Bergers Old Tyme Grill - Off the Path

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Bergers Old Tyme Grill
1742 W. Laskey Road
Toledo, Ohio

"Off the Path" means the restaurant is not in the "Hamburger America" book, but was recommended while discussing our burger ventures.

What a great burger! Bergers Old Tyme Grill should have been included in Motz’s book. For $5.25 I had a mouth-watering cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, and onion, grilled to perfection by MATTHEW APPELHANS, a native Toledoan and long-time grill master at Bergers. The steak fries looked delicious, but since I’m on a diet I skipped the deep-fried fat…. except for the 2 fantastically phenomenal onion rings that I stole from my sister-in-law. Thanks Diane!! These burgers are ½ pound of flavorful beef, perfectly seasoned and quickly served.

I am a Toledo native myself, and I am ashamed to say that this was my first trip to Bergers. I should have discovered it long ago, but for some reason it never came up on my radar. Bergers has consistently been in the “top 10” burger list in Toledo year after year. Located in a little strip mall near Miracle Mile, Bergers is easy to find, and now that it’s on my oh-so-popular blog, a definite MUST DO for those of you on burger excursions.

Rossi’s Bar & Grill

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Rossi’s Bar & Grill
501 Morris Ave
Trenton, NJ 08611

www.rossiburger.com

All I have to say to George Motz, is WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? Yes, the burger was good. Great even. Awesome! One I’d like to eat again, however, this place was in the hood. I’m talking ghetto. Wine bottles at the curb, sofas in the yards, drunks sprawled on crumbling stoops, drug deals in the alley, ghetto. Even though it was a great burger, we are never going back. My most sincere apologies to the Rossi family, I am sure it was once a great Italian neighborhood, but we were there in the middle of a Saturday afternoon. If I was in fear for my life at that time of day, I can’t imagine going on a Friday or Saturday night. We took a seat at a window in order to keep an eye on the car if you know what I mean. If I hadn’t been with Louis, I wouldn’t have even parked, much less stayed.

Motz’s description of the burger itself was nearly accurate: it only comes in one size (big – about ½ pound, however, it can be ordered with a multitude of toppings, including 4 different types of cheese. Motz’s description led me to believe I needed to bring my own cheese and ketchup. Louis had his with mushrooms and swiss, I had American cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion. Each cost $7 and were worth every penny. These burgers were absolutely delicious. Rossi’s lived up to it’s reputation and certainly deserves honors as one of the best, but if I’m writing a book…. I’m not going to send anyone to that part of Trenton – no matter how good the burger. Travel at your own risk.

Jake's Wayback Burger - Off the Path

Jake’s Wayback Burger
2720 Easton Rd
Willow Grove, PA 19090

August 2, 2011

"Off the Path" means the restaurant is not in the "Hamburger America" book, but was recommended while discussing our burger ventures.

When you’re eating a burger this good, not too many words are spoken. Lots of ‘mmmm’s and head-nodding, but not much else. These burgers were AMAZING. It’s a shame I have so many other burger joints on my list, because otherwise I’d just go back to Jake’s every single day for the rest of my life.

I had a Jake Cheeseburger with everything. This is a hand-formed double burger with cheese, ketchup, mustard, onion, lettuce, tomato and pickle. Louis had the same, but no onion. $4.29 each for these burgers. They’ve got a single size for $3.29. They also have hand-dipped milkshakes – Louis had the Coconut Cream, but I just had water since I’m on a diet. We sampled the chili they use on their chili-fries and chili- burgers, and it is just as tasty as everything else. Next time I return I may need to try a chili dog.

Jake’s is a little bit of a chain. Not too many locations, just 30 franchises as of this writing, which surprised me a bit – I just assumed by it’s down-home feel that it was a stand alone restaurant. Jake’s has a burger of the month, and a shake of the month. This month’s burger is the Texas Jake: a Jakeburger with jalepeno, pepperjack cheese, and chipotle dressing. The shake was none other than the coconut cream shake that Louis had. Louis reports that it was absolutely delicious.

Check them out at: www.waybackburgers.com

Golden Dawn Diner III - Off the Path

Golden Dawn Diner III
2090 Whitehorse-Mercerville Rd
Hamilton NJ 08619

July 22, 2011

"Off the Path" means the restaurant is not in the "Hamburger America" book, but was recommended while discussing our burger ventures.

Louis and I took a short drive on a Friday afternoon to a Jersey diner that was recommended for their great burgers. I had their classic burger, with lettuce, tomato and onion for $4.95, Louis had their Teriyaki burger, also $4.95. Both came with fries, coleslaw and pickle. NO substitutions. Louis loved his burger, but mine was truly just average. Not great, but certainly not bad… just average. The service was fast, but not so friendly. We probably won’t return.

CHARCOAL PIT

CHARCOAL PIT
2600 Concord Pike
N Wilmington, DE 19803
www.charcoalpit.net

Let's just cut to the chase here: This diner made the book because of the old-time 1950's ambiance, not for the burger. The burger wasn't bad by any means, it just wasn't anything to write home about. The building and decor were old-time 50's diner, with working jukeboxes at the booths, and they had wonderful, friendly, fast service. Louis had a "Pit Special" for $6.95 which is a 1/2 lb burger on a kaiser roll, with cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickle and fries. I had the "Pit Deluxe" for $3.95, which is 1/4 lb burger on a sesame seed bun with cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickle, and onion, with mayo on the side. They were very generous with the onion, mayo, and pickle, but a little cheap with the cheese. The burgers had a nice flavor, but were a little on the dry side. I would go again if I were in the area, but I would probably order something else. I wouldn't go out of my way to get a burger here, they're just average. They seem to be favored by the locals for their ice cream creations more than anything. If I ever return, I'll start with dessert!

Miller's Bar

MILLER'S BAR
23700 MICHIGAN AVE
DEARBORN, MI 48124
www.millersbar.com

This was not our first visit to Millers, just the first visit since we started our "Hamburger America" adventure. We've always said that Miller's bar has the best burgers by far, and they did not disappoint today. No matter what day or time, the bar is always packed. These are standard size burgers (as opposed to sliders or monster burgers) cooked on a grill about 3 ft square. We took a seat at the bar and watched the cook in amazement as she turned out one great burger after another. She had her system down so well that she barely had to watch what she was doing. We had two cheeseburgers, an order of onion rings and 2 soft drinks for $23.70. On a five-star rating system, Miller's gets a 6. We LOVE this place!

Kewpee

KEWPEE

111 North Elizabeth Street

Lima, OH 45801

"Hamburg pickle on top makes your heart go flippity-flop". Today Louis and I drove to downtown Lima, Ohio to try out the original Kewpee square burger. These are thin, but standard size burgers (as opposed to sliders or monster burgers) and COMPLETELY DELICIOUS! The overall taste reminded us both of Miller burgers in Dearborn. A burger costs $1.65, a cheeseburger $1.90. You can have ketchup, mustard, lettuce, pickle, or onion added. They even have a fish sandwich, a cold cheese sandwich and a vegetable sandwich. They have an interesting looking raisin pie that we'll have to try on a future visit, along with a few other varieties of fruit pies. I can't wait to go back!