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(2 votes, average: 5.50 out of 10, ) Loading ...
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The Christmas holidays are a wonderful time. It’s a time for both my wife and I to head back to Baton Rouge, LA and spend time with family and friends. Being that this was also the first Burger Tyme Christmas holiday I thought it to be extremely appropriate to add yet another Louisiana burger joint to the list. For years I’ve had friends tell me how great Port of Call in New Orleans is. This was also confirmed by being the only burger joint in Louisiana to make the book Hamburger America. It was also voted Gambit Weekly Best Burger in 2008 by local New Orleaneans. So with much free time and a few willing burger tymers, we made our way down to New Orleans on probably one of the coldest days in South Louisiana history. It was about 30F which is about as cold as it gets. When we arrived in the French Quarter we parked by beautiful Jackson Square and the St Louis Cathedral. The cold weather actually made it quite pleasant as usually bad smells in the French Quarter are usually compounded by the heat and humidity. We made our way past many world renowned restaurants, past art shops, and past a few other unknown burger places, to Dauphine and Esplanade, about half a block just North of Bourbon St to Port of Call. Like many other shops and restaurants in this eclectic and misunderstood part of New Orleans, Port of Call is inconspicuously situated in an old house with a sign hanging out front. I had heard tale that this place was kind of a dive but it was actually nicer than I expected. Something that surprised my was how every table was full inside even though they did not even look open from the outside. We made our way in and it was very dark inside at 1pm. After our eyes adjusted we were directed to take a seat. As we sat I looked around at what everyone else was having. Other than the many fruity drinks they offer, everyone was having the burger. That’s why we were here too.
The menu states :
“All our burgers are half pound ground fresh daily, and come with baked potato with butter.”
This seemed like a very promising start. Fresh beef, a baked potato instead of fries, a soft drink cup that I get to take home!!! I went ahead and placed my order for the cheeseburger which comes in at a hard to swallow $10.75 soft drink not included. But I’m willing to pay extra for burger perfection. The wait was not too long and we were able to fill our time listening to the bartender (who coincidentally spoke like a pirate, although I don’t think it was intentional) give parenting tips to his coworkers. When our burgers arrived there were mixed emotions running through my mind. The first thing I noticed was the cheese. The unmelted, shredded cheddar cheese on top of the patty. My eye was then drawn to the very uninspiring bun. It was at best a regular seeded bun from the grocery store with little if any toasting. This is OK at this point. The veggies served on the side were very plain. A whole slice of an onion, a leaf of iceberg lettuce, and a slice of tomato. The condiments were on the table for your use including mayonnaise (doesn’t this need to be refrigerated?). I assembled my burger and took a bite. It was juicy. The meat tasted fresh and of good quality but that is about all I can say good about it. The meat lacked almost any kind of seasoning. Almost everything about this burger was pretty unimpressive… Well, except for the baked potato. I actually really liked it in place of french fries. But even it was just basic butter, bacon bits, sour cream, and chives.
In spite of all of these objections running through my mind I ate the burger rather quickly. I have to give credit to the fresh and high quality of the meat used. The other ingredients, however, could definitely stand to step up their game. As I was talking to a friend in Baton Rouge about this burger his comment was that I was the first person he had heard say bad things about this burger. No doubt, Port of Call has it’s fans. They have been making the same burger there for almost 50 years. That being said (and it pains me to say this about a Louisiana Burger), I think there are better burger out there in the world and possibly New Orleans has a better one to offer. For a total of about $15 I would recommend trying some of the other excellent cuisine the French Quarter and getting some beignets and hot chocolate at Cafe du Monde while the weather is still cold.
(4 votes, average: 7.00 out of 10, ) Loading ...
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When I think back to my first memories of a burger joint, I think of Frost Top on the corner of Range and Florida in Denham Springs, LA. I remember the chocolate dipped ice cream cones. I remember the super, huge cookies. I remember root beer floats. Most of all I remember their amazing color changing jukebox that played 7″ vinyl records. Unfortunately that Frost Top location is now a Walgreen’s but one still remains in Baton Rouge! On the last day of my Easter Vacation, I managed to gather four Burger Tymers from our Baton Rouge chapter to join me in experiencing nostalgia in its fullest. The location in downtown Baton Rouge has been around since the 50′s. Now, Frost Top’s claim to fame is their root beer, which I will talk about later, but we were there for a burger! The interior of this location was not as childhood, dreamy as I remember the other one being but it had it’s own appeal. From the big root beer mugs on the side of the road to the the black and white checkered tile, this place is classic! It was reassuring that when we arrived a little after noon that the parking lot was full. We walked in and got in line to place our order. There are a few options at Frost Top including poboys, burgers, sandwiches, and even gumbo. Frost Top classifies their burgers as “Lotaburger” and “Wholotaburger”. That translates in to 1/4 lb and 1/2 lb respectively.
