Hickory Park Restaurant Co., Ames, Iowa

When the time came to take college visits, one of the main things I remember my mother talking about quite frequently was the importance of the college town. Whenever we went to any college on either mine or my siblings’ wish lists, my mother’s main priority was to see the college town portion of the city. At the time, I didn’t honestly understand the fascination. To me, the town was secondary, the college was the main reason I was interested.

Now that I’ve been able to do some traveling across the country and seen a lot for myself, I can understand why the college town meant so much to her. It’s because the presence of all of those college kids means that the town has to be able to cater to them. Even though college kids don’t have a lot of money, they also don’t have a lot of willpower when it comes to spending. They want to be able to go out on the weekends, and if they’re not able to do that, that’s going to cause a real problem.

As a result, when it comes to the restaurant scene, college towns often punch far above their weight in terms of offering quality. Granted, some of them should, such as Columbus and Madison, because they’re legitimate cities on their own (and they’re actually the capitals of Ohio and Wisconsin respectively) and should have good food scenes. But then you get a place like Ames, Iowa, which is really an afterthought in the Hawkeye State, or at least it would be if not for it being the home of Iowa State University.

Ames is only home to 60,000 people and lives in the shadow of the state capital of Des Moines (40 miles to the north, but admittedly, Des Moines casts quite a large shadow over the rest of Iowa), but this college town has some legitimate options for Cyclones to visit. Creative pizzas convinced Man vs. Food to include an Ames restaurant in its Des Moines episode, and Iowa State’s football press box features what might be the best-kept secret in the sport: its wonderful buttermilk brownies. Those things are so good that I can only conclude that Iowa State is not smart enough to give them to football recruits; otherwise, the Cyclones would be dominating the Big 12 instead of languishing at the bottom of the table.

But one of the older members of that food scene is also one of the best: Hickory Park Restaurant Co., located in downtown (or as close to downtown as it has) Ames. Since 1970, Hickory Park has been the place to go for sandwiches, barbecue and ice cream in Ames, and its standards haven’t slipped at all over 45 years. On the contrary, ever since David Wheelock opened Hickory Park, he’s had to close his doors and relocate twice…because the building he operated in wasn’t big enough to meet the demand.

When Hickory Park opened in 1970, Wheelock was setting up shop in a previously failed barbecue restaurant’s building that had capacity for between 60 and 80 people. He decided that he could succeed where the previous restaurant had failed by sticking with barbecue and adding ice cream to the mix, and somehow or another, it worked. In fact, it worked so well that in 1981, Wheelock closed his first location and opened a new one that featured 250 seats, hoping to appease his customers that found themselves waiting an hour or more for a table.

It worked, but not in the way Wheelock intended. Instead, 16 years later, he found that he needed even more space and closed his second location for a location that almost doubled the space of the second…and it still hasn’t been enough to satisfy the demand. Even today, the waits at Hickory Park can get quite long. In a town of 60,000 people, that’s pretty dang impressive, and that says that this was a place Amy and I had to check out.

As expected, we got caught in the lengthy wait when we entered the building, but it really could have been a lot worse. The wait system is different here, as rather than the usual pagers, Hickory Park will give out numbers to each group and invite five or six numbers at a time to line up to be seated. One hard and fast rule here is that you can get a number at any time, but you can’t sit down until your party is complete. That’s one way to keep the line moving, and it works quite nicely.

Once you get into your seat, you quickly find out that Hickory Park is basically where restaurant meets old-style ice cream fountain. This is the first place I’ve ever been that puts a phosphate on the menu, although interestingly enough, our waitress chose to talk us out of ordering it. When we asked what one was, she told us verbatim, “It’s really gross.”

Undeterred, Amy was still curious, so we were given a free sample of a bubble gum phosphate, which actually didn’t suck as bad as the waitress suggested. Turns out, a phosphate is a sour flavored soda, so if you can handle sour, this might be a decent way to go. For me, I just thought it was okay, but still, considering what was suggested, okay isn’t bad at all.

The main things we came for were dinner and ice cream, and here, we had some high expectations. We decided to start off with a breaded variety plate, which includes mushrooms, cauliflower, onion rings and cheese curds breaded and fried to perfection. Basically, the four items go from the healthy things to the unhealthy, with the cheese curds definitely not going to win any health food awards any time soon. But all four of them have two things in common: great breading and great taste.

When you fry anything, no matter what it is, the breading is crucial. It’s got to stick to the thing being fried, and it’s got to actually add something to the thing being fried. Too much breading can overpower the thing that’s been fried, which is made even worse when a breading isn’t seasoned properly. This breading, however, worked wonderfully. Light, crispy, not too crunchy, not too oily, not too soft and not flavorless. This was good, and the vegetables and cheese were all excellent as well. This is something I’d order again, and I don’t say that about a lot of fried appetizers. Amy and I were very pleased with these.

As far as dinner goes, there’s one major special here: garbage. Specifically and thankfully, the Garbage Burger, which features an array of toppings that would put a lot of other burgers to shame. Bacon, Swiss, American, mushrooms, sauerkraut and ham combine to form the Garbage Burger, which could probably also be called PETA’s Nightmare. There’s three kinds of meat and two kinds of cheese on this burger, which makes for one interesting experience. Of course, I knew this was the one to get.

It’s pretty awesome. Really, the ham and the sauerkraut stand out here, as the ham is cooked well and merges well with the flavors, while the sauerkraut provides a decent texture change and a major flavor change. On top of that, the burger is absolutely nailed perfectly. There’s a lot to like about this burger. Really, the only negative here is with the mushrooms. For some reason, Hickory Park doesn’t treat the mushrooms with the respect they deserve when they’re thrown on to the Garbage Burger. Everything else is grilled properly, flavored properly and heated to the right temperature. But the mushrooms honestly have the taste and texture of the canned mushrooms you can find in the canned vegetable aisle at any grocery store. I’m sorry, but that’s not what mushrooms are supposed to be in a restaurant. They’re supposed to have a different texture and taste than the canned version, usually in a pretty noticeable way.

Amy, never a fan of burgers, opted to go with a different kind of garbage meal: the deli sandwich. Once again, this list reads like some pretty impressive ingredients: ham, turkey, bacon, kraut, mushrooms, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise, topped with some hard-boiled egg slices. Normally, it comes with beef, but Amy, of course, has no interest in beef and asked to have it removed. Again, this sandwich is excellent because for some reason, the flavors work. It’s so hard to integrate kraut into a sandwich and have it not suck, but Hickory Park manages to pull it off for the most part.

I say ‘for the most part’ because this sandwich also suffers from mushroom issues. On the Garbage Deli sandwich, the mushrooms aren’t treated any better than they are on the burger. To their credit, they use fresh mushrooms and not canned mushrooms on the deli sandwich. To their discredit, the mushrooms are not sauteed or flavored. They’re just sliced and served. I have no problem with raw mushrooms and enjoy eating them, but on a deli sandwich, raw mushrooms just don’t work with the rest of the sandwich. The flavors have to work together, and not sauteeing the mushrooms damages that cooperation.

