I've posted this to the OC.EATS group, but since this group is much more active, I thought I'd forward it. If any of you have suggestions of burgers in OC, please let me know! Oddly enough, I've been on a recent good-burger quest, with the intention of finding the BEST BURGERS in Central OC. Here are some preliminary thoughts. Please give me suggestions of places to try. If you don't take your food seriously and don't LOVE to talk food, then don't bother reading on. I love food. I love to cook and love to eat. I love to try new foods. And I love hamburgers. And don't ask me if I'm fat. I'm 6'2" and have a slight spare tire and weigh about 190 lbs. Some people eat to "refuel" and others also eat for the pleasure (as often as they can, sometimes you've gotta refuel). ------------------------------- Eric Rager's OC Burger Quest ------------------------------- DRAFT. June 2000. STILL LOTS OF BURGERS TO TRY AND REVIEWS TO WRITE I'm not sure when it happened. It was more an evolving realization than a sudden burst of awareness. But I became despondent over bad burgers. A few months ago I had a pretty good burger at Spoons, and then days later I had a phony, mediocre burger at Jack in the Box. Then I happened into a Fatburger, where the previous weeks of thought became clearer. This was a pretty good burger! I flashed back over all the bad McD and BK burgers I'd had in the past years and realized that I'm wasting fat grams and calories on stuff that is just plain useless. Now I'm on a quest for good and great burgers in central OC. Before I give you my first recommendations, I might as well tell you what is a GOOD burger. If you're looking for a burger with totally different criteria for quality, then we agree to disagree. What makes a burger good? ----------------------------------- 1) Meat The emphasis of the burger has to be on the meat. I'm not buying a meaty-grilled cheese or a veggie sandwich with a little meat-flavor. The purpose of the hamburger is to glorify the meat. I'm looking for good, tasty meat. Immediate turn-offs for me are thin and pre-frozen patties and overcooked meat. 2) Bun & Bread The bun and bread are essential to the burger, but not in the way it might be on other types of sandwiches. A bun that is too substantial or has too strong a flavor actually detracts from the burger experience. If you're biting into a thick or hard roll with lots of character, then this is going to detract from the purpose of the burger. 3) Vegetables Fresh lettuce and good tomatoes are important. Pickles are optional for me, and I haven't formed a strong opinion about these. Any other vegetables might make things interesting and I'm willing to try it! A tomato slice that is ripe and has good flavor is complimentary to the meat flavor. Turn-offs for me include warm or wilty lettuce and un-ripe or mealy tomatoes. I'm more partial to lettuce leaves than shredded lettuce. Despite my disdain for iceberg lettuce overall, I find its presence acceptable in a burger. Onions add an important dimension as well. 4) Cheese I am partial to a cheese that has some flavor. A nice slice of somewhat sharp cheddar is good. While plain American cheese is the norm, it only adds creamy richness and doesn't allow for the slightly sharp contrast to the rich meat that a good piece of cheese can provide. I really enjoy cheeseburgers, but if I know I'm going to get a thin slice of processed cheese food, I'll skip it. 5) Sauces I am open to the use of many or all sauces on burgers except that awful yellow glowing goo some places call mustard. I'm becoming less than thrilled with the mayo/ketchup/relish blend of "special sauce" too. Ketchup is critical to the burger's success with its blend of sweetness and vinegary tang in harmony with the rich meat and cheese and bready texture of the bun. Agree or disagree? Your thoughts on my criteria with examples of successful burgers are welcome! Preliminary Findings in Central OC ----------------------------------- First, a note on location: I am looking in as far south as Irvine and as far north as the county line, as far west as the coast, and as far east as Anaheim Hills. I frequent most areas of OC north of Irvine. I don't want to go to Dana Point for a good burger. None of these findings are final. I'm still testing as my cravings permit. But I'm posting these rough draft thoughts to encourage comments. Fatburger -- Brea ------------------ Fatburger sure offers a good burger. This is one of my top recommendations. The good: -Bun which fairly holds the burger together, without distracting from the star. Not the same toasty experience as In N Out. -The Meat is the star here. Beautiful hand-formed patties which fall apart in your mouth after the bite. There is enough patty here to make this a really good burger. -The vegetables work effectively, and the pickles do their job well. The not as good (no BAD here): -I need a pink center to my meat. I haven't requested this yet. -Last burger's meat could have been seasoned before cooking. -Toasted bun might be nice Notes: -I've got to try their cheese and egg on top. -I've got to request medium-rare doneness. My patties keep ending up medium-well. -I hold the relish and mustard. Johnny Rocket's -- Block at Orange ------------------ Johnny Rocket's is my top recommendation at this moment. The good: -Bun melts away