Grilled Cheese Grill

Huh.....What the hell is PDXGwailo trying to get at

Oh, wait. Is that....A Burger.....on GRILLED CHEESE???!!?

I'll let him tell the rest:

Who can pass up a restaurant that only features grilled cheese sammiches? Not I. Especially when one choice is the Cheesus Burger, a 1/3 pound burger with two grilled cheese sammiches in lieu of buns? Now that’s a mouthful! Also sampled, the “Gabby”, four different cheeses on white, and a cup of creamy tomato soup………as the menu says, “What else would you dip your sandwich in?”What else indeed? The Grilled Cheese Grill is located in a trailer and a school bus (where you can sit, eat, and play boardgames), at 1027 NE Alberta Street. Small aside to those bringing tots. No bathroom on site. Or within walking distance. This is Portland “cart food” taken the to the next level! Bonus pickle spear!

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Rontoms: UPDATED 7.31.2009

Before his big trip to Japan, Hamburgler (the original) fuels up:

Oh my, one last burger. This was fantastic. Praline Bacon and fried heirloom tomatoes, and some fancy natural ground. $9.00. Will look forward to having that again.

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ORIGINAL POST: 5.27.2008




Hamburgler:

This one surprised. $9.00 Cheeseburger with potato salad or house salad. Natural Misty Ilse ground angus beef with herb aioli, pickled red onions, sharp cheddar, on brioche. Add bacon $1.00.

It was cooked perfect to order (medium rare of course) and the herb aioli shined.

Nice summer patio.

Rontoms
600 E. Burnside St.
Portland, OR 97214
(503)236-4536

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Five Guys: UPDATED 7.31.09

PDX Gwailo is back in town and the feast continues:

Stopped in at one of our local “Five Guys Burgers and Fries” outlets. According to their website, Five Guys started in Arlington, VA, in 1986, and now has over 400 locations.

The menu is simple, hamburgers, hot dogs, and french fries, with an abundance of “free toppings” that enables one to have their sandwich served in any of “over 250,000″ toppings.

If one is to believe the posted sign endorsements, as well as repetitive statements on their website and menus, this burger is the greatest thing since sliced bread, having won numerous awards from various newspapers, websites, and magazines.

One curious category that these awards fall into is “Cheap Eats”, and I’m not sure north of $10 for a hamburger, fries, and drink fall into the genre. The small order of fries is 2.79, though the descriptor of “small” is probably misleading. The order comes in a small foam drink cup, but the server then pours a second serving in the bag, much like the old days of when you ordered a milkshake, got the serving glass as well as the mixing cup delivered to you.

Burger toppings, as I said, are abundant, “free”, and your choices include Mayo, Relish, Onions, Lettuce, Pickles, Tomatoes, Grilled Onions, Grilled Mushrooms, Ketchup, Mustard, Jalapeno Peppers, Green Peppers, A-1 Sauce, Bar-B-Q Sauce, Hot Sauce

The standard burger is two patties, and they also offer a “little hamburger” which one would assume is a single patty. Patties appear to be hand-formed, and, I have to say, are rather good. Fries need no extra seasoning, but a “cajun version” is offered along side the standard fries as a choice at no additional charge.

Five Guys
2606 Cedar Hills Blvd
Beaverton, OR 97005

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ORIGINAL POST: 12.28.08






Looks like Hamburgler is moving belt notches this holiday season:

Hopped in a urban camouflaged Grand Caravan to remain inconspicuous in route to the strip mall where Beaverton got its own Five Guys.

For fast food this is pretty much as good as it gets, and since we are from Portland should we bedwet about the Styrofoam cups? (we wouldn't, it would be disrespectful when visiting other cultures....besides, have you ever drank beer from a Styrofoam cup on a really hot day, its ice cold top to bottom!...going to fan on it more later).

Anyhow, they got the usual suspects. Its worth the trip if you are burgering, plus they have bacon and cheese hotdogs., HEY, they have bacon and cheese hot dogs. Get some problems already.

