Calamity Jane's

GrillMarks finds a local pizza-burger:

The Pizza burger post from a few days ago made me think of Calamity Jane's. Two locations, One in Newberg and the other just east of Sandy on 26. This self stylized burger parlor has something like 30 different burgers not counting the 10 different pizza burgers. Being on the wrong end of a rain storm that canceled my hike I found my self out past Sandy and decided to swing in. Having been in the past I can say in spite of what you see and what I am going to write you should go. Many of their burgers, excluding the one I just had on my ill fated journey, are tasty, and while the place is ultra kitschy nothing beats shoveling down a monster burger after a day on the mountain. Burgers are in the $8-10 range and you get pile of fries and they are open till 9 on weekends.

Anyway back to the story. This is a bigger is better place and their burgers come in 1/3, 2/3, and full pound denominations. I was feeling demure so I ordered the city slicker sized (1/3 lb) Pepperoni pizza burger. This comes with a bun, burger, pepperoni, olives, mozzarella cheese, and tomato sauce. Already sensing a challenge to my girlish figure I get the salad side and their refillable jumbo diet coke. While I get my salad and diet coke there is a mix up in the kitchen that would prove to be my undoing. Somewhere between me saying I wanted a small burger and that burger getting made I ended up with the Ranch Hand (full pound). As you can see from the picture this thing is a monster. That is a full size steak knife sticking out of it and all you can see is the handle.

Slightly stunned I start to dig in. There is a layer of cheese between each 1/3 pound patty which converts this from a large but tasty treat to a gut bomb. Three 1/3 pound patties done to the other side of well done that appear to be straight out of a freezer. Good thing I have the super tanker diet coke. After making some little progress I realize if I have any chance of getting out alive I am going to have to jettison some of this meat. Ripping out the two most over cooked patties I am left with a reasonable burger which actually tasters pretty good when my mouth is not full of burger patty. I like to think I limped out of their with my dignity but I am afraid that is a sham.

Calamity Janes
42015 SE Highway 26
Sandy, OR 97055
(503)668-7817

Calamity Jane's
1111 N Highway 99W
Dundee, OR 97115
(503)538-9407

Read more...

Yur's

GrillMarks keeps it cookin':

My own personal pdx burger tour took me to Yur's. One of those portland booze landmarks that my parents could have drank in back in the day, yet somehow I had never been. Also suppose to be a cabbie bar thanks to the good old Radio Cab HQ down the street. I understand that Joe's Cellar is actually the cabbie hang out but this place is not too be missed. Misrepresented as a dive bar by the masses but really more of a good solid local than a dive bar. You may argue with me but I don't get the feeling that 50 plus percent of the crowd is there every night drinking them selves into the next life as one sees in a proper dive bar. Lots of regulars sure but they all look like they got them selves a life outside those walls. Place was friendly, decent tap selection, and if my companions mixed drink was any indications they pour stiff drinks. I get the impression they are also not the kind of place to cut one off after you had one or five too many.

On to the burger:
They have your normal selection (with or with out cheese, with bacon, with a fried egg) and are in the 1/3 range. Sides are fries, tots, or the soup of the day. They also sell all their burgers in 1/2 pound monster sizes and have one with blue cheese. I wussed out and asked for a normal size blue cheese burger with tots. Everything was pretty good. Tasted like most of the products came from sysco but the burger was juicy and the blue cheese was a nice touch. Solidly in top range for must bar burgers.

Bonus: If you get super trashed a cab ride is but a few moments away ....

Yur's
717 NW 16th Ave.
Portland, OR 97209
(503)224-0160

Read more...

Fuller's

AmericanCheese finds a burger down the street from where he probably spent his youth in a warehouse in 1993 raving up super (anyways, he spelled "oldschool" with a "k"..lets leave happy hardcore in the bins) :

Oldskool coffee shop in now what is considered the "Pearl", but you wouldn't know you were in yuppieville by spending time in this place. Great service, good breakfasts, and seriously, some of the best seafood specials in the city. Fresh panfried razor clams, fries, and slaw for $7.50? Wow.

But we went for the burger. I'll keep it simple. Good burger, made to order. You'll be mad if you don't like pickles though, It seems like they put a whole jar on mine.

