Chili Peppers Drummer Is One Smart Dude

A Double with onions at Hunter House

Chad Smith loves burgers, but not just any burgers. I've heard it before that his hometown favorite is Hunter House Hamburgers just north of Detroit, one of my faves and one of the 150 featured in my book. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving he was home visiting family and stopped in for a few. He posed for this picture (below) with one of my hamburger heroes, owner Susan Cobb (on the left). The Observer and Eccentric reported that he brought in family members for burgers, signed autographs, and even took a spin on the griddle. Chad hits those drums pretty hard, hope he took it easy smashing those burgers..

photo: The Eccentric

No Buns at the Apple Pan!

That's right, Los Angeles EBT Dan just happened to walk into the Apple Pan today during the SEVEN MINUTES that the iconic burger stand was out of buns. Turns out, the baker was running late and a number of patrons were served their burgers on toast. Dan reported, "The crunch of the toast definitely fought the crunch of the iceberg lettuce but it's still an Apple Pan burger, still phenomenal!" Order was restored but Dan managed to snap this rare shot of his Steakburger on toast.

Nice Piece in Washington Post Express

The Washington Post Express ran a good piece today on me and the new show I'm hosting, Made In America. The photo is from our visit to a Krispy Kreme store in North Carolina and yes, they made me tuck my shirt in, probably the first time in 2 decades..

The piece focuses on food, but in the show we visit 39 factories, everything from Silly Putty to jet engines.

To read the article, click here.

Hamburger America at National Archives

You read that right, the film Hamburger America will be screened at the National Archives in Washington DC. It's the same building that houses the Big 3 American Charters of Freedom (the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights for those that failed political science). Needless to say, I'm extremely honored and very much looking forward to the screening. I'll be there for a quick introduction to the film and a Q&A after, followed by a book signing. And then I'll be knighted (oh, wrong country).

If you happen to be in the area, the screening will take place in the William G. McGowan theater at the Archives next Wednesday, Sept 21st at noon and admission is free, open to the public. Click here for info. Sadly, no burgers will be served but I'm sure I'll be at the Five Guys a few blocks away after the screening...

Tookie's Is Reopening!

Tookie's Hamburgers & More, the home of the Squealer, is reopening after years of being shuttered following 2008's Hurricane Ike. The iconic burger joint and Texas roadhouse south of Houston sustained substantial flood damage and owner Jim Spears struggled to reopen. Recently however, a guy named Barry Terrell bought Tookie's (which was pretty much gutted following the storm and damage from looters) and has brought back the original menu. Spears had woes beyond the damaged structure, like the future widening of the road where Tookies sits, being subject to new building codes and piles of insurance paperwork from the storm. Not sure how Terrell pulled it off but he did apparently.

Tookie's was in the first version of Hamburger America but I pulled them out of the completely revised edition since there was no word of its reopening at press time last December. Looks like any day now you'll be able to enjoy the one-and-only Squealer, the burger Tookie's made famous by grinding bacon into their patties. The process is so secretive that competing restaurants have sent busboys to apply for jobs at Tookie's in an attempt to steal the recipe. I've tried myself and failed. The only way to truly enjoy a Squealer is to get one at Tookie's.

I applaud Terrell for being crazy enough to reopen this iconic burger joint. Chalk up another win for nostalgia!

Hamburger America at Urban Outfitters

Check this out! Urban Outfitters recently purchased a bunch of copies of the revised edition to sell in that cool little book section of their stores. I'm totally honored. Also, take a look at the selection of authors I'm sharing table space with (Jay-Z, Tina Fey, and Banksy).

My Burger Roundup for Edible Queens

Edible Queens asked me to write about my 5 favorite go-to burgers in Queens and the piece is in their Summer issue, on streets now. The standouts, for the most part, were pretty easy to spot and not surprisingly 3 of the 5 had only been open for under a year. The list? Burger Garage, Donovan's Pub, Custom Burger, Astor Bake Shop, and Hollis Famous Burgers. Pick up a copy of the mag at these places in Queens.

Joe DiStefano published this companion piece yesterday, a pretty straightforward interview with me..

Grease Fire Closes Tune Inn in DC

I've just learned that the Tune Inn in Washington DC suffered a fire last Wednesday and closed. The Washington Post reported that the fire started in the kitchen and that the bar area in front, the part loaded with years of dusty taxidermy, survived. Third generation owner Lisa Nardelli told the paper that the bar could be open within a week to serve drinks but it sounds like their famous burgers won't be back for a while.

photo: Tim Carman/WASH POST

For years, the Tune Inn has made a basic, beautiful, uncomplicated bar burger served on a white squishy bun that I put in my book. But in the past few years, a burger that the chef created as a special that involved deep-frying became the subject of an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins. Its popularity surged, the burger became a permanent menu item, and it sounds like there was a lot of deep-frying going on back there...

I'm looking forward to the Tune Inn's return, especially since I'll be down there soon.

French Cheeseburger Chips

My good friend Seth brought this bag of chips all the way back from France just for me today. 'Max Craquantes' translates basically as 'super crispy' and they are. I opened the bag and it farted out a cloud of pickle/ketchup flavoring that almost turned me off. I soldiered on though and ate a few. They do taste like 'cheeseburger', just not necessarily one that I would eat. And they are loaded with M.S.G. so I think I'll avoid eating the rest of the bag. Those French are crazy.

Smashburger is in NYC!

The Denver burger chain that has expanded throughout much of the country has made landfall in NYC, opening today at its first location in Brooklyn. Smashburger has won me over because of its use of fresh ingredients but the methodology behind the griddling of the patties is what really gets me going. True to their namesake, there's a lot of smashing going on.

Two days prior to opening, I was invited to check out the first NYC location on Dekalb Ave near Long Island University and Flatbush Ave. The owner surprised me by having Smashburger founder Tom Ryan on-hand for a meet and greet. Tom is a true fast-casual visionary and led us on a tour of the kitchen with a full demo of the smashing process. I'll avoid the details of my visit to avoid spilling any trade secrets, but let's just say these dudes have smashing down.



Tom talked me into ordering an item from their 'hidden menu', the Sin City Burger (pictured above). Created as a stunt and served first in Vegas, the Sin City is a decadent pile of crisped and sauteed onions, cheese, bacon and Smashsauce on a 1/3 pound patty, topped with a fried egg. "We imagined a burger that involved breakfast and dinner," Tom explained, "since you never know what time it is in Vegas." The Sin City is downright awesome and no longer on any written menu (as of Feb 2011), that is unless you know to ask for it (and apparently available 'secretly' at every location).

Soon, the new Brooklyn Smashburger will be serving beer too. It'll be a hard place for me to avoid..