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...

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Awesome Pizza - From a Gas Station in Wayne, NJ !

CRAPPY PHOTO ALERT!


Where: 
Time Out Café, Wayne, NJ

What: 
The Classic and the San Francisco Pies.

Build: 
The Classic: classic red sauce, mozzarella.    The San Francisco: classic red sauce, artichokes, mozzarella, ricotta, chopped garlic.

Comment: 
Yes - this pizza came from a gas station... 
My only issue: Although the Time Out Cafe advertises the use of imported Italian Caputo flour, ("the best in the world") the dough is pre-made.  BUT - in spite of this, it was surprisingly good with no detectable pre-made flavor, in fact, the only giveaway was the dimpling on the bottom of the crust from sitting on a cooling grate at some dough factory. This for you pizza aficionado's is sacrilege, but when all other local pizza joints are charging upwards of 15 bucks for a large pie, this tasty beauty can be delivered to your doorstep for only $8.99 - that isn't a typo, it's really only $8.99 for the 18 inch plain pie. (Starting to forget about the dough aren't you...) And they are adamant about  their "no tipping required" statement on the menu. (but who the hell doesn't tip?)
The sauce had a homemade flavor and was not overpowered by dry seasonings. The cheese I'm guessing was a low moisture mozzarella and it was laid on thick. The brick oven supplied a perfect crispness and the rest was history. A very (very) good pie for the money.
Next up was the specialty pie: I ordered a 10 inch San Francisco. With artichokes, ricotta and chopped garlic added to the classic pie, this was another winner. The flavor of all the toppings blended perfectly and at $6.99, it was another home run. 
There you have it, two pizzas can be freshly cooked, delivered to your doorstep and enjoyed all for $17 and some odd change. 











PS...
The Time Out Cafe also offers 10 inch breakfast pizzas - (I'm going to have to check into this)






















































Tuesday, June 17, 2014

The Beach Haven Fishery, Long Beach Island, NJ, 21st & LBI Blvd. 609-492-4388

Where: 
The Beach Haven Fishery, Long Beach Island, NJ

What: 
The Alaskan King Crab Eggs Benedict Black Angus Burger (Whew!)

Build: 
1/2-pound Black Angus beef, house made Hollandaise sauce, wild Alaskan king crab, butter, black pepper, on a toasted ciabatta roll.

Comments: 
For all you die-hard burger folks who can't stand eccentric toppings on your burgers, believe me when I say, you have my empathy. I'm a bare-bones, butter and burger, onion and pickle kinda guy, but in this decade of "burger wars", the avant garde can no longer be ignored (or avoided). So please do continue to read my review of this land-meets-sea-meets-air concoction... Should you still be upset, just read the review and don't look at the photos... I'll understand.

The photo progression shows the steps of construction of this bad boy with the exception of the whisking of the homemade Hollandaise sauce and the burger being char-broiled on the grill.

A double layer of American cheese on top of the Fishery's 1/2 pound nugget of Angus goodness was then topped with premium Alaskan king crab leg meat. A perfectly poached egg was then laid to rest on top and the whole shootin' match was covered with the sauce.
The freshly baked ciabatta roll had a perfectly crispy shell with a soft interior that encased the sandwich and effectively helped to retain juices and sauces.

From the first bite to the last, I was surprised by how well the flavors and textures blended. The crab, egg, burger, cheese and sauce came together under that crispy roll to form a masterpiece. The Hollandaise sauce was just acidic enough to counter the richness of the egg and blend with the cheese. This was a great burger and I look forward to the next and the next after that. Due to the sloppy nature of this beast affecting its "eatability" this gets a 9.7 on the BC rating scale. (the first burger from the BHF that is not a 10/10)

(The lighting in the kitchen was slightly off as the burger was not cooked nearly as much as depicted in the photos)...















































Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Blu Alehouse, Route 23N Riverdale NJ (973) 831-4258

Where:  
Blu Alehouse, Riverdale NJ


What: 
Blu Burger
Build:  
House special blend patty, cheddar, bacon, mushrooms and onion.
Comments: 
This is the new restaurant/bar that replaced Rupperts on route 23 in Riverdale, NJ. As with all new restaurants, I had my doubts, but because of a very positive review from my daughter I remained optimistic – and it paid off. The burger was great.
Being served a burger at the exact temperature you ordered it is always a crap shoot, but the BAH did not disappoint. My burger came out a perfect medium served with nicely seasoned mushrooms and sautéed onions.
The bun was spot-on, as was the burger-to-bun ratio, and although the bun was brioche-like it did not have that slight sweetness to it that most brioche buns do, so I was very happy. I don't know what you think, but I'm really tired of the trendy brioche buns, I'd rather have a hearty pretzel or potato bun – and I'll never understand why sesame seed buns are rarely seen outside of the fast food industry.
Check out my autopsy shot of the burger, you can really tell from the photo how great that bun was.
All in all, there was a lot going on flavor-wise with this burger. All the distinctly different flavored toppings that came together in that first bite said it all. I'll definitely be back again to check on consistency... until then, I'll continue to remain optimistic.  


This Blu beauty gets a 9.4 on the BC rating scale. 
Next up on my list of burgers to eat at the Blu Alehouse are the Maine Burger and the Texas Burger (our waitress walked by us with the Texas burger and I was so floored by the sheer magnitude of its size that I had to stop her and ask what it was).