THE BEST BURGERS I EVER ATE, AND HONESTLY COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!! (trust me, if there is one thing I know, it's a burger)

2013-05-07T12:17:00.001-07:00

To Be added; *Freddy's, Buddy's, Whataburger, White Castle, Shake Shack, Wayback burger, Burger Yum, BurgerIm, Fuddruckers, Braums, Dad's Garage, Checkers, Steak and Shake, Burger Fi, Mooyah, Alumni Grill, Classic Sandwiches, TGI Fridays

27. Twin Kiss, Palmyra, PA (closed its doors)-

"Im going to include this place despite the fact it is no longer there because I truely think this is where I fell in love with the all-american cheese burger. So basic, but so beautifully perfect. The greatness was in the simplicity."

What to order?- King Burger, share a family size fry with those you bring with, and have a home made root beer and/or float.
PRO- Perfect sized burgers, homemade root beer and shakes, sharing a "family sized" french fry with the the whole fam.
CON- They no longer exist.

26. NEWLY ADDED! White Castle, Somewhere in New Jersey!

25. Johnny Rockets, Greenwich Village, NYC, NY

"How can I not include the Burger I had at Johnny Rockets in 2002 on my list when they claim to be the home of the Original Hamburger? Well, it's maybe slightly better than a Denny's Hamburger honestly, and that's no slight on Denny's, but I give Rockets the nod from our Diner brothers, congrats."

What to order?- An original Hamburger of course!
PRO- Solid diner burger, affordable and convenient.
CON- Not inventing the atom bomb either.

24. Kristys Whistle Stop, Enola, PA

"Pretty unremarkable all in all, however the true charm is in the nostalgia of the setting, takes you back to a simpler time"

What to order?- Boxcar or Whistle burger should treat you right.
PRO- Classic Burger and Ice Cream Drive in, beautiful setting next to the susquehanna river.
CON- Food a very average 3 out of 5, and only open seasonally.

23. CLOSED! Coakleys Irish Pub, New Cumberland, PA CLOSED!

"And in particular they get a nod because of their Sliders on little pretzel rolls. This was my first venture into putting burgers on pretzel bread. And boy, am I sure glad I did!"

What to order?- Pretzel Burger Sliders
PRO- Reasonably priced, Little pretzel rolls perfect with the sliders
CON- Sliders are not a meal, just an appetizer or snack.

22. Reesers Ice Cream, Lewisberry, PA

"Reesers gets a nod in my top 20 for two reasons really;
1. Being the same reason that Twin Kiss and Kristy's were included, and that is its "throw back" nature, an homage to a time when "fast food" didn't exist, and families went out and truly enjoyed an evening together.
2. Being the owner Donald Reeser is perhaps the nicest, most honest business owner a person could ever meet, and to not honor that in todays society of ever failing small businesses would be a crime in itself"

What to order?- Donnies classic Cheeseburger will treat you right, just remember a shake too. I'm definitely going to try a burger with Donnies famous chilli on it next time I go.
PRO- Some of the best homemade soft serve ice cream you could ever imagine to go with your burger!
CON- Seasonal (Memorial through Labor day)

21. Goodburger, New York City, NY

"Claimed to be the best burger in NYC, I will second that notion as my lone experience at Goodburger was a lasting one."

What to order?-
PRO- Their well-trained “burger chefs,” cut, grind and form each Goodburger by hand in their own facility, maintaining total control and quality of each and every burger. Everything at Goodburger is cooked to order, and unlike many fast-food concepts, goodburger uses only china plates and silverware for in-house dining and environmentally-friendly biodegradable packaging for take-out. Reasonably priced for NYC too.
CON- Not many, perhaps the biggest for me is just not being from NYC and not being able to frequent again.

20. Red Robin, Hershey, PA

"For myself and my older brother Red Robin was one of our first restaurant jobs, so in that alone lies a certain amount of love. With that said, as far as chains go, few produce better burgers, and with bottomless Steak fries, who can really say a bad word about the bird."

What to order?- God honest truth, BEST TURKEY BURGER EVER. If you aren't feeling like poultry, go the way of the classic RR Cheeseburger, and don't change a thing, It's perfect.
PRO- Consistent, reliable, and #1 Turkey burger in my opinion. Unlimited steak fries!
CON- Pricey, and it's a chain.

19. Squareburger, Franklin Square, Philadelphia, PA

"The Stephen Starr imagined property is literally a box that sits in Franklin Square in Philadelphia and kicks out awesome, basic burgers and crinkle cut fries."

What to order?- Not a ton to choose from, make sure you get a Tastycake Kandycake Milkshake, they are famous!
PRO- Ive said it before, Ill say it again, the genius is in the simplicity of it all.
CON- Barely a restaurant, seasonal operation.

18. Rookies Bar and Grille, Harrisburg, PA

"This sports bar touts 'Best burger in the burg' and honestly they don't fall very short of what's promised. They serve delicious hand pressed burgers on homemade rolls that grapped my attention from bite number one"

What to order?- Try the First and ten
PRO- Very creative and innovative list of burger combinations and designs
CON- A little pricey for what it is, a burger in a basket at a sports bar. And ultimately it is not in the best of neighborhoods.

