Charlie's Hamburgers, Folsom, PA
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About Me

No-Bull Burger Purist, born and raised in NJ, the heart of the tri-state area and home to the oldest (and best) burger joints in the country. I don't need all the frilly toppings, happy servers or trendy decor, just a good burger...

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Dickie Dee's: Double Italian Dog

Where: 
Dickie Dee's, Newark, NJ

What: 
Double Italian Dog

Build: 
3 Bests hot dogs (no, they are not Sabrett's), mustard, ketchup, fried potato chunks, fried onion, on a 1/2 loaf of Italian pizza (la beetz) bread. No idea why there are 3 dogs on a "double" dog...

Comments: 
If you are a resident of NJ and consider yourself even a little bit of a foodie, then you've been to, or at least heard of Dickie Dee's on Bloomfield Ave in Newark. They have been in business for over 50 years and if you ask me, the fryer oil gets tastier each time. 

Magic Mike brought us 1/2 a doz of these beauties all the way to LBI today and although they had cooled down by the time we ate them, they still packed a punch of flavor. I don't understand why you get 3 dogs on a double dog order, but who am I to complain? You just can't beat one of these dogs when they are scalding hot out of the deep fryer. 

It takes two hands to eat one of these served up on a 1/2 loaf of Pizza bread or "la beetz" - the top is covered with fried potatoes and ketchup, the next layer down is fried onion and then you start to get the hot dogs bathed in a generous amount of spicy brown mustard. There's lots of flavors bouncing around in your mouth by the time you get to the lower levels. And there is definitely a better flavor when meat and potatoes are fried in peanut oil, for lack of a better description, it's just a good, distinct taste. 

Awesome non-burger food. Keep up the good work, and thanks again for the road trip Mikey. 10/10

























Sunday, July 29, 2012

The Beach Haven Fishery: Crabby Patty

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Where: Beach Haven Fishery, Long Beach Island, NJ
What: The "Crabby Patty" Burger
Build: 1/2 lb. black Angus beef encapsulated in a crab cake topped with pickle relish and mayo.
Comment: The build description of this burger may not sit well with some of you die-hard beef eaters, but as a fellow beef fanatic, I feel we have an obligation to sample all-things-burger, and to be honest, Sous Chef "Vinny Bone's" creation actually worked - and in a huge way. Vinny Bones told me he has been thinking about making this burger for over a year and his well calculated and executed cooking made that clear - nothing greasy here. The burger was par-cooked in the deep fryer before being covered with the BHF's succulent crab cake mixture; it was then dredged in flour, egg, and cornmeal before it was submerged for a second round in the fryer. The result was deep fried perfection - it was topped with pickle relish and mayo and laid to rest on a fresh baked ciabatta roll. These delicious rolls can sometimes overpower a burger, but just check the photos of this behemoth. At first glace I thought the roll might not be needed, but one bite proved me wrong. The burger was cooked a perfect medium-rare and the crab meat mixture was moist and full of flavor which made the bread a necessity. I'm not one to mix land and sea, but this burger was a full-out awesome sandwich. Well done VB.  10/10










The Beach Haven Fishery: Freedom Burger

Where: 
Beach Haven Fishery, Long Beach Island, NJ

What: 
The "Freedom" Burger

Build: 
1/2 lb. black Angus beef, stuffed with roasted garlic butter and horseradish cheddar, topped with fried onions with a touch of Maggi sauce, thick Jersey tomato slice and more horseradish cheddar on a fresh baked ciabatta roll.

Comments: 
It's been 2 weeks since I've visited the BHF to sample their weekly burger specials, and this week's burgers were definitely worth the wait.

The "Freedom" burger does not disappoint. If you love burgers, be sure to order this one. Chef Pat asked if I'd like to name his burger creation and I was flattered to do so.

Bill's rant:
Our children are not stupid, they can be taught that indulging once in a while rather than all the time is okay and that taking away every one's freedom of choice because of someone else's shortcomings is wrong, very wrong.
That's why I named this burger The Freedom Burger; it is named for all those kids who can no longer choose what foods they can eat in their school cafeterias. If everyone would focus on the cause of childhood obesity (poor parenting) rather than it's effect, they'd be putting their energy toward better educating parents on food choices instead of taking away a well-parented child's freedom of choice. 
 ~ end Bill's rant.

 Anyhow...

The burger is billed as a 1/2 pound patty, but it seems even larger. I'm not one for giant burgers, and sometimes 1/2 pounder's can be tough to put down if they are just so-so, but the flavor of their black Angus meat is just so incredible I could've eaten 2 of them. 

Homemade roasted garlic butter was stuffed into the burger along with a dollop of horseradish cheddar before charbroiling to a perfect medium-rare. Seriously, the meat is so good I could have eaten it like a fine steak, with a knife and fork. The onions were fried well with an eyedropper of Maggi sauce which intensified the onion flavor. The onions were placed on the bottom of the roll followed by a slice of Jersey tomato, then came the burger topped with more horseradish cheddar and more onions. Check the photos and tell me you're not hungry for a burger. Now get your butt off the couch and go to the BHF for one.

This burger receives a 10/10 on the BC rating scale.

BTW, 
I have yet to eat a BHF burger rated less than 10/10.
 





















