Enter The Cove. Organic. Fresh. Real. Buying from local growers, The Cove makes gourmet food that is real. Located not far from the San Antonio burger institution Chris Madrid’s, which feeds off artery pollution, The Cove takes a fresh modern stand on food production. That stand has garnered attention from the Food Network’s Guy Fieri and was declared the best burger in San Antonio, 5th in the state by Texas Monthly.

So what’d doublecheese think of the SOL ( sustainable/organic/local) revolution that includes serving soda containing no high fructose corn syrup. Yum. Yum. Yes. And yum. A taste of the 09er burger has doublecheese reeling in delight for a goodness definable in every bite as a bite of the all natural product of people who do things conscience of the balance of nature. The burger selection is constructed thoughtfully, putting inconsideration the gourmet and still evading the pretention that can tag along in these matters. The patty is juicy and cooked with skill. Sweet potato and potato fries are available and savory. The sauce that accompanied my burger, although never defined, had an interesting zest that was spiced perfectly and made my sweet potato fries inhalable.

Something that also needs to be mentioned is the environment. Compared to an Austin dive, The Cove does have something fun about it. Maybe it’s the ping-pong table, the kid playground, the live music or the offer to do your laundry and wash your car their if you need to- that’s right maybe The Cove does have it all. Every 2nd Thursday is wine-tasting Thursday. Every 3rd Thursday is beer tasting Thursday and the fees for these events are decent.

My qualm with The Cove is the pricing. The menu is awesome with a seriously awesome shrimp taco under it’s belt and several other items on the menu that demand several lip-licking moments. But a ten dollar burger has never been my dream pricing. Maybe it’s telling of the economic times and maybe it’s just the price of buying local and dealing with growers who are hurting in the food inc times. While doublecheese has yet to return to Smashburger, for the deliciously over-priced, doublecheese definitely will be returning for the feel good burger revolution.

Now, the final count. Ideals, taste and price combined, doublecheese is compelled to give The Cove a 9. The burger is great. They are one of the best burgers in the San Antonio area. I say: Eat it and it local.

The Cove
606 W Cypress St
San Antonio, TX 78212
(210) 227-2683

My burger voyage will now take you to a trendy dive off Wurzbach and IH10, orderup^. This place markets itself as a fine pizzeria, taqueria, and burgeria, which is very cool until you say burgeria so many times that it sounds like something else -arrhea (sick, sick, sick).

Now walking into this hip little place makes guests feel free and new and excited. There’s a world of opportunity out there of Spanish/ Italian/ American choices. Choices that ultimately will cost you! Veggies climb as high as $1, Cheeses at 75 cents, and additional meats (including a fried egg) escalate to $1. So if we start with your basic burger at 4.95 for lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and a butter toasted seedless bun and want to grow from there- well just try and stay within your burger budget is all.

My resultant burger was expensively impressive. Add grilled peppers, guacamole, and jack cheese atop your basic burger foundation and voila a tres tastey very dressed up burger. Now, I kinda really liked this place. There’s mint to put in your tea or lemonade and you look so cool hanging out in a place in San Antonio that not only has live muic but also has an improv troupe perform there. But when I picked up my burger the bun was cold to the touch (gross) and yeah the guacamole was really awesome, but that was a large part of my driving to the end of the burger. Not the meat, or the (applied to liberally) grilled peppers. Infact, I even flipped the bun off my burger and fished out the guacamole with a chip (which was satisfying). The salsa was pretty friendly, not too spicy. The service was awesome, the restaurant is clean, and there’s a nice patio with outdoor seating.

I’ll probably go back and not order a burger. Pizza, perhaps, and the boy at the register highly recommended the tacos. But a burger, I’ll probably go a cheaperelsewhere. So, Orderup^ i give you a 6.0 and say pass on the eat it.

OrderUp
9873 IH-10 W
San Antonio, TX 78230
(210) 877-0007

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

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

This review is on my first burger of 2010 at the Elevation Burger on Great Hills Trail in Austin, Texas. This burgery is a purpose driven establishment that brings the burger back to the basics: Quality Food.  Elevation takes its business seriously, and burgers are its business. With an organic label on their ingredients and a commitment to the environment that is exhibited in their environmental structure the promise of a delicious burger is there. However, behind all these feel good, green, trendy notions could be a burger that doesn’t live up to it’s marketing genius, maybe.