Five Guys
2606 SW Cedar Hills Blvd.
Beaverton, OR 97005

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The Spot 79

Bringing us all back to Portland, new Hamburgler Burger-Tronic brings us to Spot 79

The burger was massive, stabbed through the heart with a steak knife to keep it assembled. Slathered with a solid layer of jalapenos, thousand island dressing and cheddar cheese with both grilled and raw onions, which a masochist like me loved. The beef was tasty and even though I know it was almost too much for me at the time of consumption, I'm drooling again looking at the photos.

The atmosphere smells like a casino and they had
kids singing karaoke before 9. After 9, it was an equally weird
selection of karaoke lonely hearts doing a string of 70's tunes I'd
never heard before.

The Spot 79
7944 SE Foster Road
Portland, OR 97206

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Hobnob Grille

Burger Commander writes in with a new PDX patty:

My friend “The Baconess” and I have been trying to get together for a burger for a couple weeks now, and when we finally had an evening off to chase one down, we decided to try this new spot near her house, Hobnob Grille. We wasted little time getting to a window booth and quickly decided against the happy hour “mini burger”.

We each ordered the Hobnob Burger ($10). The bartender suggested we pair it with gruyere. “The Baconess” insisted on adding bacon to hers ($1.50 for each add-on). Though the burger came with fries, but just reading the name of the “Buttermilk Onion Rings” our appetites wouldn't let that one slip by and we added those as well.

We each dressed our burgers with the provided baby greens and tomato, in addition to the chipotle cream cheese and tomato jam that were already spread on the bun. The mild heat from the spicy chipotle cream cheese was the first thing I noticed, but after a few bites, it was the flavor of the meat that came through. You could tell they spent some time getting the right mix of spices to grind into the burger meat at Hobnob.

The Hobnob burger came with a small handful of fries, just enough to snack on, but its obvious that the chef wants the burger to be the star of this plate. They were nice enough, with just enough salt and seasoning.

The onion rings came with the burgers, arranged in a sort of “Great Wall of Onion Rings” and served with a chipotle barbecue sauce.

To prove her status as a true burger maniac, also attached is a picture of The Baconess giving daps to the most bitchin’ headstone in the Lone Fir Cemetery.

Hobnob Grille
3350 SE Morrison St
Portland, OR 97214
503.445.3665

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George's Giant Hamburgers

UPDATED: 04.28.09





BigManBurgers isn't feeling it:

I'll admit, I had high expectations for this place. I am among other things, a connoisseur of burgers, so the concept of a GIANT HAMBURGER had me envisioning all sorts of things. I was let down.

I got the bacon cheeseburger, with a fried egg on it, and fries. It came out to $8.45. The burger and fries came in baskets diner style. When I got it the first thing I noticed was that the burger itself was not really giant. The place should be more called, Georges Mediocre Hamburgers, because it was, well, just sorta average. Not Giant, not small, just a medium sized average hamburger with a below average side of fries.

As you might be able to see, the bacon was stiff and brittle like my 95-year-old grandmother's wrists and hips, because when I arranged it on the burger it crumpled into little pieces. Party foul. The bun was nice and soft and toasted, and it looked like they buttered it, so that was a plus., but the fries were sort of bland and had a mild hint of egg taste (they must fry them in the same oil).

It's kinda neat because they have a toppings bar where you can put your own toppings on the burger, but by and large I was just not satisfied. It wasn't a bad burger, or a good one, it was just an average burger with an above average burger joint name. Thusly, overall I'd give Georges a 2.5 out of 5.

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ORIGINAL POST 12.18.08










The Duke of Hamburg (also know as The Guilty Carnivore ) makes us hungry visually and takes condiments personally:

George’s Giant Hamburgers is located in Tigard, just off the 99W as it transforms from Barbur Blvd. and leaves Portland proper.

