Searching for the 'best' burger: It's all about the hunt
Eating on the Edge: Once you disqualify high-end burgers (because they should be great, after all), this search gets interesting and yields some surprises.
Hugo Kugiya
Hugo Kugiya
The most liberally shared superlative in the restaurant world, it seems, is the title of “best burger” in town. Slapped on menus and signs, thrown up on windows and barroom walls, it is a claim that means both nothing and everything.
Everything, because a burger is perhaps (especially in the heart of summer) the most iconic, American food we have, one that all regions of the country find familiar, the one dish we have successfully exported around the world, served as both a low-end luxury and a high-end commodity.
Nothing, because the title of “best burger” is used so often, it tends to be empty of meaning. Most of the time it is a title without credentials, a subjective claim that is never entirely right and never entirely wrong. The concept of a burger is so simple and satisfying, that in the right context, just about any burger can be the “best burger” you have eaten, even if you got it from under a filling-station heat lamp. In other words, even a bad burger is good.
For every great burger you’ve eaten, you can probably find a better one, or at least one that is differently but equally great. While the search for the best or perfect burger might be philosophically impossible and therefore futile, that has not stopped many from trying — including myself.
I discovered the result is not as important as the process.
The first step was to disqualify high-end burgers, good as they are — burgers cooked by chefs in fancy restaurants or gastro-pubs, places that also serve chateaubriand, grilled trout, baby lettuce or sweetbreads. It is to the burger’s credit that it can hold its own on a high-end menu, but for the purposes of this article, it is not meaningful to say a $15 burger is among the “best” I have ever eaten. A chef-made, double-digit burger ought to be very good if not the best.
The Palace Kitchen’s “palace burger royale” was the favorite Sunday night meal of Kevin Davis, the chef at the Steelhead Diner, which itself serves a superb and transcendent wagyu beef burger. Years ago while training for a marathon, Davis lived downtown at Third Avenue and Lenora Street, a few blocks from the Palace Kitchen.
“I’d go for a long run on Sunday, about 10 to 16 miles,” Davis said, “and after that, my wife and I would go to the Palace Kitchen and order the same thing every Sunday night, a hamburger.”
Save for his own burger, which he grills and dresses simply with pickles, lettuce, tomato, and homemade mayonnaise, the palace royale was his favorite.
The real challenge lies in the low end. In the world of the mass-produced, middle-market, everyday, $5 burger, burger excellence is rare.
“I could never recommend eating at a low-end chain,” said Davis, no snob is he.
I have eaten Big Macs that have hit the spot as well as anything I’ve eaten. And I have driven miles and miles out of my way to eat a burger at the superior In-N-Out chain (the closest outlet to Seattle is in California). But in that end of the market, it is hard if not impossible to do much better than mediocre.
Even at the more highly regarded chains like Red Mill, the burger is not meaningfully better than the product at Burger King, which is to say that whether you are getting your burger from Red Mill, McDonald’s, 7-11, or the annual customer barbecue put on by Stoneway Electric every summer at its Wallingford supply house, the meat in question is a pre-formed beef patty of vague provenance and can taste only as good as a frozen, factory patty.
Few foods are more convenient than a frozen disk of ground meat. But the shame of places like Red Mill is that grinding your own meat and shaping it into a patty is such an easy thing to do, it seems a no-brainer given the elevation in quality that comes with it. So while the long lines in front of its stores would say I’m wrong, the Red Mill burger is ordinary at best and is only marginally distinct from the burgers at Kidd Valley, Burgermaster, Ballard Brothers Seafood, Dick's Drive-In, or most of the places you can get a $5 burger. Most likely, they get their patties from the same place.
What’s left between the high end and the low end is the hybrid chain, a type that has surged recently as people have become more discerning about the quality of their meat and more cognizant, in general, about the quality of food. The concept is to combine fast-food pricing with high-end ingredients and preparation. The burgers in the hybrid category generally cost more than $5 but less than $10, and that is where I found my “best burger.”