nicely, without distracting from the star. -The Meat is the star here. Nice hand-formed patty which falls apart in your mouth after the bite. I wouldn't mind a thicker patty here to make this a better burger. -The lettuce has real CRUNCH and the coolness is a nice contrast to the hot meat. -Tangy "special red sauce" is darn good -Cheese is actual cheddar and has a nice trace of tang which balances out the richness of the meat. The not as good (no BAD here): -I'd like a pink center to my meat. I haven't requested this yet, but I'm not sure the meat is thick enough to pull it off. -Small cardboard plates are awkward. Notes: -I've got to try their different burgers on the menu. In N Out Burger -- Many Locations ----------------- While In N Out violates most of my good-burger requirements, this is still an enjoyable burger. Overall this is a good eating experience, and is so legendary that is really set in a category of its own. There is no way to compare this to a nice medium-rare 1/2 pound burger with tasty meat. This is it's own animal. The good: -Toasted bun which melts away without distracting from the sandwich. -Great melange of flavors with the onion (I get mine grilled AND raw on the burger), cheese (?), meat, and veggies. This is a great flavor mix, but isn't really a burger which glorifies the meat. -Messy in a good way The bad: -The meat is the classically too-thin item. This burger is about the experience and overall richness of flavors, NOT the meat. -The special sauce is about over for me, next order won't have it. -The cheese is just that plain American goo. Bill's Burgers -- Bristol/Redhill Location. There are many locations of this diner. ------------------ I don't recommend Bill's burgers right now. The good: -Big, filling burger with a good amount of meat and vegetables. -Menu has loads of variety. -Clean tables and floor. The bad: -Meat sure seemed pre-frozen and thin. -Bun was too substantial. Overall, this is a nice bun, but it detracts from the burger. -Thinly shredded lettuce more suitable for a taco -Tomato irrelevant Notes: -Classic "diner" menu. Order at cashier and food is brought to your table. Ruby's -- Many Locations ------------------ Ruby's makes a good burger. Not quite Fatburger / Johnny Rocket's, but a solid offering. The good: -Good, loose meat. Seems to be ground more finely than other burgers. -xxxxxx -- need to add more tasting notes here -Menu has loads of variety -- including many burger choices. -Nice service, tasty drinks. The bad: -INCOMPLETE Notes: -Review various burger varieties Burgers which will get a review: Spoons Red Robin Brea's Best Burgers Houston's Suggestions! Burgers I'm not going to Review: McDonald's Jack in the Box Burger King Carl's Jr. Del Taco =================== Eric Rager [email removed]
Anaheim, CA
OC's Best Burgers -- I want your suggestions!
NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 16 Jun 2000 18:09:33 PDT Organization: @Home Network Xref: usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu la.eats:16039 Bob's choices for Top Burger's in OC ------------------------------------------------- Fuddrucker's (Lake Forest) - Hard to beat the burger's or the prices - wedge fries are good - buns are awesome, tastes like your eating a pastry - dry sometimes, but very good and inexpensive brownies. You can get 1/3 up to 1 lb. burgers - anything over a half pound and your on your own though Fuddrucker's won't pay the hospital bill when your stomach bursts from all that meat. Tuesday evenings there's a vintage car show, which is a great follow-up to a good meal but the place gets busy with all the car people. Ruby's (any location) - simple but tasty - follow up with a mini hot fudge sundae or go full blast to a brownie hot fudge sundae You can get adventurous and try a Bleus burger with bleu cheese but my favorite is the Beach Burger. Houston's (Irvine or Manhatten Beach) - expensive but probably the best of the bunch - thin cut fries to die for Mimi's - not consistent quality but 90% of the time a very good burger - fries are pretty good also. Favorite is the French Quarter. Also enjoyed on occasion --------------------------------- Hurricane's - 200 block of Main St. HB - good view of what's going on down below on the street - very mellow place HB Beer Co. - 200 block of Main St. HB - beer fries good - directly across the street from Hurricane's - same good views ClaimJumper Marie Calendar's Caffe Pannini - 200 block of Main St. HB - Don't know if it's still on the menu after the change of owners ( I can still get one but then I became friends with one of the waitresses) Fresh baked daily a sourdough like toasted bread for the bun and the best atmosphere to eat in all of HB sitting out on the sidewalk tables. Has turned a litle more upscale under new owners but still has good prices and great food. If you're on the cheap --------------------------- In-N-Out - hungry? just ask and they'll pile up as many patties as you want Usually dry burger, fries take some getting use to but good (Note: notice how even what once were cheap places are getting out of site price-wise? I say avoid them and eat at one of the good places that serve a bigger burger and more fries, eat half of it and ask for a doggie bag - only don't feed it to Fido but pop the rest in the oven to eat later. Costs come out about