The Perfect Burger Search
June 3rd, 2009 | EdWords | 5 Comments
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Park Burger, 1890 South Pearl, Denver
I grew up flipping burgers in the hamburger stand owned by my Dad and my Uncle Jack. The Health Camp, on the Circle in Waco, Texas, may not have been particularly well named–nothing on the menu of burgers and dogs, onion rings, fries and shakes, was even remotely good for the arteries or the waistline–but the burgers were to die for, especially the Super HealthBurger, two 1/6 pound patties on a three-layer bun dripping with special sauce.
I’ve spent a good portion of my life searching for its match. Two weeks ago, while picking up the Aronson Award in New York, Lisa and I read an article in the Times about the search by a dedicated group of New Yorkers for the best burger in Manhattan. One of their favorites was the burger joint in Le Parker Meridien Hotel on West 56th. We passed on the $16 glass of merlot in the lobby and ducked behind the large red velvet curtain separating the well-heeled lobby patrons from the decidedly scruffy burger joint. The seven buck greaseburgers were okay, I guess, but not up to HealthBurger standards. If that’s the best New York has to offer, I’ll stay in Denver for the burgers, where I can find a dozen or more places with better fare.
Which brings me to the subject of today’s posting. Lisa and I lunched today at Park Burger, opened less than three weeks ago by Jean-Philippe Failyau, Frank Bonanno’s compadre at Larimer Square’s Osteria Marco. I’ll skip a description of the nicely minimalist room at the corner of South Pearl and Jewell, and get to the nicely minimalist menu, which features nothing but burgers and the appropriate sides (They do serve wine and beer). There are some dressed-up specialty sandwiches, but when judging a burger joint, it’s always best to go with the simplest first. All the add-ons can mask the taste of the meat and bun. We both ordered the Park Burger, your basic 1/3 pounder on a bun with lettuce, tomato and onion, along with a sampling of both the french fries and the sweet potato fries.
How was it? As close to a HealthBurger as anything I’ve ever had in Denver. The meat was juicy but not dripping, perfectly grilled with just a hint of pink still showing, the lettuce was crisp and the tomato ripe, and the bun toasted to perfection. I forgot to ask what the special sauce was, but it needed neither ketchup nor mustard to complete. The burgers are reasonably priced, from $5.75 for the Park Burger to $8.25 for The New Yorker, which is what I intend to try next time I’m there. I’m betting it’s a lot better than the one I had in the Big Apple.
If you go, and I recommend that you do, let them know I sent you.
Topics: Hamburgers, Park Burger, perfect burger
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The Big Mac was always a distant and faint and completely unworthy knock off of the Super Healthburger. Several generations of Wacoans (and of my family) knew what (and where) the real deal was, and was willing to brave the uncharted terrors of the wild and wooly Waco traffic circle in order to munch on one. The only distraction to its reign seemed to come from the spectacle provided by the incessant fights on the parking lot of Kim’s– all provided by a different and slovenly crowd that clearly didn’t appreciate where the best burger could be purchased.
Park Burger, eh?
I’ll have to check it out!
-Rusty
Sadly, the Health Camp is no longer the burger it was even 5-10 years ago. And Cupp’s isn’t what it used to be either. But, … the memories remain. Glad that I accidentally wandered across your website.
RHS ’65
I enjoy the burgers at two chains in town.
Griff’s Hamburgers – 742 S. Broadway, Denver, just north of I-25, or 5770 Olde Wadsworth Blvd., in Arvada’s Olde Town district.
They manage to get the meat crispy on the rim (as in fried crispy, not burnt – but you have to eat them right away, or the juices saturate that part) and tender in the middle. They’ll load them any way you want. Their fries are pretty good, too, and cooked in trans-fat free oil.
Old School Burgers – 901 W Hampden Ave # 103, Englewood (in front of the city hall building, over by where old Cinderella City mall used to be), 1760 S Havana St, Aurora, and 3995 Lewiston St, Aurora.
They are a double-duplicate of California’s In-n-Out Burgers. You can get them lettuce-wrapped, or with choices of condiments, including grilled onions.
They cut the fries in the store, soak them in water (like you’re supposed to), dry them, and then fry them up in trans-fat free oil to taste just like potato chips. On Mondays, they make onion rings with Panko brand bread crumbs, throwing in some rosemary and pepper. On Fridays, they make actual chips with some sort of peppery batter. These are, without question, the best onion rings and chips I’ve ever had. They are rich in flavor and density. And using Panko bread crumbs for onion rings is nothing short of inspired.
Read the reviews at Yelp.com as they accurately reflect how burger lovers in Denver think about Park Burger.