But otherwise, that’s about the only thing wrong with what we found here. The sides are decent, but not fantastic, mainly because only a few of them are actually prepared in-house. That’s because Wheelock’s philosophy from the beginning has been that if you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all, and he’s stuck with that to this day. Only the salads and barbecue beans are made in the restaurant, so there won’t be anything memorable about the fries or the mashed potatoes, which are real but not mashed in house.. Heck, it might be a better idea to just ditch them entirely in order to save room for the ice cream, because that is definitely worth sticking around for at Hickory Park.

Basically, they focus on taking ice cream they know is good and turning it into some awesome sundaes. There are no fewer than 54 on the menu at Hickory Park, and some of these sound pretty awesome. In order to make the process easier, Hickory Park breaks their sundaes up into categories, such as Peanut Lovers and Candy Bar Sundaes. Some of the selections include the the Streusel Coffee Cake (coffee ice cream on top of streusel coffee cake), Thin Mint (mint chip ice cream mixed with Oreos and topped with a hard chocolate shell), the Golden Roof (vanilla topped with butterscotch and peanuts), the Pink Panther (vanilla and peppermint ice cream) and what I’m sure would be my future mother-in-law and sister-in-law’s favorite, the PB Paradise (fudge brownie topped with peanut butter fudge ice cream, hot fudge and more peanut butter. Wow.

I was tempted, but I had to stay true to my taste buds, and that meant toffee. I love toffee anything, and with the Toffee Park sitting in my sights, there was no way I wasn’t going to try this thing. Much to my pleasant surprise, I found out that the Toffee Park, which features butter pecan ice cream, caramel and hot fudge, making it a lot like what I had at Sucre, features little pieces of English toffee. English toffee might be my greatest weakness (I LOVE Heath Bars), and there was no way I wasn’t going to enjoy this sundae when I saw what ingredients were involved. I loved every bit of this thing.

Amy chose to go for the cake, opting for a Pound Cake Delight that mixed chocolate and vanilla ice cream with hot fudge, marshmallow and pound cake. Cake and ice cream just belong together, and this combination was pretty outstanding as well. The flavors just work from beginning to end, and the multiple ice cream flavors make it a different experience as you get deeper into the sundae and the ice creams melt together to meld the flavors. The vanilla wafer also appears to be a special touch on every sundae they serve, and I’m never going to complain about a free vanilla wafer.

Really, there’s not a lot to complain about here. I would love to see the mushrooms taken care of better, but even with that flaw, that merely downgrades it from “perfect” to “excellent” because of the outstanding ability to succeed with both dinner and dessert. Getting to Ames can be a chore if you’re not already on your way to Minneapolis or Des Moines, but Hickory Park will make sure it’s worth the trip.

Recap

Time to go: The short answer is any time between 10:30 a.m. and 9 p.m., or 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The honest answer is to check Iowa State’s schedule on the day you plan to go. If the Cyclones play a home football or basketball game (and that’s either gender, as women’s basketball was for a while the one sport Iowa State did not totally suck at playing), either plan to wait or don’t go that day.

Wait during my visit: Lengthy. Have hope, it does move somewhat quickly for a waiting area this large, but you still probably won’t be seated right away.

Location: Hickory Park is located at 1404 South Duff Avenue in Ames, Iowa.

Cost: Not too bad, Hickory Park doesn’t have most of its entrees top $10. Ice cream costs about $3-4 (and you probably don’t need a large, a small each was enough for us). You might escape getting out for $13-14, an excellent value for the cost.

Parking: There’s actually a lot. Hickory Park thought ahead on this one and went with a big lot that can be accessed in two directions. Good work.

Seating arrangement: Mostly tables and booths, pretty standard.

Website: Hickory Park

Specialty items: Garbage burger, sundaes

Zombie Burger and Drink Lab, Des Moines, Iowa

I’m not really sure why zombies are so popular in this day and age. I’m not really sure anyone is, but there’s no doubt that the mystery of the undead is quite the phenomenon. Maybe it’s just as simple as people really enjoying a good scare, and there are few things that bring one up like a creature who was previously here, died and now only has a single purpose of feasting on the brains of the living. There are even articles that try to analyze it, and nobody’s come to anything resembling a consensus.

The one thing that is for sure is that zombies are very popular, and it only makes sense for someone to try to cash in on that theme with a restaurant based around it. It doesn’t exactly make sense for that someone to be based in Iowa’s state capital, but then again, Des Moines is also home to Asian-inspired pizza, so it makes about as much sense. Given how some of their restaurants are going with their choices, Des Moines might want to steal Louisville’s slogan of “Keep (City) Weird”.

But what makes Zombie Burger worth the trip isn’t the decor or the theme. They aren’t minuses by any means, but the reality is that Zombie Burger isn’t a one-trick gimmick restaurant that’s all flash and no substance. No, what makes this place special is the same thing that makes any special restaurant worth visiting: they know what they’re doing when it comes to food. After all, that’s kind of the entire point of a restaurant.

As you probably gathered from the name, Zombie Burger’s meal of choice is the humble hamburger, which becomes anything but humble once Zombie Burger’s creative chefs get their hands on it. Really, it seems that every burger on the menu has been designed with two things in mind: what are the most interesting ingredients we can use and still have a good burger, and how do we make those flavors meld together to create that perfect taste?

OK, there’s a third thing in mind: what kind of undead themed name can we come up with for this burger? Every burger has some kind of name that brings to mind a zombie invasion, with the menu including options such as the T-Virus (portabella mushrooms and Swiss), Planet Terror (bacon cheeseburger with barbecue sauce and ranch), Raygun (bacon and guacamole with fried jalapenos, Jack and chipotle mayonnaise) and the Dawn of the Dead (bacon, egg, cheese and red onion).

That sampling doesn’t even begin to get into the ridiculousness of the Zombie Burger lineup, as on some burgers, Zombie Burger will even do strange things with the bun. Ever wanted to try a burger made on a breaded mushroom for a bun? The East Village of the Damned does exactly that. How about two grilled cheese sandwiches? It’s called They’re Coming To Get You, Barbara. You can even do deep-fried macaroni and cheese, as my friend and former colleague Doug Green did on a trip here in 2012, going with the Walking Ched. All of these choices are printed on what appears to be a newsletter, but the stories are all about zombie-related things. Don’t worry, the menus are on the other side.

Basically, it’s not quite The Counter in terms of burger freedom, but you’ve got a lot of room to go crazy here. I didn’t want to go too crazy and go Cutthroat Kitchen on this burger, but I did want something creative. With that in mind, I opted for the Dead Moines, which combines ham, prosciutto, smoked Gouda and truffle mayonnaise, figuring that the combination of salty pork, creamy Gouda and mushroom-inspired mayonnaise would be a winner for sure.

