Today I went for Joe’s Ultimate Burger and it was delicious.  Joe makes everything when you order and serves it himself.  The burger was piping hot, beautifully prepared and it was love at first site.  The bacon was poking out the sides and covered with grilled onions and mushrooms.  The patty was fresh and the bun was superb.  It didn’t survive the entire meal but the last few bites were just fine with a fork and knife.

Joe’s Cafe has 5 burgers on the menu including the mother of all burgers, Joe’s Ultimate Burger which is best described in Joe’s own words: “If you’re in my house, you eat my burger!”  Joe’s Ultimate Burger is a half pound seasoned patty (seasoned with Slap Ya Mama) with grilled onions, mushrooms, jalapenos, deliciously thick bacon, cheese, lettuce, pickles and tomatoes.  This thing is enormous and priced at $6.99 it’s a great deal.  Each burger comes with all the toppings and your choice of potato chips or potato salad.

When I asked Joe about Five Guys or Smashburger he said, “There’s one thing my burgers will always have that those guys just can’t handle, the extra love”.  Joe’s Café is truly a burger gem and the burgers are almost as good as the experience with Joe.  After your burger, try the Joe-made sweet potato or pecan pies.  He makes them himself and they are amazing!!

The burger with a drink ended up being just under $10 and it was worth every penny.  The café itself is full of pictures of happy customers posing with Joe in the café and around Utah.

The service is very interesting at Hire’s.  A lot of assumptions are made that you know what you are doing so if it’s your first time, be ready for a little confusion.  The staff is relatively friendly but it’s not an overwhelming part of the culture as most of the employees were more interested in talking with themselves then with customers.  After sitting down, and grabbing the menu, the first thing I noticed was NO NAPKINS, NO KETCHUP, NO SWEETNER, NO SALT, just menus. Like I said, Hire’s Big H was interesting.

After getting the food, I had to ask for more fry sauce, more napkins (the two I was presented with just weren’t enough) and ask for ketchup (no ketchup ever).  The burger comes cut in half for easier consumption and that was a nice touch and I’d have to say that the double cheeseburger is an average burger.  For the price point of $5 for just the burger, it was an underwhelming burger and after leaving the restaurant on Fort Union I passed a Five Guys Burgers & Fries and couldn’t help but think to myself “I should have gone there”.

The fries were way better than the burger and are a crispy thicker fry that is delicious with fry sauce (but ask for more because Hire’s likes to keep the condiments hidden).  Overall, Hires Big H is a good place for nostalgia and to say “I’ve been there” but the burger is subpar, especially with a Five Guys just up the street.  I got the famous Big H Root Beer in a chilled mug and it was delicious but refills were hard to come by and the overall experience left me underwhelmed.  Average pretty much sums up the experience.

Priced in the $10-$15 range, this burger is cooked to your liking (and it’s recommended that you have it cooked medium) with Certified Angus Beef, lettuce, tomato, pickle and your choice of cheese.  You can also add some avocado if you’re ready for it.  I did and it was a nice touch.  At lunch the burger took less than 10 minutes to have served and the bun was amazing!  The meat on this trip was a overcooked (more of a well done than a medium) and it tasted like it.  The toppings were delicious and other than having it overcooked, this was a great burger.

The other thing about the Foundry Grill Angus burger is that it comes with regular fries, garlic fries or sweet potato fries and after trying all three, you can’t go wrong with any choice.  The sweet potato fries did come with a nice dipping mustard which made it feel like a slice of heaven being served in the form of fries.  Overall this burger is best compared to Communal’s blue bacon burger and Spark’s Kobe Beef burger but falls short of both.  However, if you want a good burger and Foundry Grill’s Angus Burger is the worst you come up with, then life is pretty darn good.  The bun was amazing.  The meat was overcooked.  The fries were delicious but I wish there was fry sauce.