Fuller's
136 NW 9th Ave.
Portland, OR 97209
(503)222-5608

Read more...

Burger Skills: Hamburger Soup

You know burgers are kind of "a weekend thing". Got any hamburger soup?

Read more...

Byways

Hamburgler:

Big and juicy. $7.95. Does the trick while pondering why the crowbar is the best weapon for the zombie invasion.

Byways
1212 NW Glisan St
Portland, OR 97209
(503) 221-0011

Read more...

Conordia Ale House

UPDATED: 3.24.08




AmericanCheese takes a break from making Origami Bunny's for Zombie Jesus:

The girlfriend and I decided a burger was in order so we stopped at this joint. (and wow, the corner of 33rd and Killingsworth ain't how it used to be, that's for sure).

Anyway, the photo is of the "Firehouse Burger". Half pound patty, two onion rings, pepper bacon, sliced jalapenos, and something called "Hades" sauce, which is just a spicy bbq sauce as far as I can tell. $8.75 with fries. Good fries too.

It was actually pretty good for standard fancy pub fair, but I paid for it in the morning. Spicy!

Nice place, a little strangely put together, but whatever. Also the best bottled beer selection I've seen this side of the Horse Brass.

All in all, good. A little spendy for my tastes, but I'm cheap.

------------

ORIGINAL POST: 8.27.07



Hamburgler:

I couldn't tell you anything about this place. I was at work and asked if I wanted a burger. Yes Please! The burger overall was alright. Nothing to really complain about, but not much to say either. Overdone, and the fries looked like they were covered in some kind of seasoning, but lacked any flavor at all. I dunno.

Concordia Ale House
3276 NE Killingsworth St
Portland, OR 97211

Read more...

Burger Skills: Pizza VS Hamburgers

So many choices in America these days. Why not just take our two national food groups and put them together already.




Oh my. Cheese sauce filling with pizza sauce mixed in. Dare you. (photo from Afiler)





This is the "55 Bacon Cheeseburger" Pizza from Mission Pizza in San Francisco. Mustard Sauce, Pepper-Jack Cheese, Bacon, Red Onions, Ground Beef, Tomatoes, and Pickles (photo from Ollinkatl)




How could we forget the the portly Supersized Meals and their wonderful deconstruction of American cuisine.



Then there is the former Chicago Cub Micheal Barrett who had a custom "signature" Deep Dish Chicago style pizza at Gino's North called the "Bacon Cheeseburger" pizza.

Read more...

Giant

Bacon Cheeseburger


Nacho Burger


French Dip Burger (Brawndo for illustrative purposes only)


The Filler


The Western


AmericanCheese (went twice), Hamburgler, and Pickles N Ammo just had to take a road trip to the land where the cars are taller then the signs, Lake Oswego:

They have some fantasy burgers here. They are priced well and the place is everything you could ask a burger joint to be.

That first one is your basic bacon cheeseburger.

The second the "Nacho Burger" with that delicious ballpark nacho cheese, yes nacho cheese (probably works like Burgermeisters theory that getting your face messy just aids in the lubrication to shove the food in your mouth).

Then there is the "French Dip" burger. It was a crowd pleaser (Brawndo: The Thrist Mutilator is not included...it's from Pickles N Ammo's private reserves of novelty beverages).

Pickles N Ammo dove right in on "The Filler", and that was the last thing he ate. Bacon, cheese, ham, two patty's, egg, condiments, and vegetables. Yes that yellow stuff on that bun is an egg yolk explosion. It takes special skills to be able to eat a thing of that magnitude.

The Western is great if you like BBQ sauce, and we sure do.

Giant Drive In
15840 Boones Ferry Rd.
Lake Oswego, OR 97035
(503)636-0255

Read more...

Burger Skills: Claw Money

Hamburgers are so hot right now. Claw Money is making these for the ladies.

Read more...

Muu Muu's

UPDATE: 3/20/08




Our first burger anatomy.....next up diorama's (think about it):

WhopperChomper, BunsOfGlory & Sir Burgers A Lot duck into Muu Muu's after a little St. Paddy's Day revelry to soak up the beer with a little Muu Muu burger action ($6).

