A Burger is a Burger....or not

Occasionally on a weekend, we'll hop in the car and find an out of the way diner or burger joint to try.  Minnesota Monthly magazine helped the process along a couple of years ago by publishing an article on hamburgers.  Over the last couple of years we've managed to try a number of these "burger kings". 

To start with, I must explain that when it comes to burgers...plain is the way to go.  I've had friends tease me about ordering a plain burger, but what better way to compare burgers to each other than to just order the tried and true standard.  Meat on a bun.  I mean really, you throw on a piece of cheese or a crisp piece of bacon and you've lost the essential taste of the meat.  I want to be able to tell if it's juicy or dry, well seasoned or bland.  Now sometimes I will add a little mayo or ketchup to the burger, but only after trying it au natural.  (And if I'm adding a sauce, I've likely not found the end all be all of burgers.)  I do enjoy a good cheeseburger every now and then, but if I'm trying out a new place I typically go plain.  Speaking of cheeseburgers and idiosyncrasies, my Dad has to have mustard on a cheeseburger but not on a hamburger. 

Recently we paid a visit to an out of the way restaurant/bar called House of Coates.  I can't find a website, although there are a number of reviews if you google them.  We have been there for lunch a couple of times before, so we knew what to expect.  We got there about 6:30 and had just a small wait, although the host said 25 minutes it was more like 10-15.  There were a couple of spots at the bar, so we grabbed a drink and waited.  We each ordered a plain burger and split fries.  The place was busy and so we had to wait a bit for our meal.  Just made us that much hungrier.  The burgers and fries came and looked good.  The burgers were not the "fake looking" pressed patties that you sometimes get at restaurants.  These burgers were handmade patties - not perfectly round, a little loose in the formation.  The fries were pretty standard.  I was disappointed in the lack of taste of the burger.  It was juicy, just a slight pink center, but really not much taste at all.  Let's put it this way....I added ketchup.  There are just too many other good burger places to go these days.

We went to another out of the way burger place during the holidays.  We headed to King's Place (warning, the website is slow to open).  This is an interesting burger place.  It sits in a town with a population of probably no more than 150, but it is always busy.  They have a huge variety of burgers.  I know I went on in the previous paragraph about ordering plain burgers.  Well here, there are so many interesting ones that after the initial visit with a plain burger, I usually mix it up now.  As with the Coates restaurant, the fries are unremarkable.  The burgers are just soooo good.  Juicy, flavorful, handmade (no pressed patties there).  I would highly recommend a visit to King's Place if you are looking for a good, inexpensive burger. 

Let me know if you ever need ideas of where to go.  I have many thoughts on good burgers in the area...even some in other parts of the country.  For example, nothing beats a good Kelly Burger.   

Happy Eating!

Settling the Bill

I wholeheartedly agree with Philip Dorwat in his post on the Mpls St. Paul Mag blog.  One of my biggest pet peeves at a restaurant is when the server asks "Do you need any change?" when picking up the bill. And yes, I am a good tipper by practice.  

I was at a restaurant before Christmas where the bill was $14.50 and I laid down a $20 and was asked "Do you need change?"  Really???  Am I going to tip you that much?  Maybe on a holiday or special occasion, but it was for a pizza on a random day in the middle of the week.

I was at a place this evening for dinner and heard our waitress ask another table if they needed change.  I decided I would use a credit card versus having to get asked that question.  I've thought about just not tipping if they ask that, but I haven't quite gotten to that point.  It's just one of those things that does cause the tip to go down after potentially a good experience. 

Another way for a waitress/waiter to lower their tip is by waiting too long to bring the bill.  So many servers drop the ball on this one.  They may be extremely attentive all meal, but when it comes time to get the bill they have suddenly disappeared.  See it through people, see it through!

What causes you to leave a smaller tip?  What causes you to leave a more generous tip?

Happy Eating! 

Pardon My French

Tonight the hubby and I ventured out for our second trip to Pardon My French Bakery, Cafe and Wine Bar.  The first trip was a Saturday afternoon several weeks ago.  While the overall experience of the first visit was ok, I definitely wanted to give it a second try.