As you can see, the windows boasts that they grind meat fresh. Daily. Except Sundays, when they are closed. So they are liars.

There’s a well-stocked garnish bar, with sauces that include a special-saucey 1000 Island-type concoction that for all I know is actually 1000 Island dressing. I don’t eat things named after mystical places.

The garnish bar includes a salsa fresca, jalapenos, and two types of pickles, even. Well, three, if you include relish as a type of pickle, and I don’t, but I’m not gonna fight you on this.

The bun at George’s is always toasted.

The fries are thicker cut, and fairly decent, though could be a bit crisper. Some people get all freaky about fries and shit and will only eat one style, but I personally like freshly cut and fried potatoes with the skin on.

A fully dressed hamburger. Verdict? The meat isn’t all that flavorful, but it tastes like beef. It’s an honest, simple burger, albeit overcooked to well-done. The pre-cooked weight of the standard burger is 1/3 of a pound. The bun is nicely toasted. At $4.45, it’s only a little over a dollar more than the Whopper™ Sandwich you’ll find just a couple hundred yards down the street, and much better since it’s not microwaved and sitting upon a bottom bun the consistency of refrigerated day-old gravy.

And as you can witness by the three fresh pickle spears, I enjoy over-accessorizing my burger. The quality and selection of the garnish bar makes George’s an infinitely better value than typical fast-food fare. Thick slices of red onion, freshly chopped lettuce, and uniform, meaty slices of tomato…as a comparison, nearly half the time I’ve had a burger at Burgerville the sole tomato slice was simply the very crown of the fruit with a hole in the middle. You won’t find this at George’s, because you’re master of your own burger domain.

Bonus Pickle!

Georges Giant Hamburgers
11640 SW Pacific Hwy
Tigard, OR 97223
(503)639-8029

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Dottie's #3

Bur-Geek uses logic to break through the secret marketing plan:

So I know you've all driven by these "Lottery Deli's", and wondered if they are just fronts to get around the laws to have video lottery games. Well, yes they are. But they actually DO serve food and drinks, and surprisingly, have a decent burger. They also serve sandwiches and chicken strips, but I haven't found a blog for those, so this burger review will have to do for now.

The burger selection isn't huge. In fact, there's only two. A standard cheeseburger for $1.99 (including fries and a pickle) and a Bacon Cheeseburger for $2.99 (including fries and a pickle). You can order the dressings and toppings ala carte, mine has lettuce, ketchup, mustard, and mayo. Tomatos and Onions are also available.

The burger patty itself is approx. 1/3 pound. You get 2 strips of generic bacon, a small hunk of iceberg lettuce and the condiments are alternated above and below the patty. The result? Actually, a decent burger. The meat is a little overdone due to the way they cook it, but the bun is nice and chewy and the toppings are fresh and flavorful. The fries are standard Sheri's/Denny's fare, but for under 3 bucks, what do you want? Oh, and the drinks are free.

See, their nefarious goal is to get you in the door so that you'll throw a 20 into the machines as you wait for your food, and that $2.99 bacon cheeseburger just became a 23 dollar sandwich. But you are smarter (or luckier) than that, right?

Dotty's #3
2055 SE TV Hwy
Hillsboro OR 97123

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Capitol Hwy Deli Market

I can only think Hypoglycemia was involved, but who is too judge, someone has got to do the duty and PDX Gwailo obliges:

At first blush, your fear is probably that this is going to be a non-meat story. T’aint so. It is, however, about an “alternative” burger, one that might be as close as your corner, like it is mine.

Pre-cooked somewhere west of Wherethehellisthat? Ohio, flash-frozen (one hopes) and shipped to a corner mini mart, office vending machine, or aircraft carrier near you, the Big-Az burger with processed American cheese slice, boasts a full 9.65 ounces of flavor on a sesame seed bun, all for less than $3.

It comes sans condiments, allowing you to decorate at your whim. My choice, as pictured, is pickle, onion, mustard. And some potato by-product from Lay’s that I had around the house. If you think the bun looks kinda squished, you’re right. My fault.

