-Out
(another family owned, regional chain); except INO uses whole lettuce
leaves, which I prefer over chopped.

Number of locations according to Wikipedia
Whataburger: "Nearly" 700
In-N-Out: 275 locations (as of June 2012) with no location more than
one day's drive from a regional distribution center

Looks like I'll have to beware of sound alikes for Whataburger and
plot my course carefully.

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

On 8/30/2012 9:42 AM, sf wrote:
> On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:27:36 -0500, George Leppla
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> Had lunch at a Whataburger yesterday. Best fast food burger chain in
>> the US.
>>
>> http://www.whataburger.com/
>>
>
> Not much chance finding it outside the South, but I'm going to find me
> one of those soon and give it a try. Their burgers resemble In-N-Out
> (another family owned, regional chain); except INO uses whole lettuce
> leaves, which I prefer over chopped.
>
> Number of locations according to Wikipedia
> Whataburger: "Nearly" 700
> In-N-Out: 275 locations (as of June 2012) with no location more than
> one day's drive from a regional distribution center
>
> Looks like I'll have to beware of sound alikes for Whataburger and
> plot my course carefully.



Last year I saw a local piece about a couple who did a quest to eat at
every Whataburger location. I don't know why they did that... but they did.

Whataburger just changed their menu and added some salads and other
snootybucket semi-healthy stuff like that. Real Whataburger fans look
down their noses at this stuff and hope that the artsy-fartsy crowd
doesn't start hanging around and ruin the place.

George L

On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 10:10:17 -0500, George Leppla
> wrote:

> On 8/30/2012 9:42 AM, sf wrote:
> > On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 07:27:36 -0500, George Leppla
> > > wrote:
> >
> >>
> >> Had lunch at a Whataburger yesterday. Best fast food burger chain in
> >> the US.
> >>
> >> http://www.whataburger.com/
> >>
> >
> > Not much chance finding it outside the South, but I'm going to find me
> > one of those soon and give it a try. Their burgers resemble In-N-Out
> > (another family owned, regional chain); except INO uses whole lettuce
> > leaves, which I prefer over chopped.
> >
> > Number of locations according to Wikipedia
> > Whataburger: "Nearly" 700
> > In-N-Out: 275 locations (as of June 2012) with no location more than
> > one day's drive from a regional distribution center
> >
> > Looks like I'll have to beware of sound alikes for Whataburger and
> > plot my course carefully.
>
>
>
> Last year I saw a local piece about a couple who did a quest to eat at
> every Whataburger location. I don't know why they did that... but they did.
>
> Whataburger just changed their menu and added some salads and other
> snootybucket semi-healthy stuff like that. Real Whataburger fans look
> down their noses at this stuff and hope that the artsy-fartsy crowd
> doesn't start hanging around and ruin the place.
>
It was probably a nod to health and nutrition. Sometimes carnivores
and health nuts date/marry so that's one way to keep the entire family
happy.


--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

"Andy" > wrote in message ...
> Christopher,
>
> Good mileage on your thread so far.
>
> Matter of preferences threads always play well at rfc.
>
> Congrats!
>
> Ya BUM!!!
>
> Andy

I'm a Scorpio. Scorpios are catalysts.


W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)

Sqwertz wrote:
>
> On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:17:01 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:
>
> > Last weeks burger, for example. With roasted Hatch chiles, thick
> > bacon, Swiss cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, Campari tomatoes, heavy
> > duty mayo, and ketchup.
> >
> > http://www.flickr.com/photos/sqwertz...ream/lightbox/
>
> That was the wrong picture. Right burger, wrong picture.
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/sqwertz...ream/lightbox/
>
> -sw

I truly hope you start your own restaurant/sandwich shop someday.
That looked killer!

G.

Gary wrote:

> I truly hope you start your own restaurant/sandwich shop someday.
> That looked killer!

You know how they rig up advertising pix of food, right?

On 8/29/2012 11:53 AM, Christopher M. wrote:

> Sadly I live with an onion-phobiac.


Been there, done that, glad it is over. We all have our likes and
dislikes, so I try to be patient, but I know it can be troublesome.

