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..

Burger Bites, Episode 4 - Irv's Burgers, LA

Thanks to everyone who came to the launch of the new Burger GPS app at the Apple Store last night. The afterparty at Idle Hands involved more burgers, thanks to Rev and upstairs restaurant Billy Hurricane's. The chef brought round after round of amazing mini burgers, each one better than the next. My favorite was the Hurricane Burger, which was topped with a Frank's Red Hot concoction. And Robin from The Land of Cake Believe (great name) brought her incredible bacon cheeseburger cupcakes to the afterparty.

Those who attended the Apple Store event watched the premiere of Burger Bites ep.4 about Sonia Hong and her West Hollywood burger joint Irv's Burgers. I showed the clip during the app demo to give the crowd an idea of what Hamburger America is all about. People like Sonia are what keep me going and remind us that classic mom 'n pops can survive if we care to save them.

Enjoy episode 4!

Nice Interview on Eater

I'm happy with this piece on Eater. Paula Forbes totally got it right. Thanks Paula!

I Just Tested the New App!

I just took the new Hamburger America Burger GPS for a test drive and it was awesome! The guys behind the new app have been working their asses off to get it done in time for the big launch at the Apple Store, Meatpacking, next Friday. As they were testing, hilariously incorrect GPS coordinates popped up like the one on the left which placed the Upper East Side Shake Shack on the tip of Antarctica. Who knows? They are moving to Brooklyn soon. Anything is possible..

The new app is really amazing and I for one will use it often. Having an interactive burger map in my hand is a dream come true.

George's Shoulda Been In The Book...

I've been trying to get to a little-known burger joint in the Cochella Valley for years called George's Bar & Grill and man, they should have been in the book. George's meets all of the criteria to be included in Hamburger America so expect to see this place in HA3 one day (and in my new burger app, releasing May 20th!).

George is long gone but his son Ed has been large and in charge for many years. The sign out front proudly proclaims "World's Best Burgers and Insults" and he means it. Thank God Ed has an opinion on what makes a great burger (and yours is most definitely wrong). Ketchup graces the bar but it's there for the fries. Go ahead, just try to put some on your burger...

The patties are fresh ground, hand-pattied and cooked on a flattop behind the bar. A single works but the double, weighing in at around 1/2 lb, is better. Ask for grilled onion and there's a charge of $1.10 (go for it). The burger is served on a toasted white squishy and the result is heavenly, and a bit peppery. To round out your Whole Burger Experience take in the bar - authentic baseball memorabilia, comfortable leather stools and a tiny pool table complete the scene and an engraved plaque just below the television reads "Screw The Customers". Perfect. You know you want to be there.

Hours at George's are strange so check before you head out there. Even though it's a bar it's only open until 5:30pm weekdays and 3pm on Saturdays. Ed has better things to do so come down and get your drink on at lunchtime.