Yeah, it absolutely is. I’ve got to start with the beef here, which really is as good as it gets. Zombie Burger’s beef is simply amazing. It’s juicy, it’s well-cooked, it’s flavorful, it’s the perfect size, it’s everything that you want a burger to be. There’s a reason Zagat named it Iowa’s best burger, and it’s not because Iowa is the foodie black hole (that’s eastern Iowa, not central). It’s because everything on the burgers is outstanding, and the beef is where it all begins. The heartland is one of the best places to get beef, which makes these burgers fresh and of very high quality as a result. You can get one, two or three beef patties, with different prices charged accordingly. I recommend two, which comes at a good price and is a satisfying amount for most people.

But if you don’t have toppings, you don’t have a quality burger, and that’s where the Dead Moines really continues to shine. The main thing is the Gouda, which melts perfectly on the burger and provides a stark contrast that melds with the ham and the prosciutto, creating a smooth and flavorful bite from first moment to last. The mayonnaise provides extra creaminess, and being infused with truffle oil only multiplies the flavor. Then there’s the ham and prosciutto, which counteract the cheese and condiments with flavor and texture, while somehow not being an overwhelming meat bomb.

What about Amy, though, who doesn’t eat beef at all and despises beef in all forms except that of The Drover’s steak? Not to worry, as Zombie Burger allows you to swap out the beef patty for chicken, a vegetarian patty or a portabella mushroom as your protein if you want. Whether you’re vegetarian, vegan or just plain don’t like beef, Zombie Burger has you covered. And if you hate sandwiches, Zombie Burger still has you covered, offering deep-fried hot dogs as well. Basically, if you want it, they probably have it.

With that being the case, Amy opted for the Trailer Trash Zombie with a chicken breast, which features cheese curds, ranch, fried pickle, American cheese and chicken-fried bacon. Before this, I’d heard of chicken-fried steak, but never chicken-fried bacon. Then again, considering this is a city that came up with bacon-wrapped tater tots, it actually makes sense, and it’s really good. The ranch works well with the chicken and the bacon, and the cheese adds an excellent touch to the existing flavors. This was an excellent sandwich, and truthfully, even though I love beef, I’d probably get this one with chicken too, because it really works.

As far as sides, be warned that Zombie Burgers do not come with fries automatically. You’re going to have to order them separately, which makes this a great opportunity to get a creative basket to share with a friend. In addition to the standard fries, Zombie Burger offers chili cheese fries, garlic bacon and blue cheese fries and even honours our friends to the north (see what I did there?) with poutine, which is fries with cheese curds and gravy. We opted for the loaded fry basket, which tops the standard fries with cheddar, cheese sauce, sour cream, bacon and green onions. It was absolutely outstanding, as the flavors worked just like they would on a good baked potato. Just like the burgers, this is high-quality.

But as good as the burgers and fries are, they’re not even the best thing on the menu here. No, that would be the Drink Lab portion of Zombie Burger, which features an impressive roster of milkshakes. Creativity in the names isn’t pronounced here, with the exception of the Zombie Joe (coffee syrup) and the Zombie Bride Wedding Cake (yellow cake in milkshake form), but what is pronounced is the commitment to quality of ingredients and the taste. I had the since-discontinued apple maple cinnamon shake on my first visit a couple years ago and found it incredible, like a really good apple pie. With it no longer available, it was time for plan B, so I opted for the coconut cream pie shake, hoping for the best.

What I got was beyond my expectations. The main thing that sets this shake apart is the whipped cream. Zombie Burger actually goes the extra mile here and uses fresh, real whipped cream. The taste is so much better than the kind of whipped cream you get already made. It’s smooth, creamy and the perfect addition to the vanilla and coconut flavors taking place in the glass. The coconut is pronounced throughout, and the texture gives off the impression of pie crust, even though this is a straight milkshake rather than a pie shake. This honestly tastes like a really awesome coconut cream pie. It’s absolutely incredible.

Amy opted for a cereal milkshake, going with the Fruity Pebbles. Yes, it’s exactly like it sounds, a milkshake with Fruity Pebbles mixed in throughout. I’m not a fan of the cereal at all, but the shake is actually really good. It looks pretty psychedelic with all those colors, but it really works. If you’re the kind who likes something extra in your milkshakes and you’re over 21, Zombie Burger has you covered there too. For an additional $3, any milkshake on Zombie Burger’s menu can be made into an alcoholic shake.

I don’t know about the popularity of zombies themselves, but the popularity of Zombie Burger is a pretty easy explanation. The theme might be weird and the names are creative, but that alone is not enough to keep people coming. What makes Zombie Burger so beloved is simple: there isn’t a bad thing on the menu. When creativity meets quality, you’ve got a certain recipe for success…undead or alive.

Recap

Time to go: Lunch, dinner or late night. Zombie Burger is open until midnight on Sunday through Thursday and 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Wait during my visit: Extensive. This used to be a small restaurant that had some downtime occasionally. Those days are gone. We waited 45 minutes to get a table, while the take-out portion was just as busy. Like Blue’s Egg, Zombie Burger uses a text messaging system to let you know when your table is ready.

Location: Zombie Burger is at 300 East Grand Avenue in Des Moines, Iowa.

Cost: Expect to pay a good amount, because although the burgers are reasonable, you need to get a milkshake here. Most burgers are between six and 10 dollars, while shakes go for five apiece with no alcohol. Trust me, worth every cent. Plan on about $15 a person.

Parking: Hope and pray. While Des Moines has garages, none of them are over here. You’re dealing with street parking, and that’s no guarantee at all. The good news is on Saturday and Sunday, street parking is free in Des Moines.

Seating arrangement: It’s a typical setting of tables, chairs and a bar. We were seated at the bar and had no issues with our stools.

Website: Zombie Burger and Drink Lab

Specialty items: Burgers and milkshakes

The Counter, Reston, Va./Los Angeles

For as long as the hamburger has been around, people have been coming up with different ways to customize the classic slab of beef on bread to their liking. Sure, the burger might have started from humble beginnings when Louis Lassen created the hamburger in 1895 and only offered cheese, tomato and onion as toppings (and that’s still true at Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, Conn., to this day), but as time has gone on, people have gotten more and more adventurous with what they choose to put on their burger.

The hamburger has now been around for 118 years, and from the sheer richness of the Blue Shroom Burger at Vortex to the incredible idea of ham and peppers (among other things) on the signature burger at the Thurman Cafe to the pastrami-topped cheeseburger at Crown Burgers to the inside-out Juicy Lucy to the sheer ridiculousness that is the Johnny B. Goode Burger at Rockies Diner, there’s really not a whole lot that you can’t put between two slices of bread or a bun.

At The Counter, which started in the Los Angeles area and has since made its way as far east as Ireland, that’s exactly the point. If the restaurant serves it, it’s totally fair game, and not just in the typical way of asking a server if you’re allowed to add or substitute something. This, after all, is an L.A.-based restaurant, and if there’s one thing that sums up Los Angeles, it’s that the City of Angels enjoys being a little bit (or a lot) different than everyone else. At a place that proudly boasts “the Counter Culture” and claims it was “anti-established” in 2003, doing things the traditional way would never fly.