Becca

On 8/29/2012 12:06 PM, sf wrote:

>> Mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions.
>>
> Check! Put the pickles on the side for me. I eat them, but not on
> the burger.


If you order a burger at Whataburger, it comes with mustard, unless you
tell them otherwise. A couple of restaurants have asked, but most do
not. Their burgers are large, we tried Five Guys, and were surprised
that their burgers were so small.

Becca

On 8/29/2012 8:15 PM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:17:01 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:
>
>> Last weeks burger, for example. With roasted Hatch chiles, thick
>> bacon, Swiss cheese, grilled onions, lettuce, Campari tomatoes, heavy
>> duty mayo, and ketchup.
>>
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/sqwertz...ream/lightbox/
>
> That was the wrong picture. Right burger, wrong picture.
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/sqwertz...ream/lightbox/
>

That's a nice looking burger but can't eat something that big.

On 8/29/2012 2:49 PM, Steve Pope wrote:
> Ema Nymton > wrote:
>
>> On 8/28/2012 5:31 PM, Christopher M. wrote:
>
>>> I like a mixture of ketchup and mayo on a burger. I like that better than
>>> thousand island. Sometimes I add onion, garlic, paprika, relish, and hot
>>> sauce.
>
>> Mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions.
>>
>> Becca
>
> It took me decades to finally conclude that mustard, even very
> good mustard, absolutely ruins a good hamburger.
>
> I still like it on pastrami or corned beef; but with other types of
> cured meats, I also leave it off these days.
>
> Steve


I'm not a fan of mustard but I like a mix of mustard and mayo for corned
beef.

Cheryl wrote:

> I'm not a fan of mustard but I like a mix of mustard and mayo for corned beef.

That's what we put on pollo a la brasa in this area. (That's
Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken.)

"Gary" > wrote in message ...
> "Christopher M." wrote:
>>
>> "Julie Bove" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> >
>> > "Christopher M." > wrote in message
>> > ...
>> >>I like a mixture of ketchup and mayo on a burger. I like that better
>> >>than
>> >>thousand island. Sometimes I add onion, garlic, paprika, relish, and
>> >>hot
>> >>sauce.
>> >>
>> >> My burgers are pretty small.
>> >>
>> >> I usually only use tomatoes on very large burgers.
>> >
>> > I don't like sauce on my burgers. I do like onion, either raw or
>> > caramelized, tomato and lettuce.
>>
>> I love onion, but I always forget to buy it.
>
> I love onion too and that's one thing that I always keep on hand and never
> forget to buy. That's one staple that should always be fresh too, not
> frozen, powdered or whatever.
>
> As far as what to put on hamburgers. Interesting that nobody has said the
> old favorite, "with the works." That's me.
>
> My ultimate home/diner burger is some good beef (ground sirloin is
> good)cooked with a bit of worchestershire sauce. After flipping it, add
> thin
> slice of cheese and toss some sliced onions into the pan on the sides.
>
> Take a nice soft bun....a good one, not a cheap one then add:
> - thick slather of mayo to the bottom side of bun
> - add the semi cooked onions
> - add your thick burger
> - one nice slice of homegrown tomato
> - add some S&P
> - iceburg lettuce
> - squirt on some mustard
> - squirt on some ketchup
> - top with the other half of the bun
>
> Thinly sliced pickles are good too or put some wedges on the plate.
> Nice salty potato chips are good with this (Lay's Classic)
> Or some good salty boardwalk fries
>
> That's just me and it works so well here. :-D
>
> G.

I can imagine.

Some people say that bread, or rolls, make the sandwich. I've been using
some cheap rolls.


W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)

"Christopher M." > wrote in message
...
> I can imagine.
>
> Some people say that bread, or rolls, make the sandwich. I've been using
> some cheap rolls.

But bad bread can ruin it.

I know someone who owns a Jimmy John's. She and others who have eaten there
are always going on about how very good and fresh the bread is. To be
honest I have not gone to her location and likely wouldn't because it's not
near here.

We did try a closer location. Nobody liked the food very much except for my
daughter who had a lettuce wrap. No bread. Just tuna salad wrapped in
lettuce. I thought the texture and taste of my bread was...well...just very
stale. I have since looked at reviews for this particular location and I am
not the only one who thought that.