These places are generally located near centers of high-tech employment, or boutique shopping, installed in sleek, clean storefronts and furnished with shiny, chic tables and chairs in order to convey the message that they are a cut above the usual burger emporium. Blue Moon Burgers, with outlets in Fremont and South Lake Union, fits the profile, but its burgers ($6) were disappointing, no different than the $5 variety despite the fact that they claim to make their burgers from grass-fed, hormone-free beef.
The wisdom of the crowd, if you believe in that particular Internet phenomenon, adores the Lunchbox Laboratory in Ballard, the anti-high-end, high-end burger. From the outside, the restaurant looks like a beach-side snack stand. Diners eat in a rummage-sale-decorated patio and order from a chalkboard menu. A burger can be had for less than $10 (for a basic, quarter-pound burger) but many far exceed that price depending on the toppings you add, and the variety of meat. The Lunchbox Lab also serves ground lamb, duck, and buffalo among others.
The beef is ground by hand on premises from fresh, not frozen, cuts of organic, grass-fed sirloin and ribeye. The patties are not grilled but seared in a cast-iron pan. The integrity of the meat is beyond question, but the result seems to be an overcooked, overwrought burger that tries too hard by offering too many toppings and fails in its choice of bread.
When good burgers fail, it is usually for one of two reasons: They rely too much on fancy toppings, or they rely too much on fancy bread. Likewise, its eater is often too easily dazzled by fancy toppings or fancy bread. Such seems to be the case at Lunchbox Lab. It is a good burger, but not great. Or more to the point, it is trying for greatness in the wrong places, by offering toppings like balsamic hoisin, and crushed green olives. The culinary concept is superb, but the burger is just OK.
Moreover, the Lab committed the sin of an unworkable bun. Its Kaiser roll resists the bite; the contents tend to want to squirt out the other end of the bun.
“You want the bun to give way to the hamburger and become part of it,” said Davis, who serves his burger on New Orleans-style, po’ boy bread. “Our bread has a very crispy outside crust like crème brulee. The inside is light and airy and it kind of dissolves and melts in your mouth. .&thinsp.I’ve had bread where the crust is good and strong and firm but by the time I finish it, my mouth is cut up like I ate a bowl of glass. Sometimes the bread takes over the bun and become more than the burger itself.”
Like what you just read? Support high quality local journalism. Become a member of Crosscut today!
Twitter
Facebook
RSS Feeds
Comments:
Posted Thu, Aug 12, 10:31 p.m. Inappropriate
Might want to try The Red Mill for the absolute best burger in town. It is on 15th West just north of InterBay Golf (1613 W Dravus St), none better.
Posted Fri, Aug 13, 8:15 a.m. Inappropriate
Might want to try reading the article before commenting.
Posted Fri, Aug 13, 8:44 a.m. Inappropriate
Fears about e-coli have lead most outlets to overcook their meat. Last time I bought a burger (it's been some time) I could not get the meat cooked rare. They would not do it.
The reason burger places concentrate on additives and sauces is that overcooked hamburger has little flavor and without the accessories you are eating something that tastes like tofu.
Posted Fri, Aug 13, 9:03 a.m. Inappropriate
Will have to try Five Guys and the Counter. I'm surprised the author didn't comment on Zippies in West Seattle. I think it beats out Red Mill and the Lunchbox Lab, any day.
Posted Fri, Aug 13, 10:18 a.m. Inappropriate
I had no idea Five Guys was now in the area. Thanks for the tip.
For my money, the best "low-end" burgers are at Dick's. The nice thing about them is they don't actually cost $5, unlike those at Kidd Valley and Burgermaster — you can get about three regulars for $5. I prefer them to the Special and Deluxe, anyway. Which isn't to say I don't appreciate Burgermaster, by the way — love the place, but more for its other menu items than for its namesake dish.