the same then and you end up with two good meals instead of two crappy ones. (at least if you don't screw up warming up the leftovers) Usually better atmosphere in the better joints too. Note to Eric: You think Johnny Rockets is good? Every time I've eaten there it's been mediocre at best. Whatever it is that they season their burgers with is best left on the plant/animal/or test tube it originated in. I've always thought of them as a Ruby's wanna-be (and they ain't even close) Note to Johnny Rockets: Get rid of the way too small paper plates, it doesn't help the flavor to have to constantly pick your tasteless fries up off the table where they keep spilling because you're too cheap to give us a decent surface to eat off of. Another note to Johnny Rockets: How about bringing the burger and fries TOGETHER instead of separately? What? You think you're the Ritz and this is a seven course meal? Bring the all the food at one time!!! BobJ In article , "Eric Rager" Someone wrote: >Johnny Rocket's -- Block at Orange >------------------ >Johnny Rocket's is my top recommendation at this moment. > >The good: >-Bun melts away nicely, without distracting from the star. >-The Meat is the star here. Nice hand-formed patty which falls apart in >your mouth after the bite. I wouldn't mind a thicker patty here to make >this a better burger. >-The lettuce has real CRUNCH and the coolness is a nice contrast to the hot >meat. >-Tangy "special red sauce" is darn good >-Cheese is actual cheddar and has a nice trace of tang which balances out >the richness of the meat. > >The not as good (no BAD here): >-I'd like a pink center to my meat. I haven't requested this yet, but I'm >not sure the meat is thick enough to pull it off. >-Small cardboard plates are awkward. > >Notes: >-I've got to try their different burgers on the menu.
NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 17 Jun 2000 04:37:04 GMT Organization: AT&T Worldnet Xref: usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu la.eats:16041 Island's on Beach Blvd in Huntington Beach/Fountain Valley Border Always tender, cooked to perfection. Eric R. wrote: > I've posted this to the OC.EATS group, but since this group is much more > active, I thought I'd forward it. If any of you have suggestions of burgers > in OC, please let me know! > > Oddly enough, I've been on a recent good-burger quest, with the intention of > finding the BEST BURGERS in Central OC. Here are some preliminary thoughts. > Please give me suggestions of places to try. > > If you don't take your food seriously and don't LOVE to talk food, then > don't bother reading on. I love food. I love to cook and love to eat. I > love to try new foods. And I love hamburgers. And don't ask me if I'm fat. > I'm 6'2" and have a slight spare tire and weigh about 190 lbs. Some people > eat to "refuel" and others also eat for the pleasure (as often as they can, > sometimes you've gotta refuel). > > ------------------------------- > Eric Rager's OC Burger Quest > ------------------------------- > DRAFT. June 2000. STILL LOTS OF BURGERS TO TRY AND REVIEWS TO WRITE > > I'm not sure when it happened. It was more an evolving realization than a > sudden burst of awareness. But I became despondent over bad burgers. A few > months ago I had a pretty good burger at Spoons, and then days later I had a > phony, mediocre burger at Jack in the Box. Then I happened into a > Fatburger, where the previous weeks of thought became clearer. This was a > pretty good burger! I flashed back over all the bad McD and BK burgers I'd > had in the past years and realized that I'm wasting fat grams and calories > on stuff that is just plain useless. Now I'm on a quest for good and great > burgers in central OC. > > Before I give you my first recommendations, I might as well tell you what is > a GOOD burger. If you're looking for a burger with totally different > criteria for quality, then we agree to disagree. > > What makes a burger good? > ----------------------------------- > > 1) Meat > The emphasis of the burger has to be on the meat. I'm not buying a > meaty-grilled cheese or a veggie sandwich with a little meat-flavor. The > purpose of the hamburger is to glorify the meat. I'm looking for good, > tasty meat. Immediate turn-offs for me are thin and pre-frozen patties and > overcooked meat. > > 2) Bun & Bread > The bun and bread are essential to the burger, but not in the way it might > be on other types of sandwiches. A bun that is too substantial or has too > strong a flavor actually detracts from the burger experience. If you're > biting into a thick or hard roll with lots of character, then this is going > to detract from the purpose of the burger. > > 3) Vegetables > Fresh lettuce and good tomatoes are important. Pickles are optional for me, > and I haven't formed a strong opinion about these. Any other vegetables > might make things interesting and I'm willing to try it! A tomato slice > that is ripe and has good flavor is complimentary to the meat flavor. > Turn-offs for me include warm or wilty lettuce and un-ripe or mealy > tomatoes. I'm more partial to lettuce leaves than shredded lettuce. > Despite my disdain for iceberg lettuce overall, I find its presence > acceptable in a burger. Onions add an important dimension as well. > > 4) Cheese > I am partial to a cheese that has some