17. Standard Tap, Philadelphia, PA

"Standard tap is an awesome gastropub in Philadelphia that gives its dinners a gourmet burger at a reasonable price. They've been open over 10 years now and continue to give pub goers an grilled, all natural 7oz patty that keeps people coming back"

What to order?- "Standard Burger", duh
PRO- Awesome ambiance, delicious, natural burger!
CON- Pricey if your looking for a fast food type burger, still a gourmet-style burger, and priced as such.

16. Flamers, Mechanicsburg, PA

"You see them in malls, airports and other kiosk type locations, and I just get the feeling you are going to laugh at me for this one, but I'll be damned if I don't love there char-grilled tasting burgers"

What to order?- I really like the Turkey burger over the open flame, its the most beef tasting turkey burger you will find!
PRO- Char-grilled over open flame, plenty of topping options, great turkey burger and other healthy options. Good, classic french fry.
CON- Not much more than another franchise burger joint, but at least one with a good structure. Not inventing the wheel here.

15. Jackson House, Harrisburg, PA

"These are the places legends are made of, with operating hours of 11am till 2pm, you just now the demand most far exceed the supply!"

What to order?- What ever you can!!! They take last orders at 1:40pm!!!
PRO- Best Burger in the city agreed upon by... well... everyone.
CON- Tough one, hours of operation.

14. NEWLY ADDED!!! Ted's steam burgers, Meriden, CT

13. Red Rabbit, Duncannon, PA

"Good lucking trying to find another place like this, one of the last of its kind a true old school drive in with window trays and everything!"

What to order?- Bunny Burgers! (not made from real bunnies)
PRO- Ambiance, experience, food, price, all great
CON- Not the place to go in a hurry

12. Zac's Burgers, Folsum, PA

"Quaint little burger joints with 3 locations, this place met all of my expectations on what a burger joint should be"

What to order?- Zacs Double Cheeseburger
PRO- Good Burgers+WAFFLE FRIES
CON- Menu leaves some room for creativity, would love to see Zacs get crazy.

11. Campus Grille, Lancaster, PA

"Right off the F&M campus is the Campus Grille, aside from having a huge and creative menu, I have yet to have even one item there that I have not thoroughly enjoyed!"

What to order?- Bacon Cheeseburger
PRO- Burger blew me away
CON- Little pricey, not much more than a coffee shop esque setting ambiance wise.

10. Original Tommys Burgers, Los Angeles, CA

"Perhaps the messiest burger to make my list, it was worth ever bit of slop my face and shirt had to take"

What to order?- Original Tommy Double Chilli cheeseburger with peppers
PRO- Best Chilli Cheese burger you'll ever have, comes with free hot peppers too!
CON- If you don't like messy, chilli or spicy, look elsewhere.

9. Fat Burger, Los Angeles, CA

"I mean, as far as burger chains go, this is about as good as it gets, but it just seems to me to be lacking something the top guys have. With that said, if you see a fatburger, and have never been to one, pull the car over!"

What to order?- The Medium fatburger should suffice, I like there fries and onion rings
PRO- Big burgers, maybe too big?
CON- Big prices for chain

8. Houlihans, Kissimmee, FL

"The hands down surprise of the list is when I stopped in a Houlihans for lunch in Kissimmee, FL and had one of the five best burgers I've ever had in my life!"

What to order?- The Spicy Frito Guac Burger
PRO- An amazing combination of Fritos, Guacamole, pico, cheese and jalepenos over top a perfectly cooked burger (about 8oz give or take) on a brioche roll.
CON- Only served at some Houlihan locations, not available at the location nearest me in Hershey, PA, so chances are I will never have this burger again, and it will just be seared into the annals of my brain for eternity.

7. NEWLY ADDED!!! Steak and Shake, Indianapolis, IN
6. NEWLY ADDED!!! Smashburger, Cancun Int. Airport, Mexico
5. NEWLY ADDED!!! Culvers Butter Burgers, Blue Springs, MO

4. Five Guys Burgers, Mechanicsburg, PA

"Where to start, oh dayum, just let this guy tell it"

What to order?- Get yourself that double cheeseburger player
PRO- Ghetto grocery bags, The crispity crunch
CON- I'm over the peanut oil, fresh cut fry fad, everyone's doing it, but five guys was among the first!

3. In-N-Out Burger, Las Vegas, NV

"There is literally nothing bad to say at this point, this is the creme of the crop, just a matter of preference from here on out! The 5 guys of the west coast, I give you, In-N-Out"

What to order?- Try a burger off the secret menu, go animal style!

PRO- Extremely affordable, extremely good, extremely good service 100% of the time. Mom and Pop store success story.
CON- Good luck getting to one east of the Mississippi river, usually very, very busy at all hours of day and night so not traditional "fast food".

