A Wild 48 Hrs in the Heartland

48 hours, 12 burgers and 750 miles of driving, that's basically what it turned out to be. The route for this stretch of research took me on a round trip starting in Cleveland. Follow this route - Cleveland to Columbus, Columbus to Urbana, Urbana to Fort Wayne Indiana, Fort Wayne to Detroit and then back to Cleveland to catch a flight out (I tried to time the trip to the airport with a quick stop at the Rock 'N Roll hall of fame but that never happened.)

I'm not going into too much detail since most of these joints are going into the book but I'll give a brief account of my wild ride.

In Cleveland I drove South to Akron to give Swenson's (above) a try based on many recommendations. It was excellent and the drive-in culture with carhops is alive and well in Ohio. I got the Galley Boy, which was a double on a very soft, yeasty bun with '2 special sauces'. I think the sauces were tartar and a ketchup thing and it hit the spot. I ate 2 of them.

I drove down to Columbus to visit Johnnie's and was joined by local EBT (expert burger taster) Jim Ellison (who brought me awesome vegan cookies from a local bakery - thanks for thinking about my health on the road Jim!). There's only one burger to get at Johnnie's but you choose your cheese. I chose the spicy pepper jack, apparently the fave among regulars. No one told me the burger was close to a pound! It was actually closer to 3/4 lb but what a beast..yum.

Next I dropped into Crabill's in Urbana just to say hi. I was headed to Sidney, OH and since Crabill's was on the way I had to stop. Marsha Crabill (above) was at the griddle (which is more like a tank full of glorious grease) and I had to have a few.

A short and picturesque drive through Ohio farmland brought me to the tiny city of Sidney and the vintage burger joint The Spot. A complete throwback with a burger on the menu that kicks some butt, the Big Buy (above). 2 patties, lettuce, pickle, cheese, and tartar sauce. The owner graciously offered to show me the square patty maker and I accepted. Fresh beef is basically extruded thru this vintage patty former, not pressed, making for a loose, crumbly texture.

More countryside and I crossed into Indiana headed for Fort Wayne. There I found a gem of gems - Powers Hamburgers. Situated near two stately downtown structures Powers was a perfect specimen of the Golden Age of the Hamburger, right down to the crispy waitstaff. Locals were treated like family, I was treated like a party crasher (maybe I asked too many questions). The burgers, true sliders to be exact, were phenomenal. Goes to show, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

On to Detroit and the upscale suburb of Birmingham where the well-preserved 1950s Hunter House also serves excellent oversized sliders. I started with a single for breakfast before realizing that the double (above) was the way to go (ordered one of those too, which was piled with steamy onions). Behind the counter were hanging signs of record holders that all seemed to be under ten years old, records for the number of burgers consumed in a single seating. Start 'em young, that's my kind of burger joint.

My last stop kinda freaked me out. Motz's Burgers in Detroit was a surefire failure right? Wrong. Not only does the place exist in a defunct White Castle and share my name, the burger is absolutely dreamy. Coincidentally, it's the pressed onion slider (above) that I make at home. How could this be? What are the chances? I was so relieved that Motz's delivered and they have a true spot in my book.

Next trip will be to Houston and San Antonio. Again, I'll be tweeting the trip so stay tuned.

Ohio For Research

I'm headed to Ohio/Detroit tomorrow for a few days for hamburger research for the revised edition of my book. The plan is to hit 9 burger joints over 3 days. Follow me on Twitter to see how the trip goes.

New Burger At Bill's!

When a burger joint adds a burger to the menu it's usually a change in toppings, a new flavor to an existing menu. When Bill's decided on change, they actually added an entirely new burger method to their short menu.

