Sometimes Only a Burger Will Do
By Elizabeth Dougherty
Nearly all Americans (except
vegetarians, I suppose) crave a
really good burger once in a while.
A sizzling burger, a freshly baked
bun and some crispy golden fries
sound pretty enticing anytime,
don't they? The hamburger actually
has a pretty storied background, at
least according to several inventors
who have staked their claim on this
staple of American cuisine.
Louis' Lunch in New Haven, CT
claims (on their website) that in the
year 1900 a man stopped by the
restaurant and wanted something
that he could take with him and eat
on the run. Louis Lassen slapped a
broiled beef patty between two
slices of bread and the rest is
history. Or is it? There are some
who think that the hamburger was
born when "Hamburger Charlie"
Nagreen smashed meatballs
between two slices of bread at
the 1885 summer fair in Seymour,
WI. The meatballs by themselves
weren't selling because folks
wanted food they could carry
around with them. Then there's
the Menches Brothers (Charles and
Frank) who supposedly invented
the hamburger at an 1885 fair in
Hamburg, NY. They were selling
sausages at the fair, but sold out.
So they seasoned some ground
beef and put it on a sandwich. A
patron asked for the name of this
newfangled concoction, and one
of the brothers came up with the
name "hamburger" which was a
play on the name of the Hamburg
fair.
Whatever the origin of the
burger, we sure eat a lot of them.
Americans eat an estimated 14
billion every year. While most of
us are familiar with the fast food
version, there are many premium
hamburger outlets that cater
to the burger aficionado. These
sandwiches are a little more pricey
than a Big Mac. The question is,
"Are they worth the extra dough?"
There are a lot of places to tuck
in to a burger here in Lee County.
Recently, I visited Cheeburger
Cheeburger in downtown Auburn a couple of times.
After reading about them on their
website, www.cheeburger.com
I was intrigued. It sounded like
a combination of a diner-like
atmosphere, a soda fountain and
a burger joint. They serve premium
burgers along with some other
sandwiches, fountain drinks and a
huge selection of 70 (or so) malts
and shakes.
The first time our family stopped
in was on a Sunday afternoon. The
restaurant was pretty quiet with
only a couple of other occupied
tables. I ambitiously ordered a
large half-pound cheeseburger
cooked medium, with Swiss
cheese and sautéed mushrooms.
My husband ordered a half-pound
cheeseburger with fries, and my
son had a grilled cheese and fries.
I also ordered a half size chocolate
shake for my son and I to share.
With my husband's soda, the total
bill was exactly $28.00.
Carl, our very helpful server,
brought our food to the table
relatively promptly. They do make
your burger to order, so it takes
about 10-15 minutes to get your
food. I cut my sandwich in half
to make sure it was cooked to
medium as I requested. Sadly, it
was not. It was well done. So was
my husband's. My son's grilled
cheese was cooked perfectly,
however, and the chocolate
shake was excellent. The burgers
looked homemade (they were not
precisely round), were perfectly
charred on the outside and they
tasted pretty good. It was kind of
like what you would expect to eat
at a friend's Labor Day barbeque.
The meat was not seasoned at all.
That's really a personal preference.
I always put about a teaspoon of
salt in every pound of ground beef
that I'm turning into a burger, but
some people let the toppings act as
the only seasoning.
The following Thursday, we
went back for another meal.
I didn't really see the point of
trying other sandwiches on the
menu, since the place is known
for its cheeseburgers. So, I ordered
another burger cooked medium,
1/3 pound this time, with American
cheese and bacon. My husband
had the same and my son had
another grilled cheese with fries.
This time, I tried a chocolate soda
instead of a shake. The soda was
good. It reminded me of the diners
I used to visit as a child.
Again, my burger was well
done. The three options on the
menu are medium, medium well,
and well done. My husband's was
more medium-well, and being the
gentleman that he is, he gave
me his burger and ate the welldone
version. Although it tasted
good (again) I can't help being
bothered by the fact that, when
one orders a premium burger
and is paying premium prices, it
should be cooked in the manner
requested.
That aside, one thing that I
really like about this restaurant
(and this is true for all Cheeburger
outlets) is the quality of the meat.
Creekstone Farms (www.creek
stonefarmspremiumbeef.com)
supplies all the premium beef used
in the Cheeburger Cheeburger
restaurants. Back in March of
2006, Creekstone Farms sued the
USDA to force the government
to allow private industry to
test their own cattle for Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE).
On March 29, 2007, Creekstone
Farms announced that the USDA
lacks authority to prohibit private
companies from testing their own
cows for BSE according to a ruling
by the U.S. District Court judge
presiding over the case. Creekstone
Farms is also one of only four U.S.
beef processors to be permitted to
export beef to the European Union
due to their high quality standards
and humane practices.
If you are wondering whether
this Cheeburger restaurant is using
the Creekstone Farms beef as they
claim on their menu, you can rest
easy. I was curious about that
myself, and after a little detective
work on my part, I can tell you they
are using it. So, if you are looking
for a local burger joint that is
serving up some quality food, you
might want to give Cheeburger
Cheeburger a try.
Liz Dougherty has been a freelance food
writer and culinary consultant through
her company, Culinary Pursuits, Inc., for
the past six years. She trained under a
maniacal Swiss-German chef and later
received her Bachelor's degree, Magna
Cum Laude in Hospitality. Prior to that,
she was a licensed real estate broker and
mortgage broker with a total of over
ten years experience in real estate and
finance. She can be reached at
EADougherty1@aol.com
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