Luckily, Muu Muu's puts their fries right in the burger so you don't even have to debate whether or not to get fries on the side! The result is starchy, carb-ey goodness. That special mayo or spiced ketchup or whatever it is they put on there really makes the Muu Muu burger a tasty delight. Note to the owners of Muu Muu's – with such a perfectly packaged burger/fry combination that's suitable for walking around with, WhopperChomper suggests opening a window on the street for to-go orders.

-------------------

ORIGINAL POST: 9.9.07





Hamburgler:

Don't let those images fool you. Thats a burger. Non-traditional, but a burger none-the-less. Its been cut in half and spread out on that roll.

As you might of noticed there are fries in that burger. Yep, it makes for quite a calorie explosion. American cheese as well. What really makes this thing shine is the roll that has been grilled, some kind of spiced mayo, and what I think is white pepper.

It's different, it's delicious, and it's $6.00.

Muu Muu's
612 NW 21st Ave
Portland, OR 97209
(503)223-8169

Read more...

Elmer's

BunsOfGlory brings us back to Portland:

Got a milkshake (strawberry is the choice of milkshake champions) and a "Base Camp Burger" at the Elmer's Restaurant located at the Strip-Mall 205 / Gateway fringe area. Despite the oval-like bun shape (AND two toothpicks in there), I thought it was pretty tasty. Came with Elmer's "secret sauce" (that sounds gross) which is a hybrid of thousand island / mayonnaise.

Put a 'lil ketchup on the "Base Camp Burger" and you have yourself a pretty darn good hamburger.

Elmer's
9660 SE Stark St.
Portland, OR 97216
(503)256-0333

Read more...

Burger Skills: Corned Beef Burger

Just in time for St. Patty's Day. The genius' of Idea's In Food made the Corned Beef Burger:

To make this beauty we diced and shredded some leftover corned beef (what can I say, we couldn't wait until Monday). We folded the cooked meat into some lean ground beef with a bit of cold, grated butter, a pinch of salt and a touch of cayenne pepper. We seared the burgers in a hot, dry pan allowing them to cook in their own rendered fats. The outsides crisped beautifully and the smell was intoxicating. While the burgers were resting we fried English muffins in the drippings and used them to cradle our patties.

Read more...

Editorial Note

We got a little backed up recently and now sitting on a ton of non-Portland burgers from Las Vegas, Mexico, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, ect.

Please excuse us for a week as we take a little burger tour and consume all of them. Lots more Portland burgers coming soon!

Read more...

California: Tee Off (Santa Barbara)

BurgerBlogger aka has about a 1000 more burger options then us....just a lil' jealous:

This place is a must when visiting Santa Barbara, they're known for steaks and fried chicken. Being that i come here often I decided to go for the burger....

A general rule of mine: a burger from a steak house is most likely good, sadly this one was just ok. The patty and cheese just didn't mash together, it was too greasy (specially with the onion rings) and the bun was standard, but it looked good, especially as shown by Kenny and her rad outfit (when you come to taste the burgers stay at Kenny and Chris's place The Presidio Motel).

And when you go to the Tee-Off have their fried chicken it's much better then the burger.

Tee-Off
3627 State St
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805) 687-1616

Read more...

Nevada: Fatburger (Las Vegas)

Looks like a burgler bonanza. PicklesNAmmo, Burgermeister, VeggiePatty, and the Hamburgler splurge:

Fatburger is owned by Portland based Fog Cutter Capital Group Inc. (at least its headquarters) and has a couple celebrity franchisee's like Queen Latifah and Montel Williams, but still not one in Portland to date.

They have 1/2 pounders, 1/3 pounders, baby burgers, fat fries, skinny fries, and homemade onion-rings, real milkshakes, and a salad wedge. Of course you top it with bacon, egg, chili, and cheese as well.

Make no mistake, this is fast food, but they do it a bit better. No complaints here.

Fatburger
3763 Las Vegas Blvd S. #A
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702)740-8001

Read more...

Nevada: Burger Palace (Las Vegas)

Looks like Hamburgler sneaked away from all the other Portlander's in Las Vegas last week for the bar/nightclub/restaurant convention (of which due to OLCC a large portion of the products you probably couldn't legally use in this state):

This is just a warning. There are quite a few decent burgers in Vegas so don't go getting suckered into this one hidden inside the Imperial Palace.