Instead, The Counter puts you in complete control by handing you a pencil and an ordering pad, with instructions to pick whatever your heart desires from their ridiculous list of fresh, high-brow toppings, broken down into meat, cheese, toppings, premium toppings, sauce and bun. Yes, ordering here is a six-step process, and really, that’s a large part of the fun.  If you really can’t handle choices, you can opt for one of The Counter’s seven signature burgers, but no additions or substitutions are allowed. Welcome to the Counter Culture.

The hard part is choosing what exactly to put on your burger, given The Counter’s plethora of choices. First, you have five choices for the meat, with beef, chicken, turkey, bison and a vegan patty available. That’s followed with your choice from 11 cheeses, a list of 22 regular toppings, nine premium toppings, 22 sauces and five types of buns. The standard burger at The Counter (really, is there a such thing as a standard burger here?) comes with one cheese, one sauce and up to four of the regular toppings. Each of the premium toppings, which include things such as mushrooms, bacon, fried eggs and guacamole, adds a dollar to your final price, while anything over four of the standard toppings (things such as spinach, tomatoes, pickles and black olives) will tack on 75 cents.

By my count, you’ve got 65 options to pick from, and by The Counter’s, at least 312,120 burger combinations are possible. That means that the staff rarely makes the same burger twice in a day, and if their math is accurate, a person could eat at The Counter every day for 855 years and never order the same burger more than once. That’s pretty incredible, and that meant Amy and I were pretty excited to give this place a try when we pulled into the Reston Town Center.

For my first trip to The Counter, I knew that I had to try the beef. I’ve had non-beef burgers before on many occasions, but when a place is known for its burgers, unless there’s a patty involved that’s truly rare, beef is the litmus test. From there, I decided to customize it with plenty of old favorites. The hardest decision might have been the cheese, but when it came down to it, I absolutely love the taste of Gruyere, a nutty and melty cheese  that’s most similar to Swiss cheese. Gruyere is both high-quality and high-cost, which means it’s not likely to show up on a burger at most places. Of course, that means it makes perfect sense for The Counter to use it, and I wasn’t going to waste my opportunity. I added baby spinach, marinated artichokes, sauteed onions, tomatoes, guacamole and mushrooms, along with basil pesto and a ciabatta bun to cap off my masterpiece.

That’s exactly what it was. This burger was huge and delicious. Fresher is always better, and the use of fresh ingredients really shows up in every bite here. The bun held everything together, the burger was juicy, the vegetables were cooked to perfection when necessary and the Gruyere and basil pesto worked beautifully with the toppings. You really couldn’t ask for anything more from a burger. I would venture that the other toppings are just as incredible.

Amy, who hates beef in any and all forms, opted for a chicken breast and tossed mushrooms, pickles, avocado and an herbed goat cheese spread on it, along with roasted garlic aioli. Amy has decided that after this visit, she’s a huge fan of garlic aioli, and it’s easy to see why. The mayonnaise-like spread is fantastic on pretty much anything, and with her choice of flavors, it was an easy complement. The avocado is fantastic, and the goat cheese spread was so good that I wasn’t sure whether it or the Gruyere was a better choice. I’m giving the nod to the Gruyere, but not by much.

But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the other outstanding part of The Counter experience, and that would be their fries. Fries go with burgers like soap goes with water, and The Counter serves up some good ones. However, as good as their regular fries are, I wouldn’t recommend ordering them, at least not on their own. That’s because if you do, you’ll miss the truly special fries that The Counter offers: sweet potato fries. I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of sweet potatoes, but something about these fries just makes them work beautifully. The hint of sweetness in each bite with the typical fry taste and texture is something special, and I thoroughly enjoyed every one of my fries.

If that was the only twist, though, this wouldn’t be The Counter. To its credit, The Counter again offers choices to its customers in this department. Can’t decide between the regular and sweet potato fries, or are you wanting to try the onion strings along with fries? No problem. All you have to do is order a “Fifty-Fifty”, and you get two half-orders of your choice of two of the regular fries, sweet potato fries and onion strings. Perfect compromise.

When inspiration meets dedication, the result is usually a good one. When that result also runs into a combination of quality, imagination and a flair for being as different as it wants to be, success is basically a sure thing. If you really love burgers and really love dictating exactly what goes on them, you have to make a trip to The Counter.

Recap

Time to go: Lunch or dinner. Burgers can be had for either one.

Wait during my visit: Not bad, but we did decide to live up to the name and eat at the counter. If you have a larger party, you might wait longer.

Location: The Counter has 33 spots in the United States, most in California. However, Amy and I visited The Counter at 11922 Democracy Drive in Reston, Va.

Cost: Quality isn’t cheap. A standard 1/3 pound burger will run you $9, plus $1 for every premium topping you add. Meanwhile, fries will cost between $3.50 and $6.50. They’re worth the price.

Parking: Plenty, but you might have to pay. The Reston Town Center has a lot of garage spots for a price, but if you come on a weekend, you park for free.

Seating arrangement: This place is called The Counter. Enough said. There are also tables available for those who don’t want to sit on a stool (or can’t).

Website: The Counter

Specialty items: Burgers, sweet potato fries

Champions Bar and Grill, Green Bay, Wis.

When you’re a town with either a major sports franchise or a college team, it’s expected that you’re going to have a restaurant or two that’s a popular hang-out spot for people who either can’t get tickets or just want a place to hang out before the game. When your professional team is pretty much the whole reason for your town (OK, let’s be fair, Green Bay does have one heck of an awesome cooking store), it’s more likely that you’re going to have an abundance of these restaurants.

When that’s the case, you need to have something that makes you stand out, whether it’s tradition, a gimmick, an athlete’s name attached to it or an all-out dedication to your local team. Champions Bar and Grill, located in the shadow of Lambeau Field, goes with the last one. The large restaurant is covered with Packer jerseys and replica trophies, and it has made itself one of the premier places for fans who aren’t into tailgating, just want to be part of the atmosphere on a Packers gameday or want to head someplace nearby after watching the green and gold.

From the time you walk into the parking lot, you know you’re at a restaurant that focuses on football. The sign at Champions is set up to appear like it’s on a goal post, which is probably a necessary touch, given that it’s located almost next door to Brett Favre’s restaurant and it’s on Tony Canadeo Run. For those who have never been to Green Bay, almost every street within a mile of Lambeau Field is named after a former Packer, and the greatest honor a Packer can receive is to have a street named for him.

Near Tony Canadeo Run, which is named for a legendary Packers back from the 1940’s, you have Reggie White Way, Holmgren Way, Brett Favre Pass and of course,Vince Lombardi Avenue. No word on when Aaron Rodgers Drive gets put in, but that’s probably coming within the next 15 years.

