The Apple Store is your burger home away from home. Nestled next to Love Creek Orchards, The Apple Store serves up a lazy good burger. I don’t mean to say every worker there was lacking around, but this isn’t the place to go if you’re in a rush. Nevermind the detour, the Apple Store wants you to relax and take it easy and not check your emails every ten minutes to see if the world is actually falling apart without you. This burgertorium makes no apologies for taking it easy and for definitely not being fast food.

And is it worth it? All that god forbidden non-21st century analog undownloaded sit there?! Could it possibly be more burger zen than a good game of tap tap revenge and angry birds?

Yeah. ‘Cause it’s hot. And you’re in the middle of apple, Tx. So, whatever, relax. The decorum is as mom and pop apple pie as you can get- for reeeeeeeeelz. But you want it. And when your burger does show up you’ve soaked in a good two and a half decades of too adorable for words.

Now to the beef, right? I’ll admit, the bun’s a sweetie. If you’re ordering the the Spicy Pepper Jack burger then I definitely recommend going ” all the way” (wink) with the spicy jalapeño bun (even more awkward wink) which is actually the Sheila Partin’s jalapeño bun. Sure, Sheila. But really. The meat is crazy fresh, crazy delish, and crazy awesome. Your choice of cheese that comes nicely melted and a bag of chips and bam, a summer treat have you! Although you have to order the fries separate, the seasoning on those fried papas makes the separate order worth it. Beverages are free lemonade refills as well as tea and sodas available by the can.

So doublecheese says, sweet bun and awesome adventure warrant a nice plump 7.5. That sweet bun was a little tiresome, though, but Doublecheese will be returning for some more of that sweet country EAT IT.

Love Creek Orchards
State Highway 16 North
Medina, Texas 78055

Now Babe’s does have quite a menu with burgers, wings, and even pizza. Also, just by mentioning the place i get many a response in the line of “great fried pickles,” ” beer specials are pretty good there,” and “ah, the onion rings are great, ya gotta git em.” So it was definitely a contender for burger bliss.

I ordered the Guacamole Cheeseburger and the guac was pretty delicious. What wasn’t delicious was all that lettuce. I mean there was a lot that i had to shovel out. Once that matter was settled though, I must say this burger was pretty darn good. The bun was buttered and greasy, the patty was pretty juicy and over all everything came together pretty well on this burger. As good as it was, it was just that, good. Nothing jumped out too big about this burger. It is big. The onion rings were pretty darn scrumptious. Thin and seasoned so well, those onion rings at times out shined the burger. Fries were also a shining point of the meal. I couldn’t resist the shake and i don’t know if i ever will be able to because it was so darn good. Creamy, thick and picturesque, i’m ready for the summer with a shake like that.

Babe’s is a good stop for burger lovers. It’s got a sports/college atmosphere and the prices are pretty good, especially if you hit some of those lunch specials. I’m givin it a 7. Although not high on the list of eateries to return to I definitely suggest you EAT IT.

Babe’s Old Fashioned Food
4535 Fredericksburg Rd
San Antonio, TX
78201
210-732-6666

My first burger stop was a chain that is expanding wildly and tastily. Five Guys Burger and Fries is the proprietor of one of my favorite burgers (Slagosaurus, we were gonna get married and make out all the time together, but then i ate him) and although the San Antonio Five Guys at the Quarry was a bit of a disappointment, I still had fond memories. As my first burger in New York, I give it thumbs up up up and up. Twas delicious and I stand by my recommendation to one and all.

Shake Shack. A burger place that has it’s own iPhone app, deserves it. This burger felt great going down, fresh, organic, and simple. In a big concrete town, this burger makes you feel at home. Crinkle cut fries are absolutely delicious. Shake Shack gets thumbs up, hands down, it’s too legit.

And here comes another fast food chain lounge, wait, what? Lounge? Pop Burger is the answer to your need to be too New York cool and still satisfy my burger craving needs. Why? Because it’s a pop culture cool lounge that serves drinks and gets freaky, and it also serves little pops of burgers. I say watch out, those onion rings are not right. But every other poppin’ thing is just that- POP! Burger!

And now a New York upper east side establishment that keeps the yups on a comin’, J.G. Melon. The first thing I smelt in this place, the bar-b-que sauce. It smelt like sex. I infact twittered, while waiting the 45 minute wait in the ultra-cramp spaced: “Waiting@ jg melon for a table. Burgers smell like bacon/cheese/BBQ sauce & beef met @ a gay club and got weird w/ eachother. In a good way.” And it did! And all the tight warm space and the suits and the ritz and whatever else was totally worth it because that burger was sooooo rad. Added a side bbq sauce and got busy. Yelp has it listed as a $$ ( that’s a double chaching), and i guess it is, but man that sauce was spectacular and this burger in this fine New York establishment won my heartbelly.