And I'm with you on Lunchbox Laboratory. Went there once, and probably won't be going back.
My favorite mid-range burgers are probably at the Canterbury, at 15th E. and E. Mercer.
Posted Fri, Aug 13, 12:22 p.m. Inappropriate
Have to agree with your assessment of Lunchbox. I've eaten there three or four times now. Too cool for school low rent pretentiousness. Maybe drop the attitude and add a bit more cleaning? They seem to have forgotten that less can be more.
I actually heard one of their cooks tell a customer that he wouldn't cut her eight inch tall take out burger in half for her because "it violated his cooking".
All this to a background sound track of a counter girl who felt compelled to scream "coming through" every time she turned around, I mean 'every' time. No one there, one hand clapping ...
chazbear
Posted Fri, Aug 13, 12:33 p.m. Inappropriate
I wish there was a bacon cheeseburger in Seattle as good and cheap as what we usta get at the old 318 tavern on Nickerson. Those were the days, you could even get there by boat.
Posted Fri, Aug 13, 2:50 p.m. Inappropriate
If you are on the Eastside, try Teddy's Bigger Burgers in Woodinville. Very fresh beef, cooked to order, with simple but fresh toppings.
Posted Fri, Aug 13, 3:53 p.m. Inappropriate
I agree with Ben Lukoff that a Dicks burger is still basic; I've always been a Special guy myself. But one of my favorite burgers, simple and tasty ($8.95) is the Scoop Burger at Scoop de Jour ice cream shop in Madison Park. They're just great, and perfect for taking to the beach on a summer day.
Burger memories: the terrible burgers at Herfy's, the wonderful cheapos at Gil's Drive-in on Rainier near Columbia City, and the charcoal flavor of the ones grilled on a conveyor belt at the Food Giant in Courtland.
Fancy burger wise, I recommend the burger at Luc's in Madison Valley.
Burger alternative: The tuna melt at Burgermaster near U. Village.
Posted Sun, Aug 15, 8:47 p.m. Inappropriate
Knute Berger is right - as always-- how could a Berger be wrong on this
Counter is not great - nice folks, but only OK burgers
Try Kidd Valley (cheap) or Luc's (high end)
and Tavern Law does a killer one too
Posted Sun, Aug 15, 11:16 p.m. Inappropriate
Hugo,
To read this trash talk of 2 Bells and Dick's is just painful, much as I did enjoy that line, the "Kaiser roll resists the bite."
Thanks to Knute for the reference to Herfy's, which lost my patronage to the Outrageous Taco. Anyone want to make a plug for Dgg's? Or Daly's?
Now for truly meaty topics, can Crosscut please get back to our regularly scheduled Tunnel debate?
Posted Sun, Aug 15, 11:17 p.m. Inappropriate
Sorry "Dgg's" should read "Dag's".
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 10:10 a.m. Inappropriate
Hugo, you're all soy filler and no beef:
You imply that Dick's burgers are frozen and are $5. The truth is:
They're meat is always fresh, never frozen. AND a Dick's Deluxe(their high-end burger)is only $2.50 not a $5 burger.
The first part of being a good writer is not to mislead readers, Hugo.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 10:13 a.m. Inappropriate
"NotAHugoFan" is correct - Dicks is a fantastic burger joint, and one that has been famous around local seattle families for many years for a reason, and that reason is that it is cheap, freshly prepared, and never fails to be delicious.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 10:25 a.m. Inappropriate
Dicks is a great place to get a cheap burger. And how about Zippy's Giant Burgers? They make a great ground-themselves burger. And it does make a difference what kind of beef you use. Even Saveur food magazine had an extensive article about grinding your own beef and it just depends on what flavor you are looking for. Sorry, Kevin is the worst kind of food snob there is.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 10:28 a.m. Inappropriate
Hey hey calm down so he missed the boat on Dick's (it's true no frozen patties ever and nothing is really close $5 on the menu) he totally nailed it in regards to Red Mill so lets give credit where credit is due. That place has been the most overrated joint in Seattle for 10+ years.