The Kobe Cheeseburger served at Spark Restaurant in Provo is an absolutely delightful gourmet cheeseburger.  It’s recommended that you have it cooked medium and with all the toppings possible because this burger was really good.  The lettuce and tomato were pretty standard and fresh but Spark Restaurant’s special Jalapeno Aioli sauce was a wonderfully impressive touch to the Kobe beef, caramelized onions, melted cheddar cheese and crunchy bun.  In fact, about half way through the Kobe Cheeseburger I got a big mouthful of the Jalapeno Aioli sauce and it was tremendous!

Some of the details worth sharing about Spark Restaurant include the “cool” atmosphere that Spark exudes.  It’s no joke that you feel special walking into the restaurant but special in a way that also makes it a surprisingly comfortable restaurant.  The service was really good and you couldn’t help but look around.  The burger had only one debatable flaw, debatable because I actually loved it and hated it at the same time.   What was this love/hate relationship about?  The bun.

The bun is extremely dangerous to the mouth and seems to tear at the lips and skin of the outside of your mouth.  I’ve never opened so wide for a bite of burger.  BUT it was so worth every effort because I loved the crunchy outer bun as it mixed with the Kobe beef and Spark’s toppings.  After the first few scratches I was used to it and I was healed within a few minutes of ending the meal.  I do still feel it worth being a mentioned as you go there for the best burger I’ve had in the last month!

Overall results of my first trip to Spark Restaurant Lounge:  Burger is tremendous.  Meat is amazing.  Truffle parmesan fries or herbal fries are on the menu and both are a nice combination of flavor and crisp.  The ketchup for the fries is also some serious goodness.  The atmosphere is cool and outside of the crispy bun occasionally ripping your lips this is one of the best burgers in the valley.  Delicious!

Ab’s Drive-In

Ab’s is certainly a drive-in.  The workers are chipper and friendly and apologize for any delays, mix ups or messes.  That part is nice.  The Fat Boy burger at Ab’s is not a Fat Boy.  Priced at over $3.00 for just the burger,  Ab’s famous Fat Boy was quite disappointing….for a Fat Boy.  I guess I was expecting something big and messy and instead I received two thin patties of beef, lettuce, tomatoes, a special sweet sauce with a relatively generic bun.  It was presented nicely but I wasn’t overly impressed by this little burger called the Fat Boy.  I think that with a name change to “Sweet Burger” or “Ab’s Tasty Burger” the Fat Boy burger would be better.  As for taste, it’s a very sweet burger and has a very unique taste that makes you feel like it’s been sprinkled with sugar…seriously.

The French fries are a different story.  Absolutely Amazing!  I can think of a few burger places that should find a way to get the Ab’s secret to French fries because Ab’s fries are wonderful.  Crispy, thick and flavorful, these were the best part of the Ab’s experience.  The only sad part is that Ab’s charges for fry sauce, and their fry sauce isn’t that good.  Even with a combo meal that costs nearly $7.00 Ab’s Drive-In still feels it necessary to charge $.35 for fry sauce.  That’s never a good move in my book.

I think that with a name change to “Sweet Burger” or “Ab’s Tasty Burger” the Fat Boy would be better.  It’s a very sweet burger and has a very unique taste that makes you feel like it’s been sprinkled with sugar…seriously.  Overall, buy a burger anywhere else but enjoy the fries and to make the trip worth it you should get a shake.

It came served with lettuce, tomatoes and sliced onions (all very average for burger and the quality was pretty good).  The chipotle cheeseburger also comes with a Faustina Restaurant made mustard (that is awesome with the pepper jack cheese and chipotle) and their house made mayo (the ketchup is Heinz:).  The only thing that wasn’t really good was how the bun worked with delicious patty.  The bun is good but not great and because I think a burger can be ruined with a crappy bun I have to call it out.  The bun is good but not great.  It breaks apart throughout the meal and slides around with the toppings.  Other than that, you’ll love this burger.

The biggest and best surprise of the evening was the sweet potato chips.  It’s a Faustina restaurant favorite and they’ve been making the sweet potato chips since day one.  They run the sweet potatoes through a grinder/slicer thingy (perhaps a more technical term would have been appropriate) and then create the chips.  They are light, delicious, perfect for a burger and you find yourself thinking about them after you’ve left.  That’s how good these were.