This particularly delicious delight requires some home preparation, obviously. I get the best results by doing the bun and patty separately, or at least for different lengths of time. Your mileage may vary.

I know, I know, you’re asking “gwailo, how did you discover such a tasty morsel?” Well, you see kids, my significant better 2/3rds doesn’t care for ground beef, in any form or fashion, so I am compelled to seek the manna of the gods outside of my domestic environs. My connection for the Big-Az is the corner liquor store, @ Pomona and Capitol Highway, spitting distance from my house. To reduce my carbon footprint, I limit my burgers to those within walking distance.

And avoid places that promise “locally harvested sustainable beef.” I abstain from sustain. I won’t be on the planet long enough to care.

I know you are dubious. But these are honestly better than any fast food burgers, with the exception of Fatburger and In N Out, both of which have not graced Portland with their presence. It has always struck me as odd that Fatburger is owned by a Portland company, but doesn’t have an outlet here.

Perhaps a tea party is in order?

Capital Highway Deli Market
11102 SE Capitol Hwy
Portland, OR 97219
(503)245-1676

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Slim's

What did Mr. Mt. Hood say to Mrs. Mt. St. Helens?..... I lava you.....(boooo, no golf clap)..., anyhow they might enjoy a burger together from Slim's:

Who's your daddy? Pattydaddy, that's who.

Forget everything you thought you knew about Slim's. New owners have planned a thoughtful menu and shooed out all the tweakers. I think gentrification did the rest. Here, 98 years after being established, it's been transformed into a pretty nice place to get a meal and a drink.

I comforted myself with a bacon burger ($5.75) and a Maker's manhattan. Very pleased with both. Friend and AWESOME photographer HambahgaStakee went for the basic burger ($4.50) and reported satisfaction. What can I say? Good burgers skillfully prepared by someone who obviously cares about what they do. Stiff drinks poured liberally. Very nice and clean retro atmosphere. Friendly bartender who's easy on the eyes. All in all a good experience and I will go back.

Slim's Restaurant & Lounge
8635 N Lombard St
Portland, OR 97203
(503)286-3854

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Annie's

ExtraBacon gives us the Daddy Warbucks:

My wife and I tried out Annie's a few weeks ago. I remember eating some good burgers there over 10 years ago (formerly Roake's?). They moved, or were closed, for several years but now they are back up in running in their original location on T.V. Highway.

I went for the Little John burger: bacon, egg, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, ketchup, mayo. Hand formed patty using good quality beef rounded out this burger, making it delicious down to the last bite.

They do make a bigger version called the Farmer John. If you have a big appetite for a big burger, go for it!

I also went for a side of their Coney fries: fries topped with their Coney dog sauce. It's like chili without beans, and has a unique blend of spices. It's tasty, but it bit rich. Try splitting an order with friends.

Also, be sure and check out their huge selection of hot dogs on the menu. Good stuff!

The burgers and fries were just as I had remembered them, and that's what will keep me coming back.

Annie's
18805 SW Tualatin Valley Hwy
Beaverton, OR 97006

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Burger Skills: Don Imus VS Hamburgers

BurgerBlogger was in town and found this gem at our own Everyday Music. Not quite sure what adjective to use to describe its condition.

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Blue Pig

The Human Cy-Burger returns:

I'm revealing my favorite burger spot.

They have a great breakfast/lunch menu, and are open 8am-3pm 7 days a week.

Seriously, $2.50 mimosas.....

I went for the $9.95 Build your own burger deal. Handmade burger patty with your choice of 26 toppings (always expanding). Come's with a choice of soup, salad, fires, onion rings or fruit on the side, plus bonus pickle.

I went for the following:
Cheddar, Pepperjack, Bacon, egg (prepared you choice. I wanna see someone try scrambled), lettuce, tomato, green chilies, onion rings, jalapenos and chipotle mayo. Check out the other possibilities on the menu.

