A Messy Burger

As promised, this week I went to Steinbeck for their famous burger, and I had the opportunity to speak with Andy Gonzales, chef and manager of the restaurant.

The experience of driving from Buckhead to Decatur on a Friday evening is an odyssey, but I have to say that it was worth it!  First of all, the staff was very friendly, and the service was great, which makes your time at the restaurant relaxed and comfortable. As I mentioned above, I had the opportunity to speak with Andy Gonzales as I was ordering the burger, and this is what he told me I was about to experience.

Andy- “A burger shouldn’t be tiny in my opinion but should instead be of generous size.  Most burgers these days seem to all come with pickles, cheese and mustard, but we also add a generous helping of coleslaw and bacon, as I believe the ideal burger should be messy.” I agree with Andy on this fact; I enjoy a messy burger more than one that holds itself together perfectly.  Much of the enjoyment for me with burgers is the experience of eating it with your hands.  For me, the mix of messiness and then the mixtures of flavor from all of the ingredients are what add up to the perfect burger eating experience.

Photo taken by Atlanta Magazine.

As I’ve said all along the fries to me are almost important as the burger itself, and in the case of Steinbeck, they use frozen fries with seasoning.  There is nothing wrong with frozen fries from a bag, but in this case they weren’t quite hot when they arrived at the table, and in my opinion a burger like this should have better fries. Even though the fries weren’t as great as I had hoped, the overall experience at Steinbeck was fantastic, and I have to say it’s a four Golden Burger place.

A Delicious Interview

This week I decided to visit an area that is famous for its cuisine, and I think it is time to explore; Decatur. Between the many different great choices, I chose to go with a place where I have been told their burger is out this world. According to Atlanta Magazine it is the number eighth best burger in Atlanta. The establishment this week will be Steinbeck’s. A restaurant that does not have theme, but aspires to always provide the freshest ingredients, and a consistently high quality of service.

Photo taken from the web.

The general manager, and Chef, Andy Gonzales has agreed to speak to Atlanta’s Best Burger about the secrets of their burgers.  After reading about the burger at Steinbeck’s, I can not wait to try it. It is a double patty burger with thousand Island dressing and cole slaw for garnish.

Two for One

My experience eating a burger this week was different than usual. Yesterday, I was in a shooting all day and after directing three commercials in one day, I deserve a good cheat meal. Once I got to Shake Shack I felt extra hungry, and I don’t know if it is because during the line time, you constantly read the menu. At Shake Shack you don’t see a picture of their burgers in a board; perhaps, you imagine them. After my long day, I could not decide which one it was the one I wanted, so I got two burgers with fries.

According to Shake Shack, “100% all-natural Angus beef, vegetarian fed, humanely raised and source verified. No hormones or antibiotics – EVER. We pride ourselves on sourcing incredible ingredients from like-minded artisanal producers.”  https://www.shakeshack.com

Photo taken from the web.

My first burger was a cheese burger; The meat tasted pretty good and in combination with the cheese and the garnish was even better. My second burger was more like a sandwich; They have a new fried chicken sandwich that comes with pickles and a house souse that taste like mayonnaise. it was very tasteful and yummy. In addition, the fries were very good although the position was small. In general, the burger was a little small for my taste too.

Photo taken from the web.

The place can get pretty full, but it does not feel very crowded. It is a great place to visit with friend (you eat, you laugh, and you leave.) Without question, I will visit Shake Shack again. Shake Shack is a four Gold Burgers place.

The Burger that is Shaking the World

This week, it is time to visit Shake Shack, one of the hottest new burger chains in the United States for the last several years.  Shake Shack’s Atlanta location is in the new open air Buckhead Atlanta development which opened in 2014 after several years of delay during the recent recession.  This development is filled with high end restaurants, shops and the only Atlanta Shake Shack location.  In 2000, Shake Shack started as a food cart in Madison Square Park in New York City and quickly became famous. By January of 2015 the company went public on the New York Stock Exchange and today they have dozens of locations in the United States and as well as 9 other countries. 

Photo taken from the web

The burgers are not large at Shake Shack but I have heard that they are just the right size, and the fries are supposedly great.  To top it all off, Shake Shack is known to have excellent milkshakes and I intend to try one with this week’s meal.  Based on my experience at One Eared Stag last week, I can’t wait to see how many Gold Burgers Shake Shack will deserve.