Let me start by mentioning the layout of the restaurant.  It's a large, awkwardly laid out space.  One area is like a coffee shop with oversized chairs, computers, reading material.  Then in the middle of the restaurant is a gas fireplace with sofas and tables surrounding it.  Then the other side of the restaurant has tables and the aforementioned wine bar.  I felt that it couldn't decide what it wanted to be.

The second aspect of the restaurant that left me scratching my head was the clientele.  Nothing was wrong with the individuals themselves, but the first time we went there was a huge group of high school (or college) aged students who took up a large portion of the restaurant.  They didn't seem to be eating much, but rather socializing, etc.  Tonight there was a jewlrey party (Lia Sophia) in the middle of the room.  While they weren't altogether distracting, I just struggled with whether or not this was a restaurant or a community center. The side of the room we were on this evening was all females.  I think the hubby was estrogened out.

Now, onto the food.  During the first visit I had the quiche special.  Two quiches with a side salad.  I had the Quiche Lorraine and the Asparagus, Tomato, Chicken Quiche.  Both were good, but I tired of the spinach pretty quickly in the Quiche Lorraine.  There was a ton of spinach in the quiche.  The second quiche was more evenly balanced and tasted good.

Tonight we both went with the Tart Flambe.  The menu noted that it was a 25 minute preparation time for these and so we waited.  The tarts came out and were essentially flatbread pizzas.  Mine consisted of a lot of cheese, onions, and bacon.  It tasted very good, but I couldn't finish the entire thing.  I still am puzzeled by why a flatbread type pizza takes 25 minutes to prepare.  Thankfully my new iPhone comes in handy when you have a lot of waiting to do.  We finished dinner by sharing a piece of dessert - Raspberry Pave.  It was a lot of chocolate and very rich.  I washed the meal down with a glass of red wine.   

So, we gave it the second try it deserved.  Not sure it will get a third visit anytime soon.  While the food was good and the service was fine, I just can't get passed the idea that they don't know what they want to be.  Even the title of the restaurant sums it up pretty well - is it a bakery, a cafe or a wine bar.  Is it a community center, a library, or a place to just hang out. 

Happy eating!

I'm Back

It's been more than 44 days since I last posted.  (Obviously!)  Since early November, I have finally completed my Masters degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations.  I still haven't quite gotten used to that fact.  I think part of it is that until the last week or so it just felt like semester break.  I didn't feel like doing much over break.  School didn't get out until almost Christmas.  Needless to say, I did not get cards out this year.  Now the new semester has started and I have friends back at school.  However, I am doing what I want in the evenings.  So....what does that entail?

I have gone back to a Bible study on Monday nights.  This is something that I've enjoyed over the years (prior to classes).  It's been nice getting back into that type of a study.

For Christmas I was given a set of private squash lessons.  I had my second one tonight and I'm feeling pretty sore already.  (Hope I can walk tomorrow!)  My goal is to beat the hubby once in awhile.  I'm learning some strategies to do that...now if I can put them to use!

Those are the only two "committments" that I have during the week with the exception of work.  One thing I've been enjoying is catching up with friends for dinner and/or a glass of wine.  Just knowing I can do that when I want without the pressure of "needing to study" is great. 

I've been slow getting back to Debbie's Discourse as I am still contemplating what I want this blog to be about.  It's been 3 years (almost) since I started this to occupy my time during the ankle recovery.  I have used it over the years to provide quick updates, talk about the dogs, etc.  I'm wanting to change focus.  What might that be???  I've thought about gearing it towards a food blog.  There are so many out there, so I wouldn't be competing with the heavy hitters.  This would just be a place to capture some of the great meals that I share with friends.  So, that might be an option.

So....if I have any readers still, I'll try and get back to this blog on a more regular basis.  If I don't have any readers anymore....well, it's a good place to write and capture thoughts. 

Hope you all are having a great start to 2010!