Best Damned Burger In the Area?

[Rodrigo Istalindir]

Chili's has some of the worst burgers I've had, second only to MacDonald's. I've tried time and time again, but I've long ago decided that I'll never order another burger from Chili's as long as I live. If you have to have chain restaurant casual dining burgers as your fix, I'd recommend Red Robin. Their 5-Alarm burger is my favorite, but they've got half a dozen burgers that are all pretty good.

Actually, years ago, Chili's (at least the one where I grew up) had some of the better burgers in town. Then, along came a corporate edict that they *had* to server burgers well-done, and I think once that happened they all sort of stopped even trying to make a good one.

 

[DethStryke]

As far as Baltimore goes, there are a few good burgers to be had. I've been hearing a couple rumors of some Fells Point (Baltimore city, by the docks) places that have great burgers. Since I have not tried them as yet, they are not in the running.

So far, the best burger I've had locally is from the An Poitin Stil. 2323 York Road, Timonium (410) 560-7900. Strangely enough, it is an Irish Pub/Restaurant that has far more than burgers. Their Sunday brunch is also very nice.

This recommendation is only if you like rare/med-rare burgers. If the words "well" or "done" are in the type of preparedness of meat you prefer, then this is not the burger for you.

 

[Aris Dragonborn]

Little place called the Corral Drive-In. Best burgers, best shakes (about 20 or so flavors), and they have this burger called the Tsunami. You have to order it 24 hours in advance, it's about 12+ inches in diameter, and feeds, I think, about 8 people.

We have a McDonalds, but when the tourists come into town for the summer and ask for the best burger, I send 'em to the Corral.

/Knows what he's having for lunch tommorrow.

 

[devilish]

For those of you who cook their own best burger...

aside from tabasco and red peppers, what seasonings do you use?
Any special prep (like sitting them in the fridge overnight)?
What secrets are you willing to share?

 

[nakia]

My favorite hamburger was the Deathburger from Chicken Oil Company in Bryan Texas (I believe it's on the Bryan side of the line; it's possible it's just in College Station, though.)

Yep, it's in Bryan. I loved their Chicken Fried Chicken with cream gravy, but never had a Deathburger. I'll have to try one next time I'm in Bryan/CS; my wife and I are trying to go back for a football game this fall.

As for the Chili's/Red Robin debate, I find it's the opposite here. Red Robin's burgers are okay, but Chili's are better. Plus the Red Robin here is in the mall, which makes going there that much less fun.

 

[Desdichado]

aside from tabasco and red peppers, what seasonings do you use?
Any special prep (like sitting them in the fridge overnight)?
What secrets are you willing to share?

I have a homemade rub that I use on burgers, chicken, steak, and just about any other meat. I never measure out the various amounts of spices, I just mix by experience and go. It includes

• salt, often garlic or onion salt
• minced onions (usually dried)
• minced garlic (often replaced with garlic powder, sadly, because its still pretty good and so much easier than mincing your own garlic)
• oregano
• crushed red pepper
• cumin
• chili powder
• a bit of basil and parsley
• minced cilantro

Sometimes I make a wet version of this, in which you add equally white vinegar and olive oil, let it soak in, and then add some more until it stabilizes at a sludge-like consistency. But this is essentially just chimichurri the way Argentine housewives taught me to make it.

 

[Desdichado]

Yep, it's in Bryan. I loved their Chicken Fried Chicken with cream gravy, but never had a Deathburger. I'll have to try one next time I'm in Bryan/CS; my wife and I are trying to go back for a football game this fall.

Cool. J'you go to school there? I have two degrees from TAMU, but I also grew up in the area and my entire pre-college education is a product of the Bryan Independent School District -- my dad was on the faculty until after I moved to Michigan five years ago.

A word of warning; the Deathburger is the one with a ton of jalapeños and tabasco sauce on it; if you're not a fan of spicy-ish food, go for the Snuffy burger (I believe it's called) which burger fans tell me is really good, and is the more traditional one.

[sigh] Man, do I miss the food in Texas. Freebird's burritos is the first place I'd stop if I were to drive back to College Station tomorrow. My freakin' in-laws can wait until I get my fix! There also used to be this greasy little steakhouse out in Snook, about half an hour to the west of town that was in what was obviously a former Dairy Queen, where you'd get massive steaks for dirt cheap. We once ordered the Chicken Fried Bacon as an appetizer; and I'm not talking strips of bacon; this was whole slabs of pork battered and deep fat fried and served with white sauce. Even I could feel my arteries closing up after eating that. I understand that the place burned down in a grease fire shortly after I moved, but I think it's also been rebuilt. There's also another restaurant run by the divorced other half of that owner in Sommerville another half hour further to the west that served pretty much the same food too. Then there's this BBQ place in Huntsville; and by BBQ place I mean this trailer that pulls up in the parking lot of a black Baptist church, and a old couple that cooks meat like it's going out of style in a big honkin' smoker in the front of the trailer. For $7 you can get all you can eat brisquet, links and ribs. My friends and I have literally hurt ourselves there before by eating too much and soaking in too much grease out of the very air.

 

[nakia]

Cool. J'you go to school there? I have two degrees from TAMU, but I also grew up in the area and my entire pre-college education is a product of the Bryan Independent School District -- my dad was on the faculty until after I moved to Michigan five years ago.

[sigh] Man, do I miss the food in Texas. Freebird's burritos is the first place I'd stop if I were to drive back to College Station tomorrow.

HOWDY! (does that answer your question?)

I've talked about the Gold Standard of bar-b-que, but Freebirds is burrito perfection. I'm really glad they opened two up in Dallas, so we can go when we visit my in-laws. Every burrito place I eat from now, I end up saying, "It's okay, but not as good as Freebirds." That's a little unfair, I suppose, but once you have had the best. . .

I got my MA in philosophy at A&M and lived there from 97-99. My wife is a proud Texas Aggie class of 2000. (Seriously, she made me go see A&M play at Virginia Tech last year -- IN A HURRICANE. I'm not kidding.)

 

[Desdichado]

Huh. We overlapped, then -- I'm high school class of '90, undergrad class of '97 (because I went to Argentina before starting college) and MBA class of 2000. You must have also been there when the Bonfire collapsed then.

 

[nakia]

Huh. We overlapped, then -- I'm high school class of '90, undergrad class of '97 (because I went to Argentina before starting college) and MBA class of 2000. You must have also been there when the Bonfire collapsed then.

Yep. I was doing some adjunct teaching for the philosophy department. I was staying over at my wife's (then girlfriend's) place, which was maybe four blocks from the site (on Foch St) and woke up at 5:30 AM to helecopters. I thought "that's wierd, you never hear helecopters like that in College Station." Then we turned on the radio and heard what happened. Horrible, horrible time. I cancelled my classes for the rest of the week.

But the Bonfire Benefit Concert with Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen was really cool.