ACHATZ BURGERS - St. Clair Shores.

This week we went to Achatz Burgers in St. Clair Shores. It's a small establishment with a large amount of boating decor. Of course, since  they are right on the Nautical Mile on Jefferson, thats hardly unusual. When I walked into this family owned and run place, I noted how clean it looked. This was a place where the people there take pride in their business. Thats always a good sign. And if the name Achatz seems famikliar, well thats because it's the same Achatz of Achatz Pie Company (cousins if I remember right). When you walk in, you order at the counter, and then get your table. The menu is pretty simple. Mainly burgers and dogs and fries, It's reminicent of Five Guys that way, but they manage to beat Five Guys at their own game.

The burger patties are smaller, but are handmade and the quality more than makes up for it. They also have excellent homemade buns. You can order a basic Burger, Cheeseburger, or Bacon Cheeseburger. All condiments are no extra charge. They have a few named burger combinatins on their menu, but getting a special order with their system is easy. I had a bacon doublecheese burger. In addition to their burgers, they offer fantastic hand-cut fries. Not many hand-cut fries I get tend to be a big soggy and be more baked potatoey that french fry. Not so here. Hand cut potatoes, thinner than usual hand cuts, and with skins on, were golden, brown, and crispy. And they offer several ways to get your fry on. Parmesan Fries, Brown Butter Fries, Cheese Fries, Chili-Cheese Fries and others. I ordered parmesan fries. I had a sprite to drink, but a few of my companions had the shakes. And they all were taken aback at how good they were.
Places like this are why I run It's HAMBURGER DAY. These independent places that always show that they can do what the big chains do and do it better! I will be headed back here in the future. I have a couple friends who live nearby so now I will have to visit them more often.

My cohorts this day were: Mike 'Freon' Andaluz, Mike Marcus, Terry Williams, and Trevor Bennett.

Head on out if you find yourself on the east side. You will not be dissapointed.

What goes in a burger?

I've been asked on more than one occasion about what can a hamburger be made from? Some people mix meats like lamb and pork and emu and whatever else can be ground and made into a patty. But to me the answer is simple.

A hamburger is made from BEEF! PERIOD! NO EXCEPTIONS!

Now this is not to say that some of these other concoctions are not good, because they are. I saw a post lately about a recipe for fishburgers. Patties made from ground fish. Now this sounds good, but it's not a HAMBURGER. I do think it's okay to end the name with burger. It conveys the ground meat / sandwhich nature of the food in general. Chickenburger, turkeyburger, fishburger, etc.

But HAMBURGERS are beef. This goes back to the original ground beef sandwhich that was concieved in a diner on the docks of Hamburg, Germany. It was a ground beef patty, on buttered bread and topped with a butter-fried egg. This would eventually become the hamburger we know and love (thats another post for another day)

So what do I like in my hamburgers that I make? Well, everybody should feel free to experiment and find what they like. I like to use a 50/50 mix of sirloin and chuck. I prefer to grind my own beef. Patties are 4oz. and I do use a burger form. I find one of the best ones you can get is a lid from a jar of JIF peanut butter. Holds a perfect 4oz of beef and creates a nice 1 inch thick patty.

I season the freshly ground beef with a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Old Bay. This mix has never failed me before and I just eyeball the seasonings. Again...find what works for you.

With summer about to start, this should help you all find a perfect burger for your grilling needs. Feel free to post what you like to do for your burgers below.

O'TOOLES - Royal Oak, MI

Well, I was laid off last week. Hamburger Day took a hit while I was working since we were pretty busy at the time, but now with some unexpected free time and the need to drown my sorrows, I threw together a last minute HAMBURGER DAY. This time we braved the wilds of my backyard and ventured out to O'Tooles in Royal Oak.

Richard & Terry showed up as well as Freon. We had a nice time. And they were haveing a $3 special for burger and fries. The $3 burger was a bit small and a bit dry, but still very edible. Also I had an ulterior motive for O'Tooles. You see, I have been there several times, but never gotten a burger there. They have a good corned beef sandwich and very good fish & chips. But my favorite thing they have are the PEPPERJACK CHEESE CUBES! Spiced, deep fried chees balls. MUCH better than bland mozzerella sticks. These used to be available year ago at Mr. B's in Royal Oak, but they stopped serving them, much to the chagrin of their patrons. O'Tooles has them, but they are not ON the menu. But if you can ask for them.

We'll have to go back for their standard burger in the future. The $3 was okay...not great, but for $3 I'm not really complaining. And theiur sides are great. So go on out and check them out. They also throw a great St. Patty's Day bash and have a nice beer selection.

And a PS: If you opt for their cobb salad, as Richard did, they will warn you it's very large. Well thay ain't layin'! It's huge! You have practically ordered an old-frowth forest...with cheese.