Gearing up to the great American holiday, it is only fitting that we post a piece or two about the great American foods; hamburgers and hot dogs I have often joked that I have a tradition to eat a McDonald’s burger each Fourth of July in honor of the occasion, but that I am thirty years behind. Probably because hamburgers are not real food to me. To my wife, they are way too high up the food chain.
The perfect burger, to me, is a patty gently formed by hand, crusty on the outside and juicy on the inside. Seasonings only on the outside - in other words - don’t mess too much with the meat.
This patty should be sizable enough to not get lost, but not too sizable to eat comfortably, It should sit on a nice bun that holds up to everything, not crumbly brioche, and that bun should be toasted. It may or may not have cheese, as you wish. I wish not. And the dressings should be fresh and adequate - lettuce, tomato, and pickle, maybe purple onion. Good condiments. In the old days dressings meant iceberg lettuce and pickles from the jar. Now it is likely to be Boston (much better), and housemade pickles. Usually not at all better.
My wife is the house expert on hamburgers, so the following list is compiled by her, and a college friend who shares her passion for hamburgers and pizza. Following are a dozen great hamburgers around town with brief descriptions, except in the case of Francesca, because the friend’s assessment is so print-worthy. We will start there, which my wife declares Number 1
Her friend says of FRANCESCA, loosely quoted:
“I only allow myself one burger a week, so it better be a damn good one. Francesca had a “staple” burger among their other offerings. Cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. I hate pickles, so I quickly ejected them. I ordered the burger medium rare and the first bite validated my order. The beef was cooked exactly medium rare and the flavor, although simple, screamed GREAT MEAT! I’m pretty sure it was ONLY seasoned with salt and pepper. I did have to unhinge my jaw like an Anaconda because it was so think. The “frips”, combo french fry and potato chip, (more like souffle potatoes) were curious.
Francesca has dethroned KEITH YOUNG’S as the number 1 for my wife, but for value, it remains the top. This burger, (pictured above) is $9.99 lunch only, and comes with a soup or salad. The meat is thick, cooked as you like it, on a bun that holds up, thickly blanketed with Cheddar cheese and crispy bacon slices. Served dressed with all three condiments. For burger seekers, absolutely worth a trip north.
FHARMACY is a joint on Banks by the hospital complex. There is not a lot of room to sit here, and my wife doesn’t want to. Her friend is wild about this burger, which you can see cooked before you, starting with a ball of fresh, coarsely ground meat. Comes exactly as ordered with nice hand cut fries.
The original burger of note locally is PORT OF CALLl, and it remains the standard. Here was the gently formed patty formed by the same Honduran woman for decades. Cooked to order, and they mean it. Served with an equally good loaded baked potato. Out of the Seventies, and still great.
LAKEVIEW HARBOR is the best of the Port of Call expats. Same story. Great burger with excellent loaded baked potato. For people who don’t want the Quarter but do want Port of Call.
The JUNCTION is maybe the friend’s favorite burger. Try the New Mexico Railrunner with green chiles and cheddar. Outstanding grass fed beef. Hand cut fries always hot.
MONDO has a good burger with griddled onions and Reyes Blue cheese, Tasty combo.
BROWN BUTTER’s BB burger has pimiento cheese and pickled onions and garlic aioli with hand cut fries. The friend says they tend to overcook, but he forgives them this indelicacy
MEME’S in Chalmette has another delicious burger that sits very tall, dripping with juice beside a pile of hand cut fries. Yes, worth a trip for other menu reasons too.
LOLA in Covington has a lunch burger, and a dinner, burger, and they are quite different. Both start with a delicious patty cooked perfectly crusty, and are served on a crumbly brioche. (We will look past this flaw.) The lunch burger has American cheese - another flaw - and smoky stiff bacon with their housemade pickles, which are a good version of this chef annoyance. The dinner burger has tomato jam and crispy onions. Both burgers are a tasty mouth full and are served with excellent fresh cut fries.
ATOMIC BURGER is the only fast food burger on this list, because Atomic Burger gives you a fast burger that can stand up to these others in quality and taste. It is grass fed, ground in-house, cooked perfectly, and comes with interesting combinations of extras. The fries are fresh cut and also perfect. We hope these guys do become a chain. They just opened in Baton Rouge.
Another burger with a fast food vibe is TRU BURGER. Tasty burger with excellent fries. Kind of a joint.
What is glaringly absent from this list is the fan favorite COMPANY BURGER. We’ll grant you, it’s a great burger. But we want tomato on our burger, and we really don’t want anyone telling us that is wrong. So we’ll let everyone else eat there, and we’ll go to the places where we can have the food we’re paying for just how we want it.
Happy Fourth of July, whether you have a burger or not.