New Hamburgler Capt. Bovine went for the plain ol' burger with only cheddar and ketchup for &7.95. Some side shot comparisons are included. I think you can tell which one is mine. Also bonus grill shot of head chef Michael Garofalo.

Blue Pig Cafe
5026 SE Division St.
Portland, OR 97206
(503)231-2775

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Arctic Circle

HambahgaStakee and FrySauce find an Arctic Circle (thought they disappeared along with A&W)....anyway, they have a cool font, goop, and always with the crispy photos:

I was talked into driving way the hell out to Gresham to pick up my good friend Fry Sauce. She was telling me about a place called, Arctic Circle. She rambled on about this special Fry Sauce (hence the name) that was some sort of mixture of ketchup, mayo and maybe mustard. A free meal can take me almost anywhere, so off I went.

It is your typical fast food restaurant, but the Black Angus Beef along with the Fry Sauce does have some panache that sets them apart a bit. I got the Double Cheeseburger combo that came with fries and a drink. Basic cheese, lettuce, pickles and another type of sauce accompanied the burger. Really, not bad... The golden brown fries were nice and crisp and took to the Fry Sauce very well. For a $3.99 meal, I was quite happy with what I had.

We were both asked if we wanted a complimentary ice cream cone, which rounded off our lunch experience very nicely. Whenever I'm way the hell out at 161st and SE Division, I'll be sure to stop by again...

Arctic Circle
16101 SE Division St.
Portland, OR 97236
(503)761-1281

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Burger Skills: Hamburgers VS Newspapers

Oh my. We got top billing from the Oregonian newspaper today, right on the front page of the food section. And we were wondering why there was an influx of email today. You can find it online here as well:
Oregonian FoodDay: 100 Things We Love

The Portland hamburger blog: So many food blogs take themselves a tad too seriously, but this free-spirited blog, devoted to finding the city's best burgers and fries, is downright fun. From dive taverns to blue-chip restaurants, they seek out the patties that merit praise. One word of caution: There's lots of photography, so looking here will be absolute torture if you're hungry. Grant Butler

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Jim Dandy

ExtraBacon gives us an update:

After driving by Jim Dandy so many times, my wife and I decided it was finally time to check it out.

She ordered The Works (2 patties, cheese, bacon, ham & egg). The patties were pre-formed and frozen, but they had a really good flavor. The onions were especially good, and tasted great with the egg. All in all, it was a good burger!

I ordered the Pépe Dog... A foot long hot dog, wrapped in bacon, then covered with onion, pepperoncini, tomato, and grated cheddar cheese. I think the bacon-wrapped dog was deep fried. The outside had a good crispyness, and the quality of the dog itself was very good. The pepperoncinis added the perfect amount of spice. One of the best dogs that I've had (outside of my own kitchen)!

The decor inside Jim Dandy's is great. Lots of pictures of old Portland.

Definitely worth checking out!

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ORIGINAL POST 9/4/08









AmericanCheese and CondimentSpreader don't do the gourmet, they like the American classical style:

We went to Jim Dandy. Deep in Parkrose, it's like another world out there.

Right to the point. This is seriously one of the best burgers we've had. Ever.

First pic is the Texas burger. Bacon, cheddar, bbq sauce, and a big ass onion ring. Condimentspreader loved it. I wanted it.

Second is of the "Jim Dandy" burger. American cheese, bacon, mushrooms, and some secret sauce that I think had a hint of bbq in it. Whatever it was, it ruled.

Burgers were not overdone, just right. Buns were tasty, not too spongy.

This place has it all. Hot dogs wrapped in bacon, shakes made to order, crinkle cut fries, old men smoking out on the patio saying that this is the best burger in town, etc.

It really has been there since 1937 as well. It was just in a trailer before (according to the waitress).

Go. Now.

Jim Dandy
9626 NE Sandy Blvd.
Portland, OR 97220
(503)253-2126

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