My visit on January 1st was one filled with apprehension and high hopes.  The restaurant is located across from the Arboretum, a rather pleasant and moneycentric side of town.  The kind of place where you could market the green good life trends to yuppies and they’d eat it all up.  On my visit I tried to keep an eye on the locals and the staffing, and I was surprised and pleased with both.  This restaurant serves to the conscious Austin burger eater, a patron that believes in a better self as well as a better world in which the way to both are within our grasps. The staff was extremely nice and very helpful with all our burger questions and they seemed genuinely happy to be helping people and working hard. The actual experience of the restaurant was great. But all of that could fall through if the burger didn’t deliver.

The wait was decent, considering my burger was being made fresh from meat ground on the premises. When our burgers arrived I saw a perfectly sized burger that had a P. Terry’sesque feel to it.  Infact, the burger does resemble the Austin chain in several ways. Mainly because of the quality, organic seal on the ingredients and the simplicity of the burger.  This burger was amazing.  It was delicious and perfectly sized, not the kind of burger that has your gut evicting other organs for need of space. The patty, the fresh vegetables, the Elevation sauce (not Thousand Island but a sort of creamy tomato concoction), the simply stated bun all compiled an ensemble that made my taste buds fall into that deep burger LOVE. The fries, although were a bit too toasted, were impossible to stop devouring. All in all, my Elevation burger was a great to start to 2010. Environmentally friendly, health conscience, and enjoyable in just about every way possible I’m happy Elevation started my year off.

I highly, highly recommend Elevation Burger to anyone looking for a delicious feel good treat. Rated on a scale of 1-10 this burger gets a highly deserved 9 and you absolutely must EAT IT.

Elevation Burger
9828 Great Hills Trail
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 608-4054

Hours of Operation:
Sun-Thurs: 11am-9pm
Fri-Sat: 11am-10pm

Back with another Austin favorite- Phil’s Ice House! Located on Burnet road and attached to an Amy’s Ice Cream, this burgery looks extra fun! fun! fun! This is something that definitely continues to be said about the burger and beer place, the kids. On Yelp and Urbanspoon reviewers adore the grub and seem to see the shorter and often cuter patrons of Phil’s as a pox on the joint. But, in my eyes, in the season of holidays and cold weather, I found those foreign little people quite a pleasure. One fellow patron dining with me infact had on a pink, glitter tutu skirt. That and knowing that I wasn’t the only one dying to finish my burger and rush to the adjoining ice cream stand made me feel less guilty.

Enough about the visitors, Phil’s décor makes it look like a swinging joint. There’s a rather interesting playground, had it not been freezing and late, that I would have conquered. The menu has a certain Austin Pizzazz to it with burgers named so the locals can grin and order a burger that hits home in more ways than one. There’s beer available ( YES!), there’s shakes just over the way (Double YES!) and there are sweet potato fries. Sweet potato fries are much healthier than regular fries and also just a tad sweeter. You can get your basket of fries mixed or just regular or just sweet, your call of course. I decided to order the 78704 Burger, it screamed flavor explosion.

When we went, on New Year’s Eve the employees were pretty fun to talk to, even if they were busy serving a full house. Looking for seating was a little rough with all the patrons, and when we settled down to a roomy booth, a family came in that was going to have to split onto two small two seater tables. My friend suggested we move to the two seater table and let the family of five take the booth. A generous but small move, I thought, that would reward us in the end.

I must say this, I am not a charbroiled fan, but at Phil’s Icehouse they seem to have my ticket. This burger was feisty and delicious, he gave me a run for my refill and had me stuffing sweet potato fries into my mouth to put out the tingling fire. This burger is not a five alarmer, but it definetly leaves a flavorful tingle. The avocado, the jalepeno bun, the well placed jalapeno bombs, and monterrey cheese make this burger a winner in my eyes. Word on the street is that the 78704 also fairs well as a chicken sandwich, or unburger. My fries were well toasted and I must admit this was a worthy burger to see 2009 off with.

AND as my comrade and I headed to Amy’s after words to indulge our sweet teeth we found that family that we had given the booth to had purchased our dessert for us! It was a rather sweet gesture that made me see what it is about Texas hospitality in Austin that makes it a great capitol city and burger heartland. Thanks once again to that family out there!

And to sum it all up, I <3 Phil's. I can't wait to go back and try anyone of their Austinonian burgers and follow it up on the playground with some Amy's Ice Cream.

I give this burger a very full 8 and say you absolutely have to EAT IT all up!