See that one bite? That was the first and last bite. Horse meat. Avoid.

The "Dealertainers" there are kind of a funny gimmick though. If you gamble you can have your dealer be Alice Cooper (or at least a tall version), Madonna, Mike Jackson, The Blues Brothers, ect. Just wished they had a Rodney Dangerfield and they would of had my money.

Burger Palace at Imperial Palace
3535 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702)731-3311

Read more...

Nevada: Le Burger Brasserie (Las Vegas)

Pickles&Ammo and Hamburgler find a proper breakfast somewhere in another long hallway between the Paris and Bally's:

When your theme is French of course all the burgers are titled with "Le". This place has the infamous $777.00 "777 Burger" made with Kobe Beef and Maine Lobster (caramelized onions, brie cheese, crispy prosciutto, and 100-year aged balsamic vinegar served with a bottle of Dom Perigon).

They also have a "gourmet" toppings list of crabmeat, seared Foie Gras, smoked salmon, and grilled shrimp.

Pickles&Ammo had the "Le Paris" up there with brie, caramelized onions, and smoked bacon. Yes, the onion ring tower named after the Eiffel Tower (kind of like if Red Robin was in Paris..........street signs indoors...)

Hamburgler kept it simple. Cheddar burger with Pomme Frites (thought that was Belgian?).

This place was pretty good. The burgers cooked rare, interesting toppings, nice execution. Tab came to about $30 with drinks. Not bad for Vegas.

Bonus Olive!

Le Burger Brasserie
3655 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702)946-4346

Read more...

Mexico: El Paraiso Beach Club (Tulum)

Whataburger! (aka Lelo In Nopo) has a Hamburguesas warning:

Trust me, you don't want this one. Especially since it was over $10 US dollars, yet consisted of two patties of that pressed-together-meat. Blecht. And the "wild mushrooms"? I'd say they wildly jumped out of a can. However, the view kicked ass. And the fact that it was then followed by a nap on the beach bed. The strawberry margarita made things all better.

El Paraiso Beach Club- Tulum Beach
Tulum, Mexico
Hamburger with cheese and wild mushrooms, $10

--------------------




She also notes that your can get a burger at the Mayan ruins as well:

Maya Burger! Seen in Tulum, Mexico, at the entrance/exit to the sacred and ancient site of Mayan ruins. I'm certainly grateful for the Spanish to English translation. How would I know what a baguette is? Or fajitas? Or sandwich?

Read more...

Washington: Norma's (Olympia)

Sir Thomas Burger:

Sometimes simply seeing where the road leads you offers more rewards than the intended destination, and Norma's Burger is one of those treasures. I ran across this gem heading north just looking for a place to eat that wasn't fast food (not an easy thing to find on I-5 between Portland and Seattle).

This is a classic American burger hop with the decor of a suburban family room complete with oak furnishings, pastel colors, floral prints and a smell of potpourri. None of this is particularly interesting on its own, but this family has a proud Veteran in it and there's tons of patriotism to be found in every direction. The art was truly amazing – more Bald Eagles and U.S. flags than most federal buildings. Beyond a mere shrine in support of the troops, this place acts more like a spastic Labrador pup all slobbering excited ready to hump the leg of the troops.

To top it all off, the burger menu offers specialties such as "The Duke" and "The W" burgers. And I'm not making it up when I say Survivor "Eye of the Tiger" was playing on the radio as I deliberated on which one to have.

I have friends who are bound by restaurant code to order whatever the most ridiculous "specialty" item on any menu is regardless of how disgusting or what they may actually want to eat (including homemade Tombstone/Hormel "chili pizza"). So borrowing their instincts, I had to go with the choice offering jalapenos, pineapple, and mustard…I ate The W.

Overall it's not such a bad home-style burger and the pineapple/mustard combo is tamed by the overpowering Kraft American cheese. Norma's is well worth a stop on a the dull Seattle drive and I'd suggest getting there soon to try The W. It won't be long before Norma's faced with changing this up to be a "Hillary Deluxe" or an "Obama with Cheese."

Norma's Burger @ I-5
Interstate 5, Exit 114
10322 Martin Way E.
Olympia, WA 98516

Read more...