Next up!

Now that the last review is out of the way, let's plan the next one.

I believe next up on our plate is Five Guys Burgers. Any other suggestions?

Let me know a time and date!

Bout Damn Time!!!

Okay, now to play some catch up. This group has been laying low for awhile as one of our members brings a new burger-lovin boy into the world.

Now for old business!

Our last trek was to HubCap Grill located downtown and it was pretty good....for the most part. The place itself was small, cramped and did not accomodate us all that well. Another negative, which just about everyone griped about, was the inability to pay with plastic. HubCap grill is cash only with a nice little profit-making ATM right next to cash register. Also, there is no parking lot only metered parking close by.

The burgers themselves were outstanding; great and varied topping choices, big patties of beef And the sides were excellent as they had both regular fries and sweet potato fries (the wife's favorite).

Though we enjoyed the food immensely, the cash only policy, small seating area, and lack of parking really made this a return possibility if you are in the area and have some cash in you pocket otherwise not worth a special trip for the food.

Next!!!

For our 2nd outing, I think everyone is agreed that Hubcap Grill should be next. I called today and the only weekend time they are open is Saturday from 11 - 2pm. So, I suggesting the 28th for our next meeting at Hubcap at 12:00.

Outing a Success. The Burgers?.....Not so much

Well folks, we did it. We finally had our first burger as a club; our first outing, SmashBurger. Thanks to everyone for joining us. And for those who didn't, we'll see you next time.

Now for the results... The store was clean and the employees very nice and extremely helpful. On the downside, the place was very small and not meant for groups. The menu looked good, simple but enticing. There were 3 types of fries, and thanks to the varied tastes of the group, we got to try each type.




The Veggie Fries were really good, well seasoned, and as crispy as you could get for fried carrots and string beans. Rosemary fries were a surprise (to me, anyway) as they were lightly, but incredibly seasoned and very crispy. Even the plain fries were incredible. I do have to say, the fries were the second best thing about the place.

Oddly enough, the burgers were not the best thing. What follows is not meant to suggest that the hamburgers were not good....they were. The burgers were thick and the SmashSauce (dressed-up mayo) had a good flavor, but not a memorable one. There was no choice to cook it well, medium, or rare; the hamburger patties all came cooked the same way. As I said, they were thick and were a good size. They were definitely not dwarfed by the buns which were toasted and warm, but had been sitting for awhile.



Also, the fried egg that I had on my burger (yes, my heart survived) was over cooked and added no flavor to the burger. Everyone else seemed to have the same opinion, that while good, they were not the best they had, and not worth a special trip to South Main just for it.

Okay, so what was the best thing? The best thing, according to Natalie (and, from a previous experience, Kim) is the chocolate shake made from Haagen Daaz vanilla ice cream; extremely creamy and chocolaty and very generous portion. Not only do you get the shake in a tall, old-fashioned malt glass, but you also get the container it got mixed in which had quite a bit left over. Unfortunately, no one else had it on Saturday, though we tried to save room for it. So, if I am in the area and craving a decent burger, I will do SmashBurger again and that time, save room for the shake as well.



We need a decision for the next run; I'm thinking Hubcap Grill.

Hope to see y'all there!

Smash Burger, here we come.....

We're off and running. Everyone who is joining us for our trip to Smash Burger, we will be at the Smash Burger location on Kirby and Main at 5pm on Saturday, January 31st. Looking forward to seeing everyone there and, yes, I am bringing my camera, so be ready!

And we try again.....

Saturday the 31st at the Smash Burger at Kirby and Main (time still needs to be decided). That is our next attempt at starting the Hamburger odyssey. Hope to see everyone there.

Ouch....

big crash and burn this weekend as it was a no-go meeting up at Smash Burger. We are in the process of planning a new data and time for our meetup. Will update when that is solid.

Day and Time Change/Suggestion....

What about Sunday around 1pm?

Kick this tour off...

Let's try Saturday around 1pm. Place will be decided by Friday at noon. Does that work for everyone?

ok, my choice for the first stop is.....

I just read the review for the SmashBurger place on Kirby and Main and there is a burger with a fried egg and bacon with my name on it waiting for me (also waiting for me will be the cardiologist at the emergency room). The link goes to the review.

By the way....

...the name of the club is still up for grabs. I put one here for the time being and to get this started, but as I did not check with my wife, this is of course subject to change. So, in addition to burger suggestions, I am also looking for a name for this group/blog and all serious (and most of the non-serious) suggestions will be reviewed.

How it started....

Never get me started talking about food (or movies for that matter). Once I start, you better be comfortable and settled in for the long haul. As it happened, I had joined my beautiful wife and her lovely friends for their Christmas lunch. As the conversation danced from one topic to the next, we somehow landed on the the topic of the arrival of a few new burger chains to the Houston area. Though we were midway through our respective amazing lunches, we nevertheless drooled as we described either our own favorite (dream) burgers, or the burgers served at some of the newer eateries. As we kept getting more and more animated about this discussion and our mutual love for the simple burger, our friend Kimberly suggested (or maybe demanded; we were in a burger daze, so it could have been either) that we take the time in the coming year to make a pilgrimage, a tour, a gastronomical super trip through the magical, mystical Houston establishments that serve that wonderful treat; the hamburger.

So here we are; a list of suggestions has been sent out, wish-list places identified (some of them, at least), and a blog created. So when and where is our first stop?

I'll tell as soon as we decide. Till then, throw me your favorites.