"Don't worry," executive chef Brett Reichler told me, "the original burger is still on the menu." Whew, that was a close one. I love this burger which is an authentic nod to the great Midwestern smashburgers. Bill's has purchased a few of those top-down griddles, a sort of over-engineered George Forman grill, to cook their 'new' burger concept with speed. Bill's has decided that they needed to add a classic pub-style burger to the menu. They are obviously trying their hand at a thicker patty, Corner Bistro-JG Melon-type burger with decent results. The burger is served on the classic toasted white squishy bun but I'm not the one to ask about its greatness. I prefer the thinsmashedgriddlecrunched wonders and there really was no room for improvement. I'm assuming this burger is for those who walk into Bill's, order a burger, and then say, "That's It?" In other words: The ones that just don't get it, the ones that require a burger with a little pink inside and think the thin patty is not substantial enough (which it most certainly is). Bill's is now covering all the bases. Very smart!

Now here's a weird one: Bill's has also moved to a different bun for the rest of the older burgers on the menu. The old burgers get the newer bun and the newer burgers get the older bun (?). The new bun is fresh-made and damn good. It's nice to know however that if you require the old bun with the older burgers you are in luck.

El Mago, Again

I found myself in Miami briefly again last week and knew exactly where I was headed for a burger. Outside of some of the incredible hamburger experiences I've had all over the country in the past decade, this place (and this burger) are still knocking me over. You will not find an experience like this anywhere else in America.

I love the frita and El Mago's impossibly good flan and added a batido this time for fun. A batido is basically a cross between a smoothie and a milkshake and is damn good. I ordered the mamey batido because it sounded the most exotic and wow was that a good call (pictured with my first frita of the visit).

After savoring a second frita I bid El Mago farewell and headed straight for the airport (which is only a few mins away). El Mago told me that just before I walked in a woman picked up a few fritas to bring back home to California. I wonder how that turned out. You really need to enjoy them right there at the counter and know you'll be back again soon.

If you are in Miami, skip the gourmet joints and make your way over to this Calle Ocho outpost. You will not regret it.

The Burger Garage To Open Soon

The paper is still up on the windows but I got a sneak peek today inside the soon-to-be-open Burger Garage in Long Island City. Brothers Jim and Adam Pileski are behind the new burger joint and say they'll be serving burgers in just a few weeks. The location couldn't be better for the thousands of employees of Citigroup seeking lunch since Burger Garage is just across the street from the familiar blue glass tower. Outdoor seating is also planned as well as beer and wine.

Coincidentally, Jim and Adam are childhood friends of mine and I know they know their burgers. Jim is obsessed with quality ingredients so I'm guessing these burgers will kick some ass. Stay tuned.

Taylor's Refresher in Napa Changes Name

Taylor's Refresher, the Napa Valley drive-in burger joint that has been serving burgers for over decades (and is in my book), apparently made a big deal this week about changing their name to Gott's Roadside Tray Gourmet. It's a strange combination of words, but a good way around some legal crap the Gott Brothers were apparently going through. I have no problem with the new name as long as the burgers are still amazing. However, I'll bet the Taylor's Refresher brand will be a hard thing to shake.

Val's Is Amazing

Somehow this classic burger joint in the Bay Area slipped through research for the first edition of my book. I'm sure there are many places like Val's Burgers that I missed but man, what a miss! The place serves excellent diner fare to a sea of happy locals in booths and sports one of the longest counters I've ever seen.

The burgers at Val's come in 3 sizes - the 1/3 lb Baby Burger, the 1/2 Mama Burger, and the 1 lb, Papa Burger. I of course opted for the, urp, Papa but it was way too big. I tried to compress the burger to fit it into my face and still couldn't ram it in. Next time, it's the Mama Burger for me. And it was so good, cooked over a flame grill on a toasted bun. I asked for sauteed onions and received a side dish with an entire onion's worth.

I was also coaxed into an amazing shake referred to by regulars as the 'Rootanana' - a root beer and vanilla shake with an entire banana blended in.

Research continues and the next big trip is just around the corner.