I have also tried those Sandwich Thins. They are pretty flavorless. Yuck.

On Tuesday, August 28, 2012 5:33:28 PM UTC-5, Christopher M. wrote:
>
> My burgers are pretty small.
>
Your brain is pretty small.
>
> W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)

--Bryan

On Thursday, August 30, 2012 7:25:09 AM UTC-5, George L wrote:
>
> We ate at at Charlie's a few times. The burgers were
>
> good... but I always felt that this is one of those places where the
>
> local reputation outshines the actual product. Like Geno's or Pat's
>
> Steaks. Great reputations and huge followings, but the food wasn't as
>
> good as most other local places.
>
Geno's might be the worst pizza I've ever had outside the St. Louis area.
>
> George L

--Bryan

On Aug 29, 10:22*pm, Sqwertz > wrote:
> On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 12:52:35 +1000, Ad wrote:
> > On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:16:33 -0500, Sqwertz >
> > wrote:
>
> >>On Wed, 29 Aug 2012 20:27:55 +0000 (UTC), Doug Freyburger wrote:
>
> >>> In a recent episode of America's Test Kitchen they fed burgers to their
> >>> audience. *One was made from store ground beef. *One was made form
> >>> kitchen ground beef. *Almost everyone could tell the difference and
> >>> prefered the kitchen ground beef.
>
> >>Americas Test Kitchen doesn't have an audience. *At least not a live
> >>one in the studio itself.
>
> > But they have a tasting panel.
>
> Is that the same kind of tasting panel in Willy Wonka, where the
> strawberries taste like strawberries and snozberries taste like
> snozberries?

LOL did you ever check out Grampa licking the wallpaper? Woo-hoo!

On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 19:31:37 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>
>"Christopher M." > wrote in message
...
>> I can imagine.
>>
>> Some people say that bread, or rolls, make the sandwich. I've been using
>> some cheap rolls.
>
>But bad bread can ruin it.

Bad buns certainly can't help but mostly what ruins a burger is
mystery meat... until you've eaten a burger made with meat you've
ground yourself within the hour you've never eaten a good burger.

On Thu, 30 Aug 2012 18:04:23 -0500, Ema Nymton >
wrote:

> On 8/29/2012 12:06 PM, sf wrote:
>
> >> Mustard, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onions.
> >>
> > Check! Put the pickles on the side for me. I eat them, but not on
> > the burger.
>
>
> If you order a burger at Whataburger, it comes with mustard, unless you
> tell them otherwise. A couple of restaurants have asked, but most do
> not. Their burgers are large, we tried Five Guys, and were surprised
> that their burgers were so small.
>
Fortunately, I like mustard on my burger... but I'm so used to putting
it on myself that I'm surprised to see it already on, which is what
happened at Hall of Flame the other day (really good burgers, btw).

--
Food is an important part of a balanced diet.

"Julie Bove" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Christopher M." > wrote in message
> ...
>> I can imagine.
>>
>> Some people say that bread, or rolls, make the sandwich. I've been using
>> some cheap rolls.
>
> But bad bread can ruin it.
>
> I know someone who owns a Jimmy John's. She and others who have eaten
> there are always going on about how very good and fresh the bread is. To
> be honest I have not gone to her location and likely wouldn't because it's
> not near here.
>
> We did try a closer location. Nobody liked the food very much except for
> my daughter who had a lettuce wrap. No bread. Just tuna salad wrapped in
> lettuce. I thought the texture and taste of my bread was...well...just
> very stale. I have since looked at reviews for this particular location
> and I am not the only one who thought that.

I've had some very fine lettuce wraps, made with some very fine lettuce.
Maybe it was baby lettuce.

> I have also tried those Sandwich Thins. They are pretty flavorless.
> Yuck.

"Sandwich thins" are a step down from "bagel thins". Sandwich thins are
basically ends--skimpy ends. I wouldn't bring those to Italy. It's probably
illegal over there.


W. Pooh (AKA Winnie P.)
"Burning the garlic is the ultimate crime in Italy."
--Mario Batali