Other than the burgers there wasn’t too many great things in New York and so I’d really suggest just going for the burgers. YEAH RIGHT. Go to New York and EAT IT in that glorious beautiful awesome place! or else.

Greetings burgermeisters! Let’s address the counter culture revolution, an American symbol of the working man, of coffee and pie, of darn good food being made on a time-seasoned grill.  My Austin burger review comes from a cafe that now inhabits one of Austin’s former legendary diners, now simply named, Counter Cafe. And trust me, it’s just that, a counter and a few tables, this tiny place open daily from 8am-4pm embodies the hole-in-the-wall-dive-joint entirely.  However tiny, patrons definitely don’t mind a wait to try some of the home diner style menu with a very refreshing gourmet twist. This place was brought to my attention by UT student by day, Lauren Miller, and her Aggie boyfriend, Sergio Guerrero, who highly recommended the burger and suggested staying away from the extra $3 bacon.

Counter Cafe, right off of Lamar and Sixth (across from Book People), is easy to miss.  But the tiny atmosphere creates an interesting warm feel, sometimes double sitting tables for need of the room (thanks to Austin and Texas hospitality, this wasn’t very awkward). Fast-moving and turning tables very quickly the diner definitely gives you an idea of the quick counter culture of Americana. In most restaurants the condiments are kept down to the standard mustard, ketchup, salt, pepper, and napkins always positioned in a clean and organized manner when turning tables.  Counter Cafe moves too fast to worry about these details and while the tables are clean, the array of sirracha, mayo, mustard, coarse sea salt, and ground pepper are all splayed about and ready to be used.

Not thinking twice about it I ordered the burger, sans bacon. My comrade however, a definite sucker for bacon in all its glory, went straight for the nitrate-free three dollar bacon. Ingredients are all natural, organic, and locally sourced when available.  You can order a wheat or white bun, sweet potato fries, cup of soup, seasonal fruit cup, or house salad.  I opted for a wheat bun and sweet potato fries, which Lauren highly recommended. I’ll tell you, as tiny as the place is and as gourmet as some of the other menu items are, they sure now how to make a simple, delicious burger.  I was amazed at how well it was cooked, the buttered and toasted bun, the fresh ingredients, and the interesting choice of bibb lettuce.  Pulling the ketchup and mayo from the condiment array and splattering them on the burger made it amazing.  The sweet potato fries had a perfect balance, not too sweet and seasoned with sea salt.  I devoured this baby whole, forced myself to go on to that one last delectable bite.  The Austin burger scene can be proud to add this to repertoire.  Although there was a bit of wait for the burger, you can see there are only two cooks in the kitchen with little more than elbow room. You can also openly see the care put into the food in as quick a manner as possible.

The reviews for this place in Texas Monthly’s issue of the 50 best burgers in Texas, Yelp, and the Austin Chronicle praise this little cafe. Going to give this swell joint an 8.5 and insist that you shove it in your mouth and EAT IT.

The Counter Cafe
626 N Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78703
(512) 708-8800
Hours: 8AM – 4PM Daily

This week’s burger establishment takes it name perhaps from that inarticulate sentence that rumbles out of my mouth in the most desperate and dire of burger times: Crave Burger. A sentence that beat out “Me want food,” Crave Burger is up on the podium for burger scrutiny, or love.

Located in San Antonio, Tx off of 410, Urbanspoon voters give it an average rating of an impressive 89% while Yelp reviews have Crave Burger carrying 5 delicious stars.  The reviews left me wondering what the star to jalapeño ratio was and whether I had enough thumbs to review this hit burgerium. From the parking lot the smell of a grill at work gets patrons mouths salivating. Practically running through the door, I  met with a well sized restaurant that uses the space wisely to sit a plentiful amount of guests.  The kitchen area, grill etc are all placed directly behind the counter putting guests at ease, and placing that mouthwatering aroma all around.  Big Red on tap, three different buns, that sexy fried egg option, Crave Burger definitely wants patrons to create a unique burger for their unique palettes.

My burger of choice was the island burger: grilled pineapple, bacon, lettuce, tomato on top of a fresh all beef patty. It said aloha in all the right ways.  Placed between the wheat bun option, my burger walked that sweet burger line. This burger was a gut buster i never wanted to stop masticating. Thick cut bacon on top of a juicy patty and a sweet thick cut pineapple created an ensemble that definitely put me in a tropical mind set. Unfortunately, the tater tots left a little something to be desired, seasoned salt perhaps, some seasoning at least, but the fries were your standard issue tasty.