So we made it through the line and I placed my order for the “Lotaburger” with cheese and everything on it. I also ordered a side of fries and of course, the Frost Top Root Beer. While paying for the order I inquired as to whether they made their own beef patties and was informed that in fact they do. While waiting for our order I enjoyed the frosty mug of root beer that I ordered (more on this later). Our number was called after a few minutes and we sat down to a very good looking burger spread. Every element of the burger was pretty good. The bun was fresh as were the veggies. The 1/4 lb patty was a not particularly flavorful or juicy. The cheese was not as melted on the patty as I like. As you can see, it was placed under the patty on the burger which is not that big of a deal, but I like to see the cheese slice draped on top of the patty, like a burger patty shirt. The fries were adequate. They were freshly fried which was good but were of the frozen, not fresh cut variety.
Everything combined at Frost Top to a good burger but not a great one. The atmosphere and the history of Frost Top were very cool and make it worth checking out. While there was nothing wrong with the burger, nothing quite stood out to make it great. The 1/4 lb patty was a little thinner than I would have liked. Perhaps I should have opted for the “Wholotaburger”. All in all it was a good Burger Tyme for around $6 including burger, fries, and a drink. Oh, and what a drink. The Root Beer at Frost Top is AMAZING!!!! They keep the mugs chilled in a freezer which as the root beer leaves the tap and hits the glass, begins to frost up in the mug. It creates a thick layer of root beer ice around the mug which I loved! It was like drinking candy! I may return to Frost Top if only for the burger but I will DEFINITELY return to Frost Top for the Root Beer. It’s that good!
Hint – Frost top also had great milkshakes. My wife and I ordered a large chocolate shake to split which was about $4. It was HUGE! Between the two of us we could only drink about half. My sixteen year old, high school football player younger brother, however, was able to drink the whole thing.
(6 votes, average: 6.83 out of 10, ) Loading ...
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Cheeburger Cheeburger, though hard to say, has been a favorite of my parent’s in Baton Rouge, LA for the past few years. I took a few days off of work for Easter so my wife and I made the 5 hour drive to stay in Baton Rouge for the holiday. Our first night here I rounded up a few willing family members and headed out for my second Burger Tyme in as many days. Cheeburger is a 50′s diner themed burger chain that allows people to customize their orders to an almost obscene amount. From the dozens of burger combinations to the 78 different shake options, an unprepared customer has a lot of decisions to make. When we arrived we were greeted by the milkshake “bar” were the milkshake orders are filled. Cheeburger Cheeburger prides itself on their delicious milkshakes of which I’ve heard good things but we are here for the burgers. There is a disclaimer on the menu stating that orders are cooked fresh when you order and that you can expect to wait about 15 minutes while they prepare your burger. I’m OK with that. I can wait for a good burger. This place is more of your typical sit-down restaurant with a waiter who takes your order as opposed to most burger joints where you wait in line, place your order, and then find a place to sit. Once I opened the menu and viewed the list of options for the burger, I knew I had my work cut out for me.
Given the plethora of options I was not intimidated. I managed to order my usual 1/3rd lb cheeseburger with what I consider typical toppings; lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, mayo, mustard, ketchup, and American cheese. Fries come separate at Cheeburger. We ordered a large basket to split for the table of four. True to their word, we waited about fifteen minutes and our burgers were delivered to our table. The patty was very thick and juicy. It was made of fresh ground beef and was adequately flavorful. The cheese was nicely melted over the patty. The veggies were OK but were unevenly spread on the burger. The bun, I thought, was good. It was soft and slightly chewy (in a good way). One problem I had was that the bottom bun was slightly soggy which in my mind makes the initial bites unpleasant. Once I bit in I was delighted by the combinations of all the flavors as they worked together well however they all began to slide around and juices were running down my arm. I guess what I’m saying is, this is a good but messy burger. Fortunately they provide each table with an entire roll of napkins! The fries were exceptionally good. They were fresh cut and fried to a nice crisp.
I’ve had Cheeburger a few times before but this was the first time I went with the goal of finding great burgers! As I previously mentioned, this is a favorite of my parents and I can see why. Everyone that came with us was pleased with their burger orders of various combinations. Some had onion rings and honey mustard, while another had Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces on their burger. We ordered shakes too but I’d have to say that for the cost, skip the shakes unless you want a dessert. They are thick and not really drinkable while you’re eating your burger. Another thing to note is that Cheeburger Cheeburger was one of the more costly Burger Tymes. While the burger and fries were very good, the burger, fry, and regular drink combo is going to run you about $10 or more.
Here’s a hint – if you like onion rings but want fries too, you can order “frings” which is a basket of half fries and half rings.