Strangely, however, that no longer continues on the menu. At the time of my visit a few months ago, Champions named its burgers and other entrees after Packers greats, referencing their numbers with the meals. It was common to find entrees named after players like Bart Starr and Herb Adderley in the past, and Champions’ signature Packer Burger had Ray Nitschke’s 66 attached to it, saying “Ray would have destroyed this one!”

The only one left now is Gilbert Brown’s Gravedigger Burger, which pretty much has to stay on after the fame it gained from Man vs. Food attempting to take down the 93-ounce behemoth, named for the massive lineman’s jersey number. Translated into an easier measurement, that would be slightly more than 5 3/4 pounds of burger. Basically, if you can take it down in one sitting, you’re either Takeru Kobayashi, or you’re insane. Actually, I’m not sure what the difference is.

Mammoth challenge aside, the food is a very high-quality. On my visit, I had to go with the Packer Burger, which consists of a burger with the standard toppings, plus American, Swiss and ham. If you haven’t had ham on a burger, it’s definitely worth trying out. Two different kinds of meat wouldn’t seem to work that well together on the sandwich, but it really does. The ham adds another layer of flavor and provides more juice than its cousin of bacon.

Juice isn’t a problem at Champions, however, because the burger is very juicy on its own. When you have a burger, juiciness is an important quality, because if it’s too dry, it’s going to rob it of its flavor and you’ll be reaching for your drink after every bite, which ruins the taste. Not so at Champions. The tastes work well together, resulting in a burger worthy of the Packer name. Even a Bears fan could enjoy this one.

Besides the burgers, Champions features mostly standard sports bar fare, offering pizzas, sandwiches, soups, salads, appetizers and plenty of beers (this is Wisconsin, after all). They’re broken into categories with football terms, such as first downs (appetizers) and tackles (entrees), but again, all of them have standard names.

It’s kind of a shame that Champions seems to be having an identity crisis since owner Ron Enke gave way to new management, because it’s totally unnecessary. It’s a good restaurant loaded with Packers memorabilia that can own its status as a Packer bar, but it appears to be trying to split the difference between Packer haven and quality restaurant. Just let the food stand for itself and allow the creativity with the names, guys. You’ve got a good product here.

Recap

Time to go: Lunch or dinner, and depending on the atmosphere you want and the wait you want, you either want to be here on a Packers Sunday, or avoid it like the plague on Sundays. On Sundays, it’s likely to be out-the-door crowds.

Wait during my visit: None. This is what happens when you come when the Packers aren’t playing in a town of 100,000.

Location: Champions is at 1007 Tony Canadeo Run, Green Bay, Wis. It’s probably less than a mile from Lambeau.

Parking: There’s plenty. Green Bay doesn’t need spaces unless it’s a home game day.

Cost: Most meals are around $10 here. You’ll be fine on cost.

Seating arrangement: It’s mostly stools and bar seating here.

Website: Champions Bar and Grill

Specialty items: Burgers and memorabilia

Short’s Burger and Shine, Iowa City, Iowa

One of the most accepted truths about food is simply this: The fresher something is, the better it is. How do you get fresh food? Simple: it doesn’t have to travel far. The less it travels, the fresher it is. Case in point: you can get good potatoes anywhere. But if you’re in Idaho, it’s basically impossible to find a bad one. The potatoes come from so close that they’re always incredibly fresh. When I lived in Idaho and visited Five Guys, which has a tradition of putting where the potatoes came from each day, it was pretty cool seeing that the potatoes used to make my fries had only taken a 30-minute trip down Interstate 15.

Short’s, located in the college town of Iowa City on the campus of the University of Iowa, follows that same philosophy with its burgers and sandwiches. The burgers come from a farm just 26 miles away from Short’s location in southeastern Iowa, and Short’s makes sure that you know it right away. On its menu, Shorts lists where its beef comes from and plays up the fact that when it’s in season, they’re getting their vegetables from farmer’s markets in Iowa City.

So this place is as organic as it gets, without the price tag that comes with being organic. Both good things. But even good burgers can struggle to shine without the presence of condiments and flavors thrown on your burger before it reaches your plate. That’s not a concern at Short’s. It isn’t Vortex in terms of the number of burgers available, but it’s got a nice mix of options and some creative names for them, all of which are assigned a number within its category. For instance, a Popejoy (capicola, provolone and muffuletta sauce) is listed as No. 5 on the burger chart, while a Johnson is No. 1 on the chicken menu, including peppers and Brie.

I’m really not sure what the point of the numbers are, as this isn’t similar to Chino Bandido, where you put the number and the form you wish your meal to be in. Here, the numbers are merely a sideshow. Nobody calls the burgers by their numbers, and I’m sure Short’s, having made a creative name to go with each burger, would rather you call the burgers by the names they have chosen to add to their list. Some of the others include the Arion (cucumber, tomato, feta, tzatziki), the Larchwood (onions, peppers, mushroom, Swiss, red pepper mayonnaise), the Gravity (caramelized onions, bacon, green chiles and jalapeno cream cheese), the Palo Alto chicken sandwich (guacamole, sour cream, salsa, pepper Jack) and the Pacific Junction black bean burger (mango jalapeno salsa and pepper Jack).

I think the real purpose for the numbers is so you can easily figure out that they’ve got a lot of them. The menu features 20 burgers, plus 12 chicken sandwiches and four black bean burgers for those who, like my girlfriend Amy, simply don’t wish to eat beef. No matter what you get, though, it doesn’t come from far (with the exception of the fries, which I’m sure came from Idaho. Hey the Midwest has its limitations).

Plus, it also comes with some high-brow toppings. Among the toppings available are garlic aioli, wasabi, tzatziki and four different kinds of mayonnaise, including chipotle, pesto, avocado and red pepper. Those are just the sauces, as Short’s also features several kinds of cheeses, vegetables, bacon and some other delicious extras, most of which have come from farmer’s markets in Iowa and are served on a freshly-baked bun. If you’re into the alcoholic beverage scene (this is the Shine part of the name), they feature 10 beers brewed in the Hawkeye State.

I chose the Dundee Burger (not sure if it’s supposed to connect with crocodiles or Michael Scott), but it was exactly my kind of burger. Bacon, sauteed mushrooms, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, garlic aioli and a fried egg. If you’ve never had a fried egg on a burger, I highly recommend it. The egg adds another layer of flavor to the burger, and if it hasn’t been cooked too much, the yolk can be a nice touch.

Amy opted for the Cerro Gordo chicken sandwich, which features mozzarella and bacon with lettuce, tomato and a basil pesto mayonnaise, which she tells me was excellent. We do have a lot of the same tastes, as I would have probably found this one to be outstanding as well. She just doesn’t like the taste of beef and onions, which leaves me to try anything that includes those.

Pretty much every college town has at least one restaurant that achieves a special status. Ann Arbor, Mich., has the Maize and Blue Deli, Ames, Iowa has Black Market Pizza, Chapel Hill, N.C. has Time Out, Lexington, Ky., has Tolly-Ho (which Simon tells me is awesome) and Columbia, Mo., has Shakespeare’s Pizza. Iowa City is fortunate enough to have two of them (the other being the Hamburg Inn), with Short’s having the added benefit of being almost on the Hawkeye campus. This place is definitely worth the stop.