The staff was amazingly nice and assisted with all my burger queries. Football on the flat screens and what seemed to be a pretty cool kids ipod hooked up to the stereo the atmosphere made my burger experience pretty swell.  Over all I give Crave Burger a fine 7.5. I will be back to try the tempting Chalupa Burger and I recommend you EAT IT.

Crave Burger
4263 NW Loop 410, Ste 100
San Antonio, TX 78229
(210) 592-1539

It’s the season to give and one of the best burger chains in Texas, Whataburger, is doing just that. Twelve Days of Whataburger, sponsored by the always delicious Dr. Pepper, gives coupons for free food throughout the Christmas season. So far I’ve gotten a taquito (yum), and a pumpkin fried pie, and forgot to go to Whataburger to pick up a nice 20 oz Dr.Pepper on the house. With four days gone I recommend everyone hurry and sign up for the delicious free tasties that’ll warm even a scrooge’s heart.
The promotion was originally for the 2007 Christmas season until coupons were leaked through that sneaky internet. However, alas, in 2009 they have made it out to the public so let’s enjoy!
while you’re there make sure to try the A1 Thick & Hearty Burger which is going to retire FOREVER after December 21st. this burger is not only incredibly delicious but it’s two patties of meat, bacon, onions, cheese, and A1 steak sauce which makes it even more incredibly Texas. The fact that it’s going to disappear breaks my heart. I’ve contacted the support hotline at least twice this week to plea for reconsideration on behalf of Whataburger and the powers that be. It was one of my dad’s favorites, and that man knew a thing or two about the ways of food.

So go my burger comrades! Eat it before it’s too late! Whataburger’s a 24 hr establishment for your convenience.

HERE’S THE LINK: C L I N K ! ! !

My next burger comes from a pretty big chain, Carl’s Jr. Started up in California from a few hot dog stands and crossed fingers the happy little star logo definitely has something to chuckle about. Spreading not just over the country but also over seas, I decided once I saw that giggling star logo show up in San Marcos, Tx I needed to put on my stretch pants and head on over.

Well I can tell you that the charbroiled six dollar guacamole burger fills your stomach pretty alright. Although, being in southern Texas I can be pretty critical on guacamole, and theirs is not too special. The charbroiled meat reminds patrons of Burger King, but the variety in burger toppings and choices makes Carl’s Jr. a little extra special. The meat isn’t a bad quality but does feel like it’s been frozen. Carl’s Jr. is good for the price and the partial table service is strange but nice. If you’re in a hurry and need a burger I say eat it.

Carl’s Jr.
(512) 392-0787
2219 S IH 35
San Marcos, TX 78666

Let’s talk about Five Guys Burger and Fries. A burger joint that originated in Arlington, Va back in 1986 has spread across the U.S. and now has over 300 locations in 25 states. Five Guys markets that the establishments do not contain any freezers, fifteen free toppings, making 250,000 possible burger combinations! Five guys recently opened a new location in Austin, Tx. Lauren Miller, a UT student and dance party aficionado, recommended I check the place out, see what the big deal is. So off I went to 3208 Guadalupe St in the ATX to investigate.

With burgers, simplicity is boss! The menu is straight forward. You can get a cheeseburger or a hamburger, little or regular. Little being one patty, regular being two. I went for the Bacon Cheeseburger. And a funny thing happened as i was ordering, i felt a strange and awesome liberation from premeditated burgerdom! I felt as i was saying pickles it was a free for all for any of the other 14 free toppings. So then I said sauteed mushrooms. And then I knew i needed bbq sauce but i wasn’t done yet. This burger needed one more somethingdelicious, so green pepper just came out. And that was it, with a Coca Cola as a burger chaser I was ready.

My burger showed up in a brown bag with greasy splotches all over, a good sign. I pretty much ripped opened the foil to find Slagosaurus. Yeah, this guy was so disgustingly handsome I had to name him. Then after the first rather happy bite I had no choice but to continue to make out with the bad boy. Slagosaurus was scrumdiddlyumptious because it was all my idea. The meat was fresh and the quality added to the topping melee. The bun tasted as though they had toasted it on the grill and had a sweet little taste. I have to praise this burger because the cheese alone is defying gravity right before my eyes. The fries, cajun style, were plentiful and tasty. There were so many fries my burger was swimming in them and so was I and we were in love.

As a strange note, Elijah Wood also dines at the Five Guys on Guadalupe in Austin. Way to go Indie creepy!

You know what I want you to do: EAT IT and EAT IT HARD.

Five Guys Burgers and Fries
3208 B Guadalupe St
Austin, TX 78703
Tel: 512-452-4300
Fax: 512-452-4310

Stay tuned for next post on another Austin favorite P. Terry’s Burger Stand!