Two Bells.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 11:06 a.m. Inappropriate
I'm just adding some love to Dick's Drive Inn here: for half the price of a Kidd Valley/ Red Mill/ Burgermaster/ yada yada yada is that you can get a decent chunk of meat that was hand shaped and not previously frozen.
I have not been to the Counter or the Lunch Box Lab to date, but I do really love the burgers at Ballard Brothers and Scooters. If you can chase it down, the Skillet Street Food van has a wonderful burger: grass fed beef, arugula, bacon jam, & cambozola, on a soft roll.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 11:08 a.m. Inappropriate
Must try a few of these places the next time I'm in Seattle. I'm definitely a Dick's fan. I frequent In-N-Out often, but I'd rather have a Dick's Deluxe over a Double Double (animal style) any day.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 11:13 a.m. Inappropriate
I am giving some love to Dick's.I think Hugo hit a nerve with that one.I mean has he even been there.Is there even anything on the menu for 5 bucks????It must be awesome as we love it so much we are willing to pile in the car and drive 80 miles plus round trip at midnight to satisfy a Dick's Deluxe craving!!!!!
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 11:56 a.m. Inappropriate
To be fair, and as others have mentioned, the meat at Dick's, Five Guys, and In-N-Out is never frozen. (That's apparently why In-N-Out has such a limited range, because they need to ship the beef to the restaurants fresh-but-refrigerated.)
That said, I have to give my loyalty to Zippy's. House-ground chuck (they used to run out of it on a daily basis early on!) makes a magnificent patty - all the others I've mentioned pale in comparison. Try the "Old No. 11" spicy burger... it's easily a "double-digit" burger experience every time for me.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 12:04 p.m. Inappropriate
Dick's is the best Burger in a 100 mile radius!!
The perfect cheese, perfect meat, Dick's has it all.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 12:44 p.m. Inappropriate
Please don't drag Dick's name through the mud like that. They don't serve frozen patties ever. It's always fresh meat and none of the burgers are $5. The highest priced one is $2.50. Please get your facts straight before writing an article about it. That's what journalists are supposed to do right? Make sure your facts are true?
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 1:22 p.m. Inappropriate
I was gonna bookmark this site since it had some interesting articles on my former home (Seattle). But, Mr. Kugiya's fact deficient article on Seattle's best burger shows that Crosscut either hire lazy reporters or sucker folks like me to give it a hit by flipping the facts.
Will travel 2200mi for a Deluxe AND Red Mill.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 1:31 p.m. Inappropriate
Reporters really should research their work better than this. In addition to Dick's, Kidd Valley is another restaurant where the beef is fresh and delivered every day.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 2:03 p.m. Inappropriate
Oh please! Dick's is huuuuugely overrated! I grew up eating Dick's burgers, and yes, I'd rather eat one than McDonald's - but they are certainly not the "best" burgers. I don't blame Hugo for thinking they use frozen patties, as the meat is small, squished, poor to mediocre quality that is reminiscent of a frozen patty. Oh, and the "cheese", any burger that relies on fake, orange plastic "american cheese" does not have "perfect" cheese. As for toppings, nothing fresh there folks! Just yellow wilted shredded lettuce in mayo for you. Tomato? Have some ketchup yuppie!
Beyond Dick's, I get tired of hearing people wax on about how great some old-timey small town burger dive is, when they're all using the same generic frozen, pre-packaged Sysco ingredients. Sure, these every-day old-school commodity burgers are passable, but they can never be considered great.
