Battle Cheeseburger!

SHE SAID
“And you know what they call a… a… a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris? They don’t call it a Quarter Pounder with cheese? No man, they got the metric system. They wouldn’t know what a Quarter Pounder is. Then what do they call it?
They call it a Royale with cheese. A Royale with cheese.”
Perhaps I imagine myself as Mrs. Mia Wallace, but this conversation from Pulp Fiction was playing in my head as I looked for a place that would satisfy my burger craving. I’ve heard for years about the burgers being served up at Hamburger Construction Co. and since they are celebrating 40 years this year – it was a sure sign that I should perch myself at the counter, Daddy-O. As I sat waiting for my royale with cheese, er, my bacon and blue burger as it were, I watched the open kitchen. They cooked the beef patty on the flat top, and as it was cooking, took two strips of bacon and cooked them up. Right there! No precooked bacon happening here, folks. They even steamed the roll in a special little steamer gizmo and put an ice cream scoop size ball of blue cheese on top as it was being assembled. It was the right amount (not too Fred Flintstone-esque), juicy, and well-seasoned. Now what do they call a Hamburger Construction Co. burger in Paris?

HE SAID
I lived in Hawaii for years and I’m a fan of any food with pineapple on it or in it, so when I saw that Frankie’s on the Bay offered a burger with pineapple, I couldn’t resist. They call it the “barrier” burger – it’s a burger topped with pineapple, ham, provolone and orange cranberry marmalade. I’ve never had a burger on a ciabatta roll before, but I was up to the challenge (Frankie’s also offers pretzel rolls for their burgers). The herbs baked into the roll were a nice effect. Most buns have a neutral flavor, but that little tang of thyme went well. The marmalade really made the sandwich. Many times I like a regular burger, just well-seasoned beef and lettuce, tomato and onion. But when you’re ready for something different, Frankie’s has some cool concoctions including burgers with jalapeno mayo, crab meat or buffalo sauce. The orange cranberry marmalade had an excellent taste and provided some nice moisture. The beef was good quality, the ham had a good flavor and it was well-prepared and presented. And it came with some really good fries. I look forward to trying other burgers from Frankie’s.