Recap

Time to go: Whenever Iowa is not playing a home football/basketball game. Seriously, check the schedule. Short’s is in the college town section of Iowa City, which means if the Hawkeyes are playing, getting around will be a mess. You will have to deal with collegiate pedestrians at any point, but if Iowa’s not playing, that becomes easier.

Wait during my visit: Not too bad, everything came at a good pace.

Location: Short’s is at 18 S. Clinton Street in Iowa City. Be careful, it is very easy to miss. Its location is rather non-descript.

Cost: Reasonable. All burgers are less than $10 and come with fries.

Parking: No. The city does have garages, but you won’t be able to park anywhere without a short walk. The garages aren’t bad, less than a dollar will cover you for the time you’re there.

Seating arrangement: It’s cramped, but there’s enough space. The seating is booths and tables, with some bar seating.

Website: Short’s

Specialty items: Burgers

Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream, Carmel, Ind.

If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love sharing this journey I’m on with the people I care about. It’s why I write this blog, but it’s even better when I get the chance to experience something new with someone I care about, and I do it at every chance I get. While in Boston for the New England Patriots’ playoff game this January, I drove an hour each way to Eagle’s Deli so that my brothers Simon and Zach (and family friend Brian Scannon) could experience the Eagle’s burgers with me. I’ve had restaurants I’ve experienced with great friends, such as when Tim and Adam Kanak (and Tim’s girlfriend Amber Perkins, another friend)  joined me at Aguila’s, or when Stephanie Soukup accompanied me to Melt. Of course, the love of my life, my amazing girlfriend Amy McFann, has joined me at places in Tampa, Chicago, Cicero, Wrigleyville and Iowa City, all of which have been awesome to share with her.

So when my cousin Victoria Swider and her husband Joel suggested a trip to Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream when I visited them in Indiana earlier this month, I was delighted at the idea. There’s nothing like turning a good trip into a great trip by adding people who matter to you to the equation. Plus, this was a milestone evening for me, as Bub’s was my 80th restaurant from Man vs. Food that I’ve visited, which means I still have a lot of my past to add to this blog since only about 40 of them are up. Joel and Victoria finished our trip only 79 restaurants behind me.

On the burger side of the equation, Bub’s is famous for two things: its elk burgers and its Big Ugly burger, a full pound after cooking of either beef or elk that actually counts as a challenge on its own. Finishing one of these mammoths earns the eater a picture on the wall, and the size of the picture increases with each burger you consume.

Now, finishing one of these is by no means easy, but it’s not impossible. My friend Sam Wilson has finished a Big Ugly on his visit here, and I’ve actually consumed three one-pound cheeseburgers in my life, once at Big Jud’s in Idaho and twice at different Cheeburger Cheeburger locations in St. Louis and New Jersey. Granted, I did that after skipping a meal to clear my stomach, but I’ve also taken down a Thurman Burger after having eaten a late lunch, and those things weigh in at 3/4 of a pound with just the meat.

So a lack of room wasn’t what deterred me from the Big Ugly. What did was the following facts: First, when you’re trying a challenge, you don’t really take the time to enjoy what it is you’re eating. The point of this is to experience what makes these restaurants famous, not try to make myself sick. Second, in case you missed it, this place is called Bub’s Burgers and Ice Cream. Going here and filling up on the Big Ugly would eliminate room for ice cream, and that would leave this review woefully lacking and even worse at getting to the point than Nathaniel Hawthorne.

So I went for the other specialty, the elk burger, in the Not So Ugly size, which is a much-more manageable half-pound. It’s become a trend these days to try meats other than beef in a burger, and what tends to be the case is a juicier and leaner burger because other meats simply don’t have the fat that the cow does.

At Bub’s, that’s definitely the case. This patty is so juicy and has a noticeably different taste than beef. It’s cooked to perfection, and you can tell that it doesn’t have the fat that a traditional beef burger has, but it has just as much taste and flavor. The toppings complement the burger perfectly, as Bub’s uses a less is more approach, going with just lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and your choice of cheese.

Add some waffle fries (definitely order more than you think, we needed two larges for three people) and a sweet tea and it’s a perfect meal. In the summer, you can eat outside at one of several picnic tables, which makes for a nice atmosphere.

That leads us into the ice cream, and Bub’s has a nice range of flavors to choose from, most of which are pretty standard. However, there are a few that you don’t see every day, with one of them being the cinnamon crumb. Once I saw it, it was pretty obvious I had to try it.

It’s simply amazing. Cinnamon is swirled throughout the ice cream, and the addition of the crumbs gives it an extra crunch. It’s a lot like the base of a good pie, with spice flowing through it. It’s some of the best ice cream I’ve had, and after some of the places I’ve been, that’s really saying something. Saving room for the ice cream was a great decision, but even if you don’t, you’ll have a great meal. At Bub’s, ugly has never looked so beautiful.

Recap

Time to go: Earlier is probably better. Carmel is a suburb of Indianapolis, but it’s developed into a night destination for young adults on that part of I-465. As such, it gets pretty crowded at night when people get off work and want to have some fun.

Wait during my visit: Substantial. One tip, if you have an odd number in your party, wait around when your name goes on the list. We put our names on the list, then walked around Carmel, expecting to have a table when we returned. Didn’t work that way. What happened was that our name was called since they had a three-person table, but we weren’t there and had to re-wait. The good news is that Bub’s has a game while you wait, where you try to get a metal latch onto a hook. Joel was substantially better than either myself or Victoria at it.

Location: Bub’s is at 210 W. Main Street in Carmel, Ind. Another location exists in Bloomington, home of Indiana University.

Cost: The Not So Ugly’s aren’t bad, costing roughly $10-11 for elk and $8.50 for beef. A Big Ugly is $20 for elk, $16 for beef. Plan accordingly.

Parking: Not so much. Most of it is street parking and walk. There is a little bit behind the restaurant near the Monon Trail, but that’s about it.

Seating arrangement: Chairs inside, picnic tables outside. I say go picnic tables if the weather is good. There are chairs at several of these too.

Website: Bub’s Burgers

Specialty items: Big Ugly burger, ice cream

The Thurman Cafe, Columbus, Ohio

At first glance, you wouldn’t think a place famous for its burgers would belong in the German Village of Columbus. After all, burgers aren’t widely associated with Germany like sausage is. But in actuality, the hamburger’s name comes from the town of Hamburg, Germany, although the sandwich we know today was not invented there. However, with that bit of information, the location of the Thurman Cafe makes substantially more sense.

That’s because the Thurman Cafe, so named for its location on Thurman Avenue in Columbus, serves up some of the best burgers there are, and a wide variety of them. Like Vortex in the Southeast or Lindy’s in the Southwest, creative burgers are why people flock to the Thurman Cafe and have done so since it opened in 1942.

