Veritable Quandary

UPDATE: 12/14/2008



The Duke of Hamburg (aka the The Guilty Carnivore ) tickles our fancy:

Burger. Ciabatta…always with the ciabatta. No tomatoes, which makes me cry. Pickled onions, honking slice o’white cheddar, and ok fries. At $11, it’s $3 cheaper than their veggie burger. That better be some fucking intense veggie burger.

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ORIGINAL POST: 2/9/2008



RareMediumRare finds a winner:

I wanted a burger and thought of the staples downtown - Red Coach, Higgins, Clyde Common, Rialto, but then when I walked outside, it was raining. We decided to awning walk our way down to the Veritable Quandary.

Before arriving, I had only hoped they had a burger, not really sure if they would. They did! The menu only lists it as a burger with cheddar and fries - that's it. Who would have thought that it would be a great frackin' burger.

The bun was almost like a Ciabatta roll but dark. I honestly didn't know what type of roll it was, but it was so so tasty. The cheese on the burger was perfect. Some may think it was too much, but for me it was just right. It encompassed the medium rare chuck of love just right, keeping the juices in. Oh, and the burger was one of the tastiest I have had in awhile. It challenges me to say this, but it may land in my top 5. There, I said it. The burger came with fries which were tasty, yet a little soft. I prefer my fries a little crispier. I did like the garnish of the marinated white onion slice. That was tasty.

Veritable Quandary
1220 SW 1st Ave.
Portland, OR 97204
(503)227-7342

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Virginia Cafe

UPDATE: 2/24/07




RareMediumRare (aka Dieselboi) checks in for the last days at the "old" location:

As many of you know, the Virginia Cafe will be closing its longtime location and moving two blocks west. With that move comes an end to an era. Before the move, I had to venture in for a final burger.

I'm no regular, but had enjoyed the food the Virginia had to offer in the past. When I saw the menu, my eyes immediately landed on the burger that for some would be referred to as the "end all be all" burger of a lifetime. Half pound burger with ham, bacon, an egg and all the assorted fixin's along with fries! Yep, the only thing missing was the kitchen sink. When it arrived, I dove in. I could barely get my mouth around the thing for the first bite, but managed and made that burger my bitch! And what a tasty burger it was. Everything, and I mean everything was perfectly tasty. I really hope they keep this on the menu at the new location.

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ORIGINAL POST: 9/10/07





Hamburgler and Pickles and Ammo check out this downtown Portland landmark for some burger action.

The building they are in is scheduled to be torn down fairly soon, but we have heard they found a new location close by.

Pretty good burger going on here with a whopping 1/2 pound patty. That first one is the "Cajan Jack Burger" with tots, and then an "Avacado Swiss Burger".

They also have a happy hour cheeseburgers everyday from 4pm to 7pm coming in at $4.00 (substitute a Gardenburger for an extra dollar).

Bonus Pickle!

Virginia Cafe
725 SW Park Ave
Portland, OR 97205
(503) 227-0033

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Lotus

RareMediumRare (aka Dieselboi) has got the fever:

Visited the Lotus today for a team lunch. I was going to order the Fish'n'Chips, but landed on the Bacon Cheeseburger instead. Shoulda had the Fish'n'Chips. I'm not saying the burger was bad, it was just OK.

Being a team lunch with 5 people, the order took longer than is should, yet the food was at least hot when it arrived. Lately I have been ordering salads to make up for all the burgers. You can have it come with fries. The burger itself was billed as a 1/3lb burger with cheddar and bacon. Seriously, it wasn't more than 1/4lb. I am not sure why restaurants advertise the size of the patty when in the end, it is either thick or thin. The Lotus burger was thin. If I can't tell whether it is medium rare or not, it is too thick a burger. It came on a thick white bun with lettuce and onion and tomato.

In the end, I liked the mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette much more than the burger. Everyone else seemed to love their burgers, so maybe I'm spoiled by the stellar burgers in this town. Oh and the wafting of cigarette smoke from the bar didn't help. Like they say elsewhere on the interwebs - your mileage may vary.

Lotus
932 SW 3rd
Portland, OR 97209
(503)227-6185

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Matlocks

RareMediumRare didn't get to cruise the Matlock Expressway, but Portland does have a Matlock Burger:

Matlock's is one of those carts down in "the pod" off SW 4th Avenue. I had walked by too many times and last week with the cold, just needed a $3.75 1/3lb burger to walk with me.

The burger was pretty good. Freshly cooked with chedder, a toasted bun and pretty much anything you want on it. I didn't really get to ask for it Medium, but in the end, it tasted pretty juicy.

The cool part about the cart is the owner does all the dressing. There were about 5 other customers who came up and ordered and when it came to dress the dog or burger, the owner quizzed the customer. The best part was the condiments. He controlled them. In this day when colds are ubiquitous, I'm glad not everyone is grabbing at the mustard spoon.

For a cart burger, I give it a 3.5/5.

Matlock's
SW 4th
Portland, OR

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