Hamburger America 2 Is On The Way

It's official. The revised edition of my book is happening. After a little negotiating, my amazing agent has struck a deal for the next edition of Hamburger America that is due to hit stores in Spring 2011. The updated version will include an additional 50 burger joints bringing the total for the book to 150. The existing entries all need updating and unfortunately 3 are coming out. That means I have to visit 53 burger joints in the next few months...

The good news is that I've already complied a list of about 40 viable entries thanks to the endless string of email I've received in the last 2 years. I've also learned much from my new network of EBTs (Expert Burger Tasters) all over the country and I thank you all for your hard work.

The new list is a secret and consists of places that meet all of my criteria and need to be in the book. I'm still on the search for an additional 13 burgers so if you have a strong opinion about your favorite let me know. I've opened comments for this post so go ahead and sound off. Remember the criteria however:

• The restaurant must make a burger with fresh-ground beef.
• The burger has to have been on the menu for over 20 years (but the older the better).
• Must be a great burger and be a place you can comfortably recommend.
• Must be in the USA.

Let the madness begin! I hit the road next week and man have I got a lot of eating to do.

LA for Work, and Burgers

I'm on a flight from LA the night before the Academy Awards and as you could probably guess the plane is empty. In the past few days I've been working (filming), but of course taking time to eat burgers. There was the obligatory stop at In-N-Out for a Double-Double Animal Style and a visit to my home-away-from-home the Apple Pan, but on this trip I hit Umami Burger for the first time.

More than 20 close friends and my father-in-law have urged me to check out Umami so there was pressure to get this burger in my mouth. The Umami empire has expanded in the last few months from a small, clean, mall-front store to a few large, hip restaurants (and a food truck is on the way apparently, and an outpost in the Fred Segal store). We visited the Umami way East on Hollywood Blvd, across from the old-school Cheetah's Exotic Dance Club. Our wait on a Friday night at 8pm was almost an hour. I was in for the ride and not going anywhere. I didn't care how long it took, I was excited, hungry, and was going to eat the burger that so many of my trusted burger compatriots have gushed over.

Did I like it? Well, yes, I did, though I couldn't help but think that it could be better. The burger (above) didn't live up to the hype, but that's the way it often goes, right? And to present your burger with a bun, toppings and an Japanese food theory that requires a flow chart takes a lot of balls (this isn't just any burger, it's an 'umami' burger). The skinny here was that my burger was raw, and so were the other burgers brought to the table. Much in the way April Bloomfield will err on the side of underdone for her vaunted pub burgers at The Spotted Pig, so too follows Umami. I could sense greatness, possibly achieved by an additional 30 seconds on the grill.

I won't get into the Hatch Burger (which didn't have a shred of green chile near it) or the tater tots (which were just deep-fried mashed potatoes) because I understand, I think, why people put their own spins on classics. It's just not my style.

I'll be back and will request the additional 30 seconds of grill time. It's the only way to order at Spotted Pig and the results are always amazing. The same should stand for Umami.

An Appearance on Coop's Kitchen

Last weekend I was asked to be a guest on the new web series Coop's Kitchen hosted by country recording artist Cooper Boone. They asked me to come on the show and make burgers and they wisely chose to grind fresh beef for the cameras. Armed with my trusty KitchenAid grinding attachment and fresh beef from Pat LaFrieda we ground fresh chuck and brisket, scooped, and went straight to Coop's flattop griddle. The burger we decided to make was the Oklahoma Onion-Fried Burger, the burger I learned to make by watching Marty Hall at Sid's Diner in El Reno, OK.

Coop had a great time grinding beef and the burgers turned out well. He made a kickin' chipotle BBQ sauce with Grandma's molasses that we spread on the burgers. So good.

At the end of the show we played guitar and Coop sang the Allman's Ramblin' Man. I asked him before the show how his music was with NASCAR nation and he replied quickly, "I love NASCAR, sang the national anthem at Watkins Glen!" Yes he did (click here).

Look for the episode in a month or so.