2. Burgatory Bar, Pittsburgh, PA

"This little Gem was found outside the city in a town technically called Robinson, PA, but wow! It's almost not fair to give them bonus points for LITERALLY having the best tasting shakes I've ever had in my life, but I'm doing it, so there"

What to order?- A burger from their checklist however you want it from the gourmet assortments of beef/proteins, cheeses, breads, vegetables, seasonings and sauces, just try to not get too giddy when filling out your order, I know we were like kids on christmas morning. DO NOT PASS ON GETTING A MILK SHAKE, I REPEAT DO NOT PASS. We recommend the Caramel Chocolate Pretzel or S'mores milkshake.
PRO- EVERYTHING and the SHAKES
CON- Price is a little steep, portion sizes are INSANE.

1. The Habit Grille, Santa Barbara, CA

"This small chain hands down boasts my favorite burger, fry and shake combo of anywhere in the world. I don't know if its just the scenic coastlines of sunny southern california, or if they are just doing everything right. But this is the one place I cannot get away from on every visit to the left coast. In the end its simplicity that triumphs, and this micro chain outdoes its giant competitors, even the vaunted In-N-Out"

What to order?- Char-burger, French fry and shake
PRO- Favorite Burger in the world, perfectly golden classic french fries, and shakes never disappoint.
CON- So far away from me.

The worst thing in the history of bad things... thanks once again to McDonalds

2012-01-26T02:38:00.000-08:00

I thought we went through this already, it all started with Morgan Spurlock uncovering some unsavory things about the effects of Mickey D's, and McDonalds over the course of the next decade partaking in one of the largest P.R. overhauls in recent memory. So why this digression?

(Story continued underneath the photo)

At first I just thought it was a cute new contribution to American's inability to handle portion control; equipped with cute box as well as a built in slot for your dipping sauce, what was not to love? Well, the answer to that question is the product itself.

There I found myself, unable to resist the new little brother of the world famous, and nostalgic Chicken McNugget. Little did I know this was actually the backwoods cousin with no blood relation. Showing up in the middle of the night uninvited, a la Randy Quaid in the Vacation Movies.

As I ate the "food", if you can even call it that, even the sauce was not able to mask the disappointment that surely showed on my face. The only solace I could muster was that it was 12am, and I was sitting in a car alone, thus only my life was sadder than pathetic quasi-meat product I was driven to sample.

The first thing I noticed was there was a remarkable void of meat in something so generously called "chicken". As I dug through the tiny box of fried nothingness, I looked for just one piece of mini chicken nugget that resembled what I had seen on the ad that night. I never found that nugget. Instead I found fried... well fried. Its a box of fryer scraps. I have often heard of obese people requesting fryer leftovers from Long Johns Silvers, or what they so grossly call their "Leavins", but I always thought this to be an urban myth. But now I'm not so sure?

Do we really live in a day and age where we have enough expendable income and derision for our health, that we pay for garbage?

They sell a 4-ounce “Snack” size ($1.99), a 6-ounce “Regular” size ($2.99), and a 12-ounce “Shareable” size ($4.99). Shareable being the only responsible thing McDonalds has done here, essentially saying "under no means necessary should you as an individual ever even think about trying to eat this alone."

Thanks to McDonalds for another contribution to my list of some the of the worst things in the world.

The 30 best things to eat in Philadelphia

2010-11-29T23:15:00.000-08:00

What a better way to start this blog of "lists", than one that is near and dear to my heart, with the city I love and thing I love to do there; Eat.

1. Cookies at "The Famous 4th street cookie Co."
2. Steaks at "Pat's cheesesteaks"
3. Pizza at "Lorenzo's pizza"
4. Shrimp jammers at "Manny Browns" on south st.
5. Schmidter at "McNallys"
6. Teriyaki Filet Mignon at "The Continental" (NEW ADDITION)
7. Tastycake Shake and a burger from "SquareBurger"
8. Roast Pork at "DiNics" (NEW ADDITION)
9. Italian hoagie from "Paesano's"
10. Canoli's from "Termini Bros. Italian Bakery"
11. Steaks at "Jim's cheesesteaks"
12. Crab Fries and a pizza from "Chickies and Petes"
13. Ice Cream from "Franklin Fountain"
14. Egg rolls from "Golden Bowl" at Reading Terminal
15. Cajun pasta salad at "Becks Cajun Kitchen" (NEW ADDITION)
16. Ice Cream at "Bassetts Ice Cream"
17. Wings from "Moriartys"
18. Abbruzze cheese spread at "Di Bruno Bros"
19. Italian Hoagie from "Primo's"
20. The Heater from "Campos"
21. Chicken cheesesteak nachos from "McFaddens"
22. Brunch at "Race Street Cafe"
23. Burger from "Great Burger"
24. Hoagie from "Planet Hoagie"
25. Burger from "Dillys Corner"
26. Italian Sausage from "Georges Sandwich Shop"
27. Hot dog from "Texas Wieners"
28. Burrito at "Tacos Don Memo"
29. Fish Tacos from "Honest Toms"
30. Tacos from "Jose's Tacos"

The Lists

THE BEST BURGERS I EVER ATE, AND HONESTLY COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT!!! (trust me, if there is one thing I know, it's a burger)

The worst thing in the history of bad things... thanks once again to McDonalds

The 30 best things to eat in Philadelphia