Oh…my…gosh. Burgers. Is there really any better Go -To food than that? The various options you can do with them is endless! The joining of meat, veggies, dairy products, can make for a very pleasing dining experience. Who hasn’t had a long day of traveling or maybe just a long day, that you pull into either your favorite fast food joint or maybe a more casual affair, and order up a thick, juicy, savory, hamburger. And as you take your first bite, you recline just a bit with a bit of satisfaction that, the days trials notwithstanding, seem to melt away as you feel a bit of inner peace permeate through your being as this delectable delight is consumed ever so slowly.

Yes, I love burgers. So much so, I’ve received a nickname at work, The Connoisseur of Fast Food, due to my knowledge of when and where and how good the latest burger stand is. Now, granted, I feel it’s a little exaggerated but when they want to know about a burger place, they’ll usually ask me. If I come upon some place new that I’ve tried, I’m quick to give them a heads up about the place. Seems there’s a lot of people who always want to know where to find a good burger.

Hamburgers have come a long way from their days in Germany where they often called, Hamburg Steak. I won’t get into the evolution of the burger. For that, you can go here and read a little history on it, http://toriavey.com/history-kitchen/2013/08/a-brief-history-of-hamburgers/ 

Most of us have a favorite burger place. I can’t honestly say I have just one. Some of the best that I’ve had have included the following, Mammoth Orange Stand which is no longer but has been recently purchased and moved to another site, had what they called “Alaskan Size Burgers”, and man o man were they huge and good! Of course it was always nice to have a large, fresh squeezed, lemonade of theirs to go along with it. Then there is the hugely popular west coast icon In-N-Out Burger.

Everything on their burger is always fresh and good tastin’. Many of you know it well. And if you look on the bottom of their soda/shake cups, you’ll find a little surprise. I love the fast food chain burgers for sure, and will mix it up, what with all the different styles like Carl’s Jr.’s (Hardees for you East Coasters) Superstar with Cheese to another west coast legend, Foster Freeze’s Big Boss Burger.

And I’m not even bringing up Wendy’s or Burger King among others. America does have a fascination with the burger. And for me, maybe it’s a little more than intense. Some of the latest entries into our area now include more casual offerings from these two burger eateries, The Habit Grill, which came to us from SoCal, Santa Barbara to be exact and Eureka Burger, which, also came to us from SoCal, and the city of Redlands. We are truly blessed to have so many varieties of burger joints in our area and you don’t have to travel far to try one. But probably one of the most fondest, and memorable places is another restaurant that, though no longer in our city, still is around if you venture out to other parts of our state, and that is yes, Bob’s Big Boy. The original double patty burger joint. (I think McDonald’s may have stolen their idea personally) To see their story, click here http://www.bigboy.com/careers/story/

At about 19 yrs old, I worked here as a dishwasher and cook. Well, not a full fledged cook or anything. It was just that back then, a dishwasher was chosen to flour/season and fry the chicken for the restaurant and I was picked. I thought it pretty cool when our waitresses would come back to tell me that the customers loved the chicken. Made my day. ‘Course, as a dishwasher I also had less, umm , flattering jobs, such as, washing the Big Boy statue out front. I don’t think I have to tell you some of  the remarks I would get from people as I did this duty. Though I hated it at the time, even then I had to laugh inside and even chuckle a bit at their comments, fully understanding the circumstances.

With this said, I hope you have enjoyed  this little blog of mine about a food that’s close to me. No seriously, I have one right next to me as I type. Kidding….or am I?