Hugo has it right, a great burger is about quality meat, ground on site, formed by hand and cooked that day. The bun should be quality bread, but the right texture. The toppings don't have to be fancy, but they should be fresh and good quality. Sorry folks, Dick's is fine for late night munchies, but not a great burger.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 2:05 p.m. Inappropriate
okay, so i actually read this article thinking it was an article about hunting for burgers. it's not. it's a review about the counter. simple as that. (hence the tag at the end giving the address of said restaurant) now, that being said... did this make me want to eat there? dear god no. i don't find a $10 burger to be a MODERATELY priced burger, he did not make it sound appealing (and i am STARVING). It was like he was told to give it a 3-page good review, he was underwhelmed by counter and we got this.
sorry, i am hungry and this just made it worse.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 2:05 p.m. Inappropriate
okay, so i actually read this article thinking it was an article about hunting for burgers. it's not. it's a review about the counter. simple as that. (hence the tag at the end giving the address of said restaurant) now, that being said... did this make me want to eat there? dear god no. i don't find a $10 burger to be a MODERATELY priced burger, he did not make it sound appealing (and i am STARVING). It was like he was told to give it a 3-page good review, he was underwhelmed by counter and we got this.
sorry, i am hungry and this just made it worse.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 3:33 p.m. Inappropriate
First to our fans -- thanks for sharing the love. We always appreciate it when our Dick's Devotees stand up for truth, justice, and the all-American burger.
So, for the record: Dick's meat patties are always fresh, never frozen. Our Dick's Deluxe is $2.50 and you'll always eat well for $5 dollars.
Hey, it's almost dinnertime!
Carrie Shaw -- Dick's media representative
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 5:30 p.m. Inappropriate
Dick's does not serve frozen disk of ground meat? Who is this idiot Hugo? Dick's burgers are by far the best burgers in Seattle anywhere. Maybe we should make Hugo into a frozen disk of ground meat.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 5:35 p.m. Inappropriate
Oh and $5.00 for a Dick's burger? Try $2.50. Maybe before you review a place you should at GO THERE FIRST you stupid putz!
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 5:43 p.m. Inappropriate
Love for Dick's
My wife and I drive from Snoqualmie to Seattle once or twice a month just to go to Dick's. We are so happy the Olive Way exit is open again.
I like Dicks's (a Deluxe and a Cheeseburger) more than In & Out or Five Guys, but they are very good too. I also like Burgermaster which I saw uses grass fed locally raised beef. My favorite burger was at a small tavern in Renton called 'Burgies', across from the Renton Municiple airport. The place was/is a dive, to be honest, but for 15+ years this was my favorite burger. A few years ago the name changed to 'Love's Landing' and the last time I was there (around a year ago) the burger was your standard average bar burger. I don't know what changed, and I didn't ask. I haven't been back since.
When I grew up in Wisconsin (30+ years ago), we'd go to A&W; - long before they switched to frozen meat. One A&W; refused to switch to the frozen patty and changed their name to J&W; and it remained a good burger for a long time. When I am back in Wisconsin, I still go to Kewpee's in Racine, which is also good or Cops in Milwaukee, which is great and has excellent frozen custard as well.
Posted Tue, Aug 17, 5:44 p.m. Inappropriate
Former-Belltowner. You must leave Seattle, now. You obviously do not understand how things work here. You can not dissect a Dick's burger, it is what it is, and it is the best. It's the taste that count's, it's not the size, or shape of the meat, or the brand of cheese, ("oh no! Not American cheese") or even the type of bun. It's a complete package, and if you don't understand that, then you are not really from Seattle. You madam are a fool. I assume you are female, as no real Seattle male would ever dis Dick's Drive-in, or attempt to "analyze" perfection. The only time a man complains about Dick's is before they open, and you have to wait. That's sucks, but it's worth the wait.