Phil’s Ice House
5620 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78756
(512) 524-1212

Alas the doublecheeseblogger returns from the busy nothing of life! Everyone listen to me, today in the soggy drip of the day I headed to Freddy’s the frozen custard and steakburger fast food dive on Potranco. I would like to give you a delicious report on the tasty steakburger, however I was a little disappointed in the thinness of the patty. I could barely taste the ground beef surrounded by all the toppings. I had ordered the California Burger combo, a single patty (bad decision) with onions, tomato, lettuce, Freddy’s special sauce (tasted like thousand island), and cheese. All those ingredients overpowered the thin patty. I think it was delicious, in a double patty burger I’m pretty sure it would be great, however the burger in a single number is no bueno.

The fries are anorexic thin but darn it they aren’t addictive. Throw some seasoned salt on those skinny little potato bits or don’t you’ll find yourself inhaling them all. Would I go back, I guess. I’d definitely try a bigger burger and add some bacon, but it’s not the first burger chain to come to mind when I’m jonesing for some cheesy beef goodness. Eat it? I guess.

Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
8843 Potranco
San Antonio, TX 78245
(210) 520-2436

There isn’t much new I can tell you about Top Notch on Burnet Rd in Austin, TX. Nothing has really changed there since the 70s. However, why would you want to change something that is so right. Charbroiled burgers, golden onion rings that are not the least bit greasy, a steady amount of regular patrons that give the place its own Texas seasoning, and a decor to match your favorite Texas steakhouse three decades ago make Top Notch an interesting experience before you’ve even ordered your burger. The biggest impression is left by the sweet charbroil aroma that fills the atmosphere of the restaurant. Knowing that anything this place serves up is gonna be as delicious as it’s conviction to decor I ordered the Longhorn Special.

This double meat, special sauce, lettuce, tomato, onions (not on mine), and cheese burger, add bacon hit home. It had an all American feel. There was an amount of care and pride in the burger. The Stanish family has been running this business for decades and they love what they do and it shows. The cheese was melted perfectly and the bacon was cooked to perfection. The special sauce mingling with the lettuce and tomato gave the burger a fresh taste that let the two patties be delicious and not overwhelming. It has been said over a hundred times and I can only concur that Top Notch is serving one of the absolute best burgers in Austin. My onion rings were some of the best I’ve had. Not greasy, just golden and perfectly ketchup dippable.

Top Notch has had its share of celebrity. If you’ve ever seen the Linklater hit “Dazed and Confused” then you’ve seen Top Notch’s big screen debut. Local artists have also taken some inspiration from the diner such as Jennifer Balkan and George Boutwell. It is a staple in the Austin community. A place that values pride and Americana. James Stanish, who began working at Top Notch for 50 cents an hour as a bus boy when he was 12, took over the business after his father. Stanish sadly passed away this past November, however a legacy has been left behind of quality service and product. Please go EAT IT and enjoy a burger that is quite possibly burger perfection.

Top Notch Hamburgers
7525 Burnet Rd
Austin, TX 78757
(512) 452-2181

Rudy’s Bar-b-que has decided to branch off from the brisket and sausage game and make something else I could eat all day every day: burgers.  Mighty Fine: Burgers, Fries, and Shakes is into quality.  They ground and hand form their burgers in the store daily and cut and crinkle their potatoes to make fresh delicious crinkle fries.  Although the menu is pretty simple, the burgers pack an intersting and delicious taste.   

I ordered the Jr. Cheeseburger (one 1/4 patty) with yeller, red, jalapenos, lettuce, tomato, pickle, and no onions! I inhaled it and knew I need to order the double patty next time.  It was pretty darn good.  Nothing outrageously spectacualr just a nice little burger. Organized and not as messy as some of my favorite burgers (Five Guys), pleasant because it strives to do the best it can at all the simple and great things.  The flavors in the burger punch in an iconic burger component way.  Lettuce shows up fresh as ever.  Tomato is thick cut and ready to party.  Pickle is thick and sprinkled about each bite adding the extra sour kick.  I maybe could have used more cheese, but I’m a double cheese kid and can’ get enough of the stuff.  There are beverage troughs much like Rudy’s Bar-B-Que and the hand dipped shakes and fresh squeezed strawberry lemonade make it seem like a burger at your town summer fair.  The white and blue checkered table covers and the cafeteria seating are fun.  Mighty Fine has been getting business from all over Austin. And I can understand why, they’re simply delicious. EAT IT. 

Mighty Fine: Burgers, Fries, & Shakes
10515 N MO Pac Expy, Ste 105
Austin, TX 78759
(512) 524-2400