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!

Thurman Cafe

Thurman Cafe

183 Thurman Avenue

Columbus, Ohio

HOLY COW, what a messy burger! This one was an absolute MONSTER! Melissa and I split an original Thurman burger, and Louis had one all to himself. See the photo of the cross section above. This burger starts with 3/4 lb of beef, topped with grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, sliced sauteed mushrooms, pickle, jalepeno slices, mayo, 1/2 lb of sliced ham, and mozzarella and american cheese. Impossible to get into your mouth, and the messiest burger I've ever had in my life. I think I used 7 napkins, but I wasn't really counting.

The sandwiches came with kettle chips, but we ordered a basket of their hand-cut fries. These are "cedar point Gemini" fries.... the thick ones that you put vinegar on, you know? A favorite of this family anyway. Back to the burger: These burgers cost $9.49, and were well worth the 1 hour wait on a Saturday afternoon.

Gahanna Grill

Gahanna Grill

82 Granville Street

Gahanna, Ohio

Louis, Melissa, Ryan and I all trekked out to Gahanna on a Sunday afternoon for the Beanie Burger. Nope, no beans on this burger, the name came from the cook who "invented" this giant hunk of meat and condiments. This burger starts with a half pound of ground beef, topped with lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, bacon, cheese, and a scoop of cole slaw. Louis had a DOUBLE which is held together with a steak knife, (see photo) while I stuck with the single, and Ryan and Melissa split one.

As a result of talking to people about Gahanna Grill, two more burger joints have hit our radar: "Bergers" in Toledo, Ohio and "Hole in the Wall" in Ft. Worth, Texas. Someone also mentioned Five Guys, but we've had them. They're ok, not great. Besides, we aren't including any chains on this adventure.