Overall I can easily and happily recommend Faustina Restaurant’s Chipotle Cheeseburger!

I had the Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger combo for lunch yesterday and was initially excited.  The ad makes the burger look appealing and meaty (both Carl’s Jr. signature traits).  It comes in 3 main sizes Single, Double or Six Dollar Burger (half pound) and the price for the combo is a respectable $4.99, $5.99 or $6.99.  Even the Carl’s Jr. employee said it’s been a top seller as of late.

The Grilled Cheese Bacon burger was served quickly and looked delicious.  The bread on this burger is amazingly wonderful with the right combination of chewiness, softness and buttery goodness.  The burger looked delicious and the cheese and baking were oozing out (a very good thing).  It’s a good looking sandwich but is it really a Grilled Cheese Bacon BURGER? That is the question.

Halfway through this burger I realized that if I was eating it at 7am it would have been amazing.  I was eating it for lunch and bought it because of the word burger.  The Review:  The Grilled Cheese Bacon Burger is a delicious breakfast sandwich but NOT an amazing burger.

As a burger it’s a 6 out of 10.
As a breakfast sandwich it’s a 9 out of 10.

The fried egg on the Royal Red Robin burger compliments the fresh toppings nicely and although the overall goodness of the burger is worth recommending it’s not a memorable burger by itself.  In fact, it’s a pretty average burger with nothing too unique or special other than saying you had it at Red Robin and it has an egg on it.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good burger…just not amazingly good.

The experience at Red Robin on the other hand is awesome.  From the moment you walk in, they make you feel comfortable and you can’t help but be loud and have fun.  On this trip I also added the onion rings and they are delicious.  The french fries are thick and tasty and their fry sauce is VERY unique.  It’s a combination of tangy and smokey and has an ability to keep you dipping without knowing if you love it or hate it.  You’ll definitely remember the fry sauce.

The official name of their burger is the Blue Bacon Burger because of the special blue cheese sauce they add to the burger AND because the burger itself is 85% chuck and 15% bacon.  Yes, 15% bacon in that patty.  Folks, this was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.  From the bun to the toppings and even the blue cheese sauce, this burger was perfect.  I had mine cooked Medium and it was nicely pinked in the middle.  I added some of their homemade ketchup but really didn’t need to.  It was a deliciously euphoric burger and I don’t use the word euphoric often.

The french fries were also fantastic.  The right combination of crispy outside with fresh inside and they add a nice, light seasoning that really works well.  I also requested some fry sauce, which they made with their homemade mayo (they make their own ketchup and mayo…who does that?).  Even the fry sauce was amazing, specifically because it was the right fry sauce for their fries.

Overall this meal was a $15 so it’s not an everyday event. The $15 gets you a burger and fries and I left feeling like I got my money’s worth.  I believe with the taste and the price this is an official Gourmet Burger.  You’ll love it!

The Rocky Mountain burger is a 2 beef patty burger with 2 slices of cheese, 2 slices of ham, lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, pickles and onions.  With that many layers there was serious potential for this to be too much of a good thing but I am happy to report that it worked.  I’d say the Mountain Burger is best described as a tasty, mushy, filling burger that will stay with you all afternoon and into the night.  Somehow it was not overwhelming greasy but it felt like it could have been.  I’m still wondering how that happend though.

The french fries are pretty average.  They aren’t bad but they aren’t special either.  Crispy, relatively thick and plenty in quantity sums up the french fries nicely.  One really fun thing is the fry sauce and ketchup dispensing program.  Rip the top off of a small cooler, fill it with ice and stick the two tubs inside.  I think the ketchup/fry sauce layout actually made the whole experience that much better.  The fry sauce wasn’t too flavorful but went well with the average fries.  Again, not bad just not special either.

Overall, if you like a filling and mushy burger (it didn’t fall apart or anything it was just mushy).  The Mountain burger meal will cost you about $8.  I nearly forgot, they also serve Iron Port (the beverage).