Now I'd like to apologize to those of you who look forward to coming here for my wife's creative, healthy, and wonderfully delicious recipes. But as MJ always says, there are no foods that are off limits...it's all about eating in moderation. And since we're eating clean for most of the week, the one meal that we eat out tends be our splurge meal. Although, even then MJ's gravitating towards the fresh and healthy options on the menu, while I, on the other hand, well...let's just say, I take advantage of the opportunity ;).
For those of you who aren't that familiar with me, I used to blog as my alter ego - the Burgervore. My purpose? To eat the most delicious burgers I could get my hands on. There's just something comforting about the familiar flavors of this American classic. Its versatility is unparalleled. Kids and adults alike crave it. It can be enjoyed at a tailgate or at a fine-dining establishment. For me, it brings back memories of lunches with my mom at the "Golden Arches" and church picnics at the park. The burger possesses so much history and so much contention as to who started it all. So when MJ emailed me about our next mission asking me if I'd be interested in going to a pop-up restaurant featuring re-creations of four of the storied "original" American burgers, it didn't take me long to respond with a resounding "YES!".
Having never been to one of these pop-ups before, we were sure to get there early and with our appetites in tow. As we stood in line at Tamale House East, we got the rundown on the event from some of the amazingly friendly regulars. RL Reeves Jr (aka, the Scrumptious Chef), author, chef, and blogger extraordinaire, takes over a kitchen for one night only and serves a menu of his choice. His pop-ups occur about once every six weeks and have featured Louisiana cajun, chili, and Tex-Mex just to name a few. On this particular night, after 2 months of extensive research, RL and his team were reproducing 3 hamburgers claiming to be the very first in the U.S. and 1 cheeseburger claiming the same in its own category. The menu included the following:
1) Cheeseburger - Kaelin's Restaurant (1934), Louisville KY
2) Hamburger - Charlie Nagreen (1885), Seymour WI
3) Hamburger - Menches Bros. (1885), Akron OH
4) Hamburger - Uncle Dave's Hamburger Stand (1904), Athens TX
If it had been left up to me, I would've ordered one of each just to try them all. But the voice of reason, aka MJ, limited our order to 2 burgers and one side item. The Scrumptious Chef also had a bull meat burger and a white chili Frito pie on the menu as if things weren't already difficult enough. Since we were the first ones in line, I had to think quick and settled on the variations from 1) Kaelin's and 4) Uncle Dave's as well as an order of hand-cut Texas sweet onion rings.
Our first burger (Kaelin's cheeseburger) and the side of onion rings came out quick and piping hot. The burger was dressed with American cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and mayo and served on a white flour hamburger bun. The patty itself was simply seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked in a cast-iron pan with cow's butter. The first bite was...AMAZING! Luscious juices spilled out of the patty and filled my mouth with an awesome steak-like flavor. Combine hormone and antibiotic free, verified natural beef from Branch Ranch with skillful cast-iron cooking and you have an unforgettable burger experience. I don't know if it was because my patty was the first of the night to hit the pan, but I really would've loved a little more crust on the meat. Aside from that, I could find no flaw. The bun was perfectly toasted and the onions added a lovely complementary flavor.
We anxiously awaited the arrival of our second burger. We waited. And waited...and waited some more, but still no burger. While chatting with RL, we discovered that our order had somehow gotten lost in the cracks. Everyone was so apologetic (although it was probably our fault due to a last minute order change), and the kitchen made sure that our burger came out with the quickness. The re-creation of Uncle Dave's hamburger came topped with Texas sweet onion and a mayo-mustard mix. That's it. Served on Texas toast and with pickle spears, this burger was the epitome of no-frills. Again the highlight was definitely the beef. Unlike our first burger, this patty had an incredible crust on it but was equally juicy. I'm not a fan of mustard but the mayo-mustard mix was one condiment that I'd be willing to try again. Although the pickle spears could've been easily overlooked, I appreciated their ability to enhance the experience by breaking up the rich meatiness of the burger.
So where do I weigh in on the original burger debate? My vote goes to....Louis' Lunch in New Haven CT. Yup, I like to stir the pot. But in all seriousness, I couldn't have asked for a better time at my first pop-up restaurant. The atmosphere was warm & welcoming, and the food was of high caliber at an affordable price. In fact RL's food is so good, that we met a vegetarian who was putting her usual diet aside for one meal to enjoy a burger with the rest of us. MJ and I are looking forward to the next event when we get to spend another evening with RL and the rest of the pop-up gang. Hungryman out.
rl reeves jr says
I hope y'all can come to our Feast On Exotic Meats pop up restaurant. It's at Tamale House East on Sat Feb 8th 2014 Here's the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/events/598679046872885/
Genie says
The Burgervore sounds like an amazing adventure. Perhaps you could pass the baton on and take turns to be The Burgervore? One year per person. Could be fun.
Great post but I've never seen a burger served between toast. How does it rate?
Hungryman says
How fun would that be? A Burgervore society! Maybe I should start recruiting.. As for the toast, it's great when perfectly browned and crunchy. It adds a nice textural component and holds the meat juices well. All that said, I'm more of a bun man myself. 🙂
Laurie @ Love, Laugh, Laurie says
This post makes me so hungry! I haven't had a good burger in a long time, but now I am craving one!
Hungryman says
Anytime's a good time for a burger, I always say ;). Unfortunately MJ doesn't share the same sentiment...
Kari @ bite-sized thoughts says
I always enjoy hearing about your burger adventures. It's good to hear your pop up restaurant experience went so well too - I've never eaten at one either but they do seem to be, well, popping up all over the place here in Australia too!
Hungryman says
I'm so behind on these trends. I had no idea what a pop-up restaurant was till we were already there. Definitely won't be our last though.