My daughter and I like to lunch together. It’s my chance to visit with her since she has a very busy life. She refuses to cross the Causeway even on “lax” days, and her lunch time on work days keeps her close. So I can’t seem to break out of our orbit here for lunch.
Time did permit us a lunch a little closer to the borders of the orbit, and we went to a place where we were once regulars, but it’s been years for me. We went to Walk-On’s, where we at one time considered their ordinary waffle cheese fries among the best. They are different than most, in that they are not limp and soggy. But the biggest distinction is that they are made with waffle fries.
The fries come in a cast iron skillet, keeping them crispier, and are blanketed with melted cheddar, so that there is no bite that will not include cheese, or some of the many crumbles of good bacon. What also sets these fries apart from the crowd is that the peppers are not jalapeño but banana peppers, which are themselves spicy, but in a more interesting way. This is served with a Ranch dipping sauce that is also better than most.
For too long my daughter and I made a trek to Walk-On’s specifically for these fries, but Walk-On’s has always had better-than-the-norm food for what it is.
Lately, they have really stepped up their game with the burger. On the menu they are designated “Hand Formed” and indeed they are. Thick and irregular, crusty and dripping with juices, this is a thing of beauty. A substantial grab to pick up, and then to handle, this is no lame smashburger. With shredded lettuce, tomato, pickle and a mound of perfect cheddar, this stacks up to a tempting mouthful. A regular old bun holds it altogether with that nice burger sheen on top. Nothing weird. No statement. Good old American Angus beef. This is burger perfection.
Now only one question remains…if a chain like Walk-On’s can do this with the volume that they do, why am I seeing perfectly round stamped beef patties around town at the most unlikely places?