flavor. A nice slice of somewhat > sharp cheddar is good. While plain American cheese is the norm, it only > adds creamy richness and doesn't allow for the slightly sharp contrast to > the rich meat that a good piece of cheese can provide. I really enjoy > cheeseburgers, but if I know I'm going to get a thin slice of processed > cheese food, I'll skip it. > > 5) Sauces > I am open to the use of many or all sauces on burgers except that awful > yellow glowing goo some places call mustard. I'm becoming less than > thrilled with the mayo/ketchup/relish blend of "special sauce" too. Ketchup > is critical to the burger's success with its blend of sweetness and vinegary > tang in harmony with the rich meat and cheese and bready texture of the bun. > > Agree or disagree? Your thoughts on my criteria with examples of successful > burgers are welcome! > > Preliminary Findings in Central OC > ----------------------------------- > > First, a note on location: I am looking in as far south as Irvine and as > far north as the county line, as far west as the coast, and as far east as > Anaheim Hills. I frequent most areas of OC north of Irvine. I don't want > to go to Dana Point for a good burger. > > None of these findings are final. I'm still testing as my cravings permit. > But I'm posting these rough draft thoughts to encourage comments. > > Fatburger -- Brea > ------------------ > Fatburger sure offers a good burger. This is one of my top recommendations. > > The good: > -Bun which fairly holds the burger together, without distracting from the > star. Not the same toasty experience as In N Out. > -The Meat is the star here. Beautiful hand-formed patties which fall apart > in your mouth after the bite. There is enough patty here to make this a > really good burger. > -The vegetables work effectively, and the pickles do their job well. > > The not as good (no BAD here): > -I need a pink center to my meat. I haven't requested this yet. > -Last burger's meat could have been seasoned before cooking. > -Toasted bun might be nice > > Notes: > -I've got to try their cheese and egg on top. > -I've got to request medium-rare doneness. My patties keep ending up > medium-well. > -I hold the relish and mustard. > > Johnny Rocket's -- Block at Orange > ------------------ > Johnny Rocket's is my top recommendation at this moment. > > The good: > -Bun melts away nicely, without distracting from the star. > -The Meat is the star here. Nice hand-formed patty which falls apart in > your mouth after the bite. I wouldn't mind a thicker patty here to make > this a better burger. > -The lettuce has real CRUNCH and the coolness is a nice contrast to the hot > meat. > -Tangy "special red sauce" is darn good > -Cheese is actual cheddar and has a nice trace of tang which balances out > the richness of the meat. > > The not as good (no BAD here): > -I'd like a pink center to my meat. I haven't requested this yet, but I'm > not sure the meat is thick enough to pull it off. > -Small cardboard plates are awkward. > > Notes: > -I've got to try their different burgers on the menu. > > In N Out Burger -- Many Locations > ----------------- > While In N Out violates most of my good-burger requirements, this is still > an enjoyable burger. Overall this is a good eating experience, and is so > legendary that is really set in a category of its own. There is no way to > compare this to a nice medium-rare 1/2 pound burger with tasty meat. This > is it's own animal. > > The good: > -Toasted bun which melts away without distracting from the sandwich. > -Great melange of flavors with the onion (I get mine grilled AND raw on the > burger), cheese (?), meat, and veggies. This is a great flavor mix, but > isn't really a burger which glorifies the meat. > -Messy in a good way > > The bad: > -The meat is the classically too-thin item. This burger is about the > experience and overall richness of flavors, NOT the meat. > -The special sauce is about over for me, next order won't have it. > -The cheese is just that plain American goo. > > Bill's Burgers -- Bristol/Redhill Location. There are many locations of > this diner. > ------------------ > I don't recommend Bill's burgers right now. > > The good: > -Big, filling burger with a good amount of meat and vegetables. > -Menu has loads of variety. > -Clean tables and floor. > > The bad: > -Meat sure seemed pre-frozen and thin. > -Bun was too substantial. Overall, this is a nice bun, but it detracts from > the burger. > -Thinly shredded lettuce more suitable for a taco > -Tomato irrelevant > > Notes: > -Classic "diner" menu. Order at cashier and food is brought to your table. > > Ruby's -- Many Locations > ------------------ > Ruby's makes a good burger. Not quite Fatburger / Johnny Rocket's, but a > solid offering. > > The good: > -Good, loose meat. Seems to be ground more finely than other burgers. > -xxxxxx -- need to add more tasting notes here > -Menu has loads of variety -- including many burger choices. > -Nice service, tasty drinks. > > The bad: > -INCOMPLETE > > Notes: > -Review various burger varieties > > Burgers which will get a review: > Spoons > Red Robin > Brea's Best Burgers > Houston's > Suggestions! > > Burgers I'm not going to Review: > McDonald's > Jack in the Box > Burger King > Carl's Jr. > Del Taco > > =================== > > Eric Rager > [email removed]