Friday, July 27, 2012

The Fireplace: Double Cheeseburger

Hill Country on Urbanspoon


Where: The Fireplace, Paramus, NJ
What: Double Cheeseburger
Build: 2 - 4oz Patty's, cheese, raw onion, pickle.
Comment: I had high hopes for this place - Everything from when I was searching Google for a good burger somewhere near where I work, (Bergen County, NJ) to standing on line and ordering while watching the cooks behind the grill, to seeing the burger after it was handed to me on a fast-food plastic tray, to choosing my condiments from the very limited condiment bar, to wrapping my lips around this good-looking burger and biting into it (insert photo of balloon popping). My son was with me and he said it best, "I think I would rather have ANY fast food burger over this one" - BTW, my son is a seasoned burger tasting professional who has accompanied me on several burger jaunts including a cross-country burger cruise. With that said, he hit the nail on the head with this comment and I agreed, the burger was just okay. Here's the description: The burger patties are the frozen, very thin, pre-formed kind like you'd get at a high school football game's concession stand. They are cooked on a charcoal grill (I couldn't actually see the grill, but the charcoal taste was there and if it is actually a flat griddle, then it's in need of a cleaning big-time) anyhow, there was a slice of American cheese on each patty which was served on one of those little paper plates just a little bigger than the burger itself. I took it happily and I was stoked (looks really can be deceiving) and it was off to the fixin's bar which consisted of raw onion, sliced or chopped (oooooh) and a bowl of sliced half-sour pickles, along with the usual ketchup, salt, pepper, etc. After the photo shoot, I took my first bite and tasted a light charcoal grill flavor along with the melted cheese and onion and I thought this place might be a "contenda". But alas, further eating lead to my son's comment and I whole-heartily agreed. Damn, we could've had a Baconator or some other tried and true burger. Great place after the bar closes, but for a sober meal - don't bother - 7.5/10.








Wednesday, July 25, 2012

25 Burgers: The A-1 Bleu Burger

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Where: 25 Burgers, Flemington, NJ
What: The A-1 Bleu Burger
Build: Blue Cheese Crumbles, A-1 Steak Sauce, Crispy Onion Straws, Lettuce, Tomato & Chipotle Mayo on a Fresh Baked Miami Onion Bun
Comment: I ate at the 25 Burgers restaurant in Flemington, NJ this past Tuesday with my son-in-law, he'd never been to a 25, so I was excited to see his reaction. He chose the Bullseye BBQ Burger and I (very uncharacteristically) ordered something other than the "classic" cheeseburger - i got the A-1 Bleu Burger. The bun and burger were fantastic as usual and the blue cheese crumbles were also very good as well as plentiful, however, it was very hard for me to grasp any of the flavors other than the A1 steak sauce. That, along with BBQ sauce is (for me) way to overpowering on a burger, any burger - although my son-in-law loved his BBQ burger. My disappointment was caused by my own ordering mistake, but I did try to recoup by ordering a kid size burger with just raw onion and pickle thinking I might at least get the A-1 taste out of my mouth, (the lemonade wasn't cutting it) - but it worked, in fact, I left tasting that great 25 Burgers taste and was very happy. Lesson learned: never stray from ordering classic toppings for your burger. 8/10
Additional Wisdom: I believe the order process can help or hurt sales at burger joints. Look how well BK did with the "have it your way" campaign. I don't think having 25 Burgers with pre-determined toppings is necessarily a good thing - although the initial thought of having 25 burgers to choose from is. In any case, my point is, I think offering a basic burger with simple toppings to choose from is best. Just look at 5 Guys, they offer a simple basic fresh meat burger and YOU choose exactly what goes on top (or not) of YOUR burger - there's never a disappointing or missing topping... I'm just sayin'.... 







    A-1 Bleu Burger                                                                                                                            Bullseye BBQ Burger





I was very tempted to order the burger of the month...... (I have yet to have a traditional goober burger)



I was hurting for that great 25 Burgers taste so I ordered the kids burger with just raw onion and pickle after my A-1 Bleu Burger...  At least I left with a good taste in my mouth...


Monday, July 23, 2012

The Dockside Cafe: The Boss Burger

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Where: The Dockside Cafe, Tuckerton, NJ
What: The Boss Burger (w/ fried egg)
Build: 1/3lb burger, 3 slices pork roll, fried onion, American cheese, fried egg over easy, lettuce, tomato & raw onion.
Comment: *crappy photo alert - The Dockside usually has great breakfast's and I can remember the Boss burger being a great treat after a nice boat ride up Tuckerton Creek, however, this weekend's burger was a big disappointment. Although most of the ingredients were fresh, there were two things I could not overlook - the roll was stale (who the hell serves stale rolls?). The other was that the burger reminded me of the crap burgers you get in Toronto, the kind that taste like meatloaf, like the cook got carried away with seasoning and spices. Also, this could've done without the Let & Tom. What a shame, I hope someone at the Dockside reads this and changes back to good old salt & peppered ground beef... FAIL 6.5/10






Sunday, July 22, 2012

My House: Pancake Supreme Sandwich


Where: My House - LBI, NJ
What: The Pancake Supreme Sandwich
Build: 2 pancakes griddle fried in bacon grease with American cheese, egg over easy, maple syrup, bacon, salt & pepper.
Comment: Yeah, I know what you're thinking, but sometimes a homemade dish is so good it needs to be shared. This creation was the byproduct of my daughter and her boyfriend making breakfast for the family this weekend. Everything about this thing shouted "awesome". Check the autopsy shot... you can almost taste it. The sweet-savory contrast of salty bacon and real Vermont maple syrup was distinct - 10/10.