As a general introduction, the previous list was made up of places I had eaten. So, places such as Bubba's, 5 Guys, Mockingbird, Amazon Grille, Sullivan's, and Vic and Anthony's did not make my list, nor will they be added at this point. McCormick's burger, for 2 dollars, is very good. But I would hesitate to call it anything more than a happy hour burger. In an attempt to broaden my horizons, Miller's and Southwell's were places I frequented in the past 10 days.Miller's (on North Shepherd) was very good. It was everything I had heard it would be. I would have to say that the onion rings were only pretty good. Leighton and Wes had chicken fried steak sandwiches, which in no way could be bad. Simply no way in the world.
Southwell's (the one across from Memorial High School) was not only hard to find (I blame Katy and Google Maps equally) but not all I had heard it was. It was good. Don't get me wrong. But it was not great. If I could borrow a thought from Nathan, a burger is somewhat similar to a hot wing, in that it is easy to make a decent one but difficult to make an exceptional one. Southwell's made a solid burger. But, it was not as good as some of the other places.
One of those places, which I had been to before this last came out and which I have been to since this list came out is Lankford Grocery. It's tucked into the neighborhood around Taft and West Gray. For those who don't know, it closes at 3 and is closed on Sundays. The Firehouse Burger is incredible. You will sweat, you will cry, and you will love it. The Soldier Burger is served with a fried egg and looks very good. The down home feel is a big part of the charm and makes this place special. Tater tots don't hurt either. Neither does a side called "Tex Mex" -- fried jalapeno and onion strips. Think onion rings, but strips. The peppers aren't hot, but are full of flavor. The burgers require two hands to hold and eat, the patty is well seasoned and medium-cooked.
I hesitated in the earlier post to make this declaration, but this is the best burger in Houston. You need to go immediately. You won't be disappointed; you'll wish you'd been going to Lankford for years.
4 comments:
There's a fairly good Chronicle blog on hamburgers - a new place is reviewed every Friday. Check it out.
http://blogs.chron.com/cookstour/archives/burger_friday/
There is a place off Houston avenue (kinda in the ghetto) not far from target which has the BEST burgers. It looks like a complete shithole, its like a mini convenience store that makes fresh burgers. AMAZING. They got best burger by Houston press 2 years in a row back in like 2006-2007 or something. I don't recall the name, but you can find it! Let me know if you do.
Vik, I agree with you on Southwell's. I had it for the first time about a month ago and I was not impressed, at least impressed bast on all the hype surrounding it. I've been told Houstons has a great burger. I am thinking about trying that next time I go. I also plan on trying 5 Guys soon. Pappas turkey burger is still my fav burger to date. We'll see if my mind can be changed.
Zagat did a review of best fast food hamburgers and thought you might be interested:
ZAGAT’S BEST BURGER
1. In-N-Out Burger [WINNER]
2. Wendy's
3. Burger King
4. McDonald's
5. Whataburger
Epicurious analysis:
The cult following around In-N-Out is well-deserved: This is an independently owned, nonfranchised operation that sticks to what it does well (burgers) and doesn't attempt to cash in on healthy salads, grilled chicken, or coffee. More important, the burgers don't taste like any other fast-food fare. We especially like the flexibility in options: In addition to getting lettuce, tomato, onion, and a variation on Thousand Island dressing, customers can ask for things like mustard, pickle, and extra patties (the so-called secret menu).
That said, there are no outlets on the East Coast, so it's hard to think this represents a national opinion, and it's clearly not an apples to apples, or should we say, burgers to burgers, comparison.
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