One big difference between those places and the Thurman Cafe is size. The Thurman Cafe makes sure you’re getting the most burger for your dollar possible, because all burger patties come in at 3/4 of a pound. Considering that most weigh 1/2 a pound or less, that’s quite a sizable behemoth. Along with that huge patty come your choice of how you want to crown it. Options include the Rad Shroom, which features mushrooms and horseradish cheese, the bacon cheddar ranch, the Macedonian, which boasts red peppers on Texas toast, the Jaeger, named after the opposing street and offering mushrooms and onions on an open-faced burger that’s covered with French onion sauce and the Johnnie Burger, with tequila cooked into the meat.

But if you’ve never been to the Thurman Cafe before, there’s only one thing to order from its bevy of burger choices. That would be the restaurant’s signature burger, known simply as the Thurman Burger. At most places, a burger that simply bares the name of the restaurant isn’t one to write home (or a blog) about. It’s usually just your standard burger, topped with nothing, at the cheapest price.

The Thurman Burger goes completely in the opposite direction. It’s almost easier to list what isn’t on the Thurman Burger  than what is, but here’s what you’ve got: A 3/4 pound patty, lettuce, tomato, pickle, mayonnaise, banana peppers, ham, American cheese, mozzarella cheese, sauteed mushrooms and caramelized onions.

It’s basically heaven on a bun. There’s not a single bad thing about this burger. All the tastes work so fantastically well together, allowing for the cheese to work with the meat, the vegetables to give it a little something different, the ham to provide a new element of flavor, everything works. It’s simply one of the best burgers there is anywhere.

It’s also a ginormous mess. As anyone who has eaten a burger loaded up with toppings knows, the more toppings and sauces you have on the burger, the less chance there is of the bun actually being able to hold on and keep the burger in one piece. Instead, it’s more likely that the bun will soak up the juice and give way, and that is exactly what happens on the Thurman Burger.

The burger will quickly fall apart when you try to pick it up, which means you might have to use a knife and fork to attack it. Getting it on yourself or your shirt is likely and even expected. It’s referred to as getting “Thurmanized”, and it tends to happen quite often. Because of the mess, the Thurman Cafe is the anti-Wimbledon. If you order a Thurman Burger or the even larger Thurmanator (which adds another patty, cheese and bacon), it is strongly recommended that you wear anything but white, or you might have a hard laundry day on your hands after your visit.

Even if you do, it’s totally worth the risk. Whether or not you actually get Thurmanized, the experience of tasting a Thurman Burger makes the trip an unforgettable and enjoyable visit.

Recap

Time to go: Anytime, really. The Thurman Cafe is open until 2:30 a.m. every night, and the kitchen closes at 1 a.m. Be warned, however, the restaurant is small and gets crowded.

Wait during my visit: Substantial. The only reason I got a seat quickly was because the waiter knocked over a drink at another table, forcing the couple to vacate their seat. Well, being a party of one, I had no problem with only one dry seat. Had that not happened, I’d have waited even longer.

Location: The Thurman Cafe is at 183 Thurman Avenue in Columbus, Ohio.

Cost: Not bad. Most burgers will come in under $10 and come with chips as well. You can also get fries, probably for a nominal charge.

Parking: N/A. There is no parking lot, all you have is street parking, and you’re hoping to get lucky here because there are several street areas that are marked no parking. The closer you can get to the restaurant, in general, the safer you are.

Seating arrangement: Good luck. Tables do not come open easily. It’s mostly stools and bar seating, but there are booths. There’s not a lot of space.

Website: The Thurman Cafe

Specialty items: The Thurman Burger

Lindy’s On Fourth, Tucson, Ariz.

This will be my second no-food picture one, as, like Ike’s Place, my visit to Lindy’s on Fourth predates when I took pictures of food. So I’ll just have to give everything a description as best as I can of the burgers that make Lindy’s a Tucson institution.

Basically, Lindy’s is to burgers what Ike’s is to sandwiches what Voodoo is to doughnuts. The restaurant loves to come up with creative names for its multiple burger creations, and its abundance of burgers puts it on a par with Vortex. Lindy’s boasts 23 burgers, and like Vortex, for a nominal fee, you can substitute a meatless patty or a chicken breast for those who simply aren’t fans of beef.

Once there, your first choice is how many patties you want. Most burgers come with one, two or three, with each patty weighing in at 1/3 pounds. For the people with ridiculously huge appetites, however, Lindy’s offers the AZ Hooligan, which features five patties. If that’s not enough, you can take on the challenge of the OMFG burger, which features nine patties, plus Swiss and cheddar cheeses and the traditional burger toppings. Finish in 30 minutes and you win and get a picture on the wall. Get it done in 20, and your burger is free. If not, you’re paying $25.

With the huge portions out of the way, it’s time to get down to the creativity that is Lindy’s menu. Options include the Ninja, which features pineapple, provolone, ginger and wasabi, the Spartacus, featuring feta cheese and Greek tzatziki sauce (although Spartacus was Roman, not sure what that’s about), the Picnic Basket, which tops your burger with a mound of potato salad and the Fat Bastard, which adds a fried egg and bacon to the burger on a glazed cinnamon roll.

In the face of all those options, I went with something else I’d never tried: the Mac and Cheese burger. It’s your standard burger, with one big change. The burger patty is covered with Kraft macaroni and cheese, combining two of America’s most loved comfort foods. The result is a tasty mess that is all but guaranteed to fall apart, but it’s so worth the hassle.

The noodles and cheese sauce work very well with the tastes of the perfectly grilled burger, and the macaroni has the unintentional effect of turning the fries (if you chose to order them) into an impromptu plate of cheese fries. Would that I could discover mistakes like this more often.

Besides the burgers, Lindy’s also serves cheesesteaks, with far fewer options to them than exist on their burgers. There are a few things you can play around with, but cheesesteaks are not one of them. Staying true to how it’s done in Philly, your only cheese options on these are provolone or Whiz. It is strange that no American is offered (for those unfamiliar, American is also considered perfectly reasonable on a true Philly, but Swiss is never allowed), but I guess they voted to focus the creativity on the burgers, and given the results. I can’t fault them for that.

Sure, Arizona might be known for Mexican and Sonoran cuisine, but there’s always room for a good burger, no matter what part of the country you’re in. When you’re as creative with your burgers as Lindy’s is, you’re going to find a following no matter where you are, and deservedly so.

Recap

Time to go: Depends on the day. Lindy’s is closed at 4 p.m. on Mondays and 5 p.m. on Sundays, but it stays open as late as 2 a.m. on Thursday through Saturday. If you’re going on a day that isn’t Sunday or Monday, a late visit works.

Wait during my visit: On the longer side, as the restaurant is in an old town section of Tucson somewhat close to the University of Arizona.

Location: Lindy’s is at 431 N. 4th Avenue. Be especially vigilant here, it is not easy to find from the road.

Cost: Not bad, a burger and fries should run you about $11.

Parking: Good luck. There’s only street parking here, and this street gets very busy. I don’t even remember where I managed to find a space, I just remember I was pretty sure I was parked illegally in one area. Just grab the first open spot you can find.