Posted Wed, Aug 18, 8:33 a.m. Inappropriate
Wow, clearly I underestimated the degree and intensity of love for Dick's around here. Which makes me think the phenomenon itself deserves its own article. Seriously, you guys are nuts, you know that don't you? You're like the Taliban and I mean that in a good way. Which is why if my editors let me, and Dick's will have me, I will absolutely devote a real article to Dick's. But in the meantime it seems I should at least address a few issues raised:
1.) Yes, in fact I regularly eat at Dick's, and have eaten too many times to count, usually around 2 a.m. and there is nothing like the Deluxe (with a tiny cup of those re-hydrated onions), I agree. I usually order two and skip the fries.
2.) By putting Dick's in the "$5" category, I did not mean to imply it costs $5, but less than $5 along with the burgers at Red Mill, Kidd Valley, etc. that are really no better in my mind. Whether it's fair for a $2.50 burger to compete with a $4.89 burger is debatable, but really it's a compliment to Dick's that I saw fit to include it in a higher price class. (If I went with a $3 category, its only competition would be Mickey D's and BK and that would not be a meaningful comparison.)
3.) I admit I did not inspect the meat lockers of every place I visited. I just figured all those pre-formed patties must have been frozen at some point because that's how the industry works. In retrospect it was an unnecessary distinction to make. Because freezing meat is perfectly fine and often necessary and doesn't necessarily compromise the taste of the meat. My issue is with the patty itself. Any pre-formed, institutional patty will always be just that and can't rise above its station in life very much.
Having said all that, I think Dick's is delicious for what it is: a fast-food, $2-$3 burger. The long lines in the middle of the night mean the burger is pretty fresh off the flat top.
But it's not the best. Sorry Mrroper and Carrie and unbeausaumon. Obviously it's not fair to compare Dick's to the Palace Kitchen or even the Counter. But if it's any consolation, I think it is as good as all the other $5 burgers (except for Five Guys (IN MY OPINION)), and I think that's saying a lot.
I think this proves that having a "favorite" burger is often an emotional choice. And it kind of supports the point I made in the article that in some ways, there's no such thing as a bad burger, like there's no such thing as an ugly puppy or bad sex.
Mrroper, I hope you do not really want to put me in a meat grinder and shape the little bits of me into a disk and put me in a freezer. I would not taste very good. And I don't think Carrie would approve of such violence done in the name of her fine employer. Let's bury the hatchet and I'll buy a Dick's Special sometime.
Until further notice,
Hugo Kugiya
Posted Thu, Aug 19, 1:05 p.m. Inappropriate
A few more from memory... In Tacoma... on Pacific... Arts Hamburgers. ALways hand ground and formed on the grill. Now gone... but a mainstay for many years... And Daly's on Eastlake.
Dags Beefyboys were good, but the Dagalac II... I can still hear Hardwicks voice on KVI raving about them. Scarry.
Dicks is a cult. Tasty one at that. Wearing your Graduation robes to Dicks for a free burger (and then working there to pay for school) are about as Seattle as the old hard hat dive masks at Ivars.
In Belleveue back in Boeing Bedroom days, before it was too beautiful for the rest of us, Maxie Broiler in Lake Hills was a treat reserved for nights Mom and Dad had a sitter, and we got the treat in return for being good (at least that was the intent...)
I would love to hear the back story on how Dag's came up with a name for a burger like "Dagalac II"... Anyone?
Posted Fri, Aug 20, 9:33 a.m. Inappropriate
Wednesday, I had an excellent burger at FATBURGER (change the name!) in South King County. Lots of great toppings, freshly pattied meat, good fries. A little pricey, but not outrageous.
Posted Fri, Aug 20, 3:08 p.m. Inappropriate
Dick's Burgers are cheap and greasy. The American Cheese is, um, well American Cheese (or as the lable says - Pasturized Processed Cheese Food Product). And you know what? after reading this entire article about burgers the other day, I went straight there! Yummmm!
P.S. I have just discovered the Five Guys in Renton (I understand there's one in NorthGate as well) and they really do rock. A few more well placed franchises and look out.
Login or register to add your voice to the conversation.