Website: Lindy’s On Fourth

Specialty items: Burgers

Rockies Diner, Boise, Idaho

From the second you step into Rockies Diner in the Gem State’s capital, it feels like you’ve gone back to the 1950’s. The waitresses are on skates, the music is from two generations ago and the lights and checkerboard floor are exactly what you’d find in the old movies. In every sense of the word, Rockies is the classic American diner.

Of course, that includes the food. Whether it’s breakfast or lunch, you’re bound to find something good at Rockies, a statement I can make because I’ve managed to show up at both times of the day (thank you, Idaho state basketball tournament) to try some completely different options.

On the breakfast side of things, Rockies is known for its wide variety of burgers. These aren’t ridiculous-sized burgers, with the exception of the Johnny B. Goode and the Earthquake, but they certainly are delicious and creative. Options such as the Sourdough Burger, the Zorba (gyro meat on the burger), the Bleu Cheese, the Mushroom and the Colossal (pastrami-topped) dot the menu on the normal burger side. Open-faced burgers are available, covered in chili and cheese for a delicious combination that is best tried while wearing a color other than white. You can also get the chili cheeseburger as a standard, topped burger.

On my two burger visits, I’ve gone with the Mushroom and the Chili Cheeseburger, with a side of fries added. Rockies’ fries are standard and thick-cut, exactly what you’d expect from a diner. They’ve got plenty of potato (it is Idaho, after all) and plenty of taste.

The two big burgers, which I wasn’t touching, include one regular burger and one open-faced. The Earthquake adds a second patty to the mix, and adds pastrami, bacon, chili and two kinds of cheese. The biggest is the Johnny B. Goode, which is part of the Rockies’ Challenge. The burger includes three patties, a hot dog, pastrami, two cheeses and is smothered in chili. Somehow, it costs less than the Earthquake. I have no idea what kind of accountants they’re employing at Rockies, because this burger weighs 4 1/2 pounds.

When the Johnny B. Goode is made a part of the challenge, it gets paired with a 16 ounce milkshake and a 1 1/2 pound plate of chili cheese fries, and you’ve got a half-hour to get those down with the entire restaurant staring at you in order to try to win a guitar. I do not recommend even trying it, but going to Rockies and not getting a milkshake is a mistake. I’ve only tried the chocolate, and with a full serving of whipped cream, it’s wonderful. Other flavors include vanilla, strawberry, Oreo, cherry, caramel, black raspberry and banana.

On the breakfast front, Rockies delivers in the form of omelets. Nine different omelets are available, including a mushroom Swiss omelet that is basically a siren song for me (about the only greater siren song for me is peanut butter pie). The combination of egg, shroom and cheese works perfectly, and when paired with some high-quality hash browns (it’s Idaho, you cannot find a bad potato in the state) and sourdough toast, it’s a perfect way to start your day.

Diners from the 1950’s are all over the country, but few provide the food quality that can be found at Rockies. The wide options available make this place stand out from the genre, and make it worth a visit.

Recap

Time to go: Anytime. Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, or dinner, Rockies has a satisfying meal available.

Wait during my visit: None. Diners tend not to have long waits, and Rockies is no exception.

Location: Rockies is at 3900 West Overland Road in Boise, Idaho.

Cost: Most burgers are under $10. You should be able to get out of here for under $15.

Parking: Not a lot, and the lot isn’t easy to navigate, but you shouldn’t have too many issues finding a spot.

Website: Rockies Diner. The restaurant also advertises specials on its site and Facebook page.

Specialty items: Omelets, burgers, milshakes

Matt’s Bar, Minneapolis

So if you read my recap of The 5-8 Club, you know the basics of the Juicy Lucy and that I consider 5-8 to serve the superior burger compared to its Cedar Avenue rival, Matt’s Bar. Ergo, you know that this is the runner-up in my opinion.

But that’s not to say Matt’s serves a bad burger. In fact, it’s far from it, and a lot of people swear by Matt’s as both the creator and the perfecter of the Jucy Lucy. Actually, now is the time to explain that spelling. At Matt’s, when the burger was created, it was placed on the menu without the I in juicy, and Matt’s chose never to correct the spelling, a distinction from 5-8 that remains to this day.

I believe Matt’s is the only place that spells it without the I, and the restaurant’s staff has been known to wear shirts that say, “If it’s spelled right, you’re at the wrong place.” 5-8’s staff, on the other hand, have worn shirts with the slogan, “If it’s spelled right, it’s done right.”

Regardless of how it’s spelled, where Matt’s differs from 5-8 is the way it serves its burgers and the basic menu available. You won’t find the abundance of choices that 5-8 offers here. Matt’s menu offers only 12 things, and three of them are beverages. They say it’s like going back to the 1950’s and they mean it.

Matt’s Jucy Lucy is served only one way, with American cheese. They cook it until the cheese has liquified, which results in a total mess and a burger that gets covered in the stuff. It also means that you really, really can’t bite into this thing immediately. The heat from melted cheese is bad enough if you don’t wait at 5-8. At Matt’s, with molten cheese oozing out of your burger, your mouth is really in trouble if you’re too overeager.

That can be a bit of an issue here, because the length of time that they cook their burgers means that you will be waiting a while to get your hands on a Jucy Lucy. I do not recommend going to Matt’s with an empty stomach, as you will have to wait a good while before you can actually eat.

Once you do get to eat, though, it’s a good experience. The burger is hot throughout and the molten cheese does work nicely on the burger. If you’ve ever had really good cheese fries, you know how melted cheese can make things better. The liquid cheese does the same thing, it’s just a little hotter than the melted cheese. If that’s the way you like it, you’re probably going to be very satisfied with a visit to Matt’s.

The one other thing I’m not a fan of is the drink option here. Most sit-down places offer refills in a glass, but Matt’s just goes with a can of soda. It’s served ice-cold, but it’s so little to drink when you’re going to need it to keep your mouth cool from the Jucy. That’s one example where it’d be fine to move forward from the 1950’s.

Otherwise, it’s a quality burger and solid fries to go with it. It’s not my favorite of the Juicy Lucies, but it’s still worth eating. Who knows, you might disagree with me and prefer Matt’s. That’s the beauty of trying things for yourself.

Recap

Time to go: Lunch/dinner/late night. Matt’s is routinely open past midnight. For a neighborhood bar, that’s peculiar, but I’m not going to take issue with it.

Wait during my visit: Not long to get a seat, very long to eat. You will wait a while for your meal here.

Location: Matt’s is at 3500 Cedar Avenue South in Minneapolis. It’s located three miles north of 5-8 on Cedar Avenue.

Cost: It’s not too bad, roughly about $11 for a full meal.

Parking: Good luck. Matt’s neighborhood location means only street parking. Luckily, you can do that at that point of Cedar Avenue, but you need to have some luck on your side to find a spot.

Website: Matt’s Bar

Specialty items: Jucy Lucy