(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 10)
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Blake’s Lotaburger
http://www.lotaburger.com/

Burger Tyme Road Trip #3 –Blake’s Lotaburger  (Gallup, NM)-

The open road. It still calls my name as I sit behind my desk, reminiscing of the sights, sounds, and burgers I encountered. Now finished at Lincoln National Forest, my wife, my sweet dog Pearl, and I headed to our next destination… THE GRAND CANYON!!! On the historic Route 66 we drove and admired the kitschy attractions along the way. There were many places to pull off and stay at old motels, purchase some Native American souvenirs, as well as see some beautiful (even though dry) mountainous terrain.  So while on our way I noticed a place called Blake’s Lotaburger. There were a lot of them in New Mexico and it turns out that it is an original New Mexico Chain that started in Albuquerque in 1952. It was reminiscent of California’s In-n-Out or Texas’ Whataburger. Not wanting to pass up the opportunity to try a burger unique to New Mexico, we stopped in Gallup, NM to try it for ourselves. We made our way up a hill in what appeared to be downtown Gallup to the 2nd street location. It was a “burger stand” style with only a couple of picnic tables outside for dining. There was a very distinctive sign of a long legged man (Blake?) guiding us in to the parking lot. We parked and I walked in. There menu was pretty straight forward for a fast food restaurant. They had burgers, hot dogs, and chicken fingers. They also had the New Mexico twist by offering green chile on everything. Being that this place isn’t called Lotahotdog or Lotafingers I wasn’t tempted by any option other than the Lotsa Combo, which includes the Lota Burger, large fries and a large drink. There was a pretty good line of about five people in front of me, so I took that as good sign. I patiently waited my turn and made my Lotsa Order to the lady behind the plate glass window!

Get Your Kicks, on Route 66-

Once my order was placed I took a step back and watched all of the action behind the glass. There were about five people bustling around, some taking orders, some preparing food. With all of the bustle the wait was still about ten minutes. I’m OK with waiting as long as the payoff is a good burger. So, after my ten or so minute wait I received my Blake’s Lunch bag and drink cup both featuring the long legged fellow with who I was now very acquainted. I went outside and took a seat at the picnic table in the shadow of the fifteen foot tall Blake sitting out front. As I began unpacking my bag ‘O food the first thing I noticed is that the fries looked fresh-cut! That’s always a plus. Unfortunately the rest of the meal was not so inspiring. The burger was rather unimpressive. While it was “large” it was dominated by the bun… and not even a very fresh one. I bit into it and the bun was a day or two beyond fresh. The patty was relatively thin and as such was not very juicy. I was able to save my meal by putting additional ketchup on the burger but that is more of a burger band-aid than a burger cure. The veggies were chopped onions, shredded lettuce and a slice of tomato. They did little to improve the burger. The cheese was cooked on to the patty well enough but really didn’t manage to stand out from the rest of the items on this burger. The fries were pretty good but could stand to have been a little crisper. Again, I did like that they were fresh cut.

The Wrap it Up-

Thank goodness I had a large drink. The best way I can describe this Lotsa Combo is ‘DRY’. The bun, the patty, the veggies were all lacking in moisture, not to mention any real flavor. Sadly this was a disappointing Burger Tyme on the road to  THE GRAND CANYON. This place had so much potential with the iconic look of the burger stands, and the fact that this is a chain unique to New Mexico. Unfortunately I was only passing through and would not have time to give this place a second change. If it is any consolation, the fact that this place was busy the entire time I was there indicates that I may have had an anomaly of an experience and that typically, it is actually quite good. Perhaps some loyal Burger Tymers from New Mexico can fill us in.

(9 votes, average: 8.11 out of 10)
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In-N-Out Burger
http://www.in-n-out.com-

Only-N-Dreams-

The much touted and highly anticipated In-N-Out Burger. While this burger chain is only in western states, I’ve been hearing about “Animal Style” this and “It’s so great” that since I was fifteen. Well, a few years ago my brother was getting married in Las Vegas (his wife is from there) and we all made the trip to the Strip. Along with the Hoover Dam and Slurpees what did I find in that desert city of lights? In-N-Out Burger!! My memory of In-N-Out was that it was so good that my younger brother and I ate there each of the four days we were there, including us stopping there on our way to the reception from the wedding. I loved it so much, in fact, that I emailed them to inquire about franchising opportunities thinking one would do well in Baton Rouge. Their response was that they were a family owned company and do not franchise but they would keep Louisiana in mind for possible expansion. My response was if they are family owned, is there perhaps an In-N-Out heiress to whom I could wed to get in on the business…. Six years later, no In-N-Out in Louisiana.

Most recently my wife was in California with her family for my sister-in-law’s wedding (I’m starting to notice a pattern). I insisted that they try In-N-Out. I raved about how great the Animal style burger is, how fresh the fries are, how happy the people are to server you. I also asked them to document their experience there so that we could get it up on Burger Tyme.

Rock-N-Roll-

I’m going to hearken back to my first memory of my In-N-Out order. The menu is simple, at first. Burgers, fries, drinks…. That’s it. That’s all they have on the menu. But wait! There is the secret menu. While it’s no real secret it does make ordering kind of fun. I ordered the double double (double cheese burger) animal style, with fries and a drink. While we were ordering you could see a person behind the counter cutting potatoes into fries. That’s how fresh they are! The animal style request means that they are going to double fry the patty with mustard, put grilled onions on it, and add special sauce. When I got my order I remember be overwhelmed by the flavor. While the patty was smallish, the double meat more than makes up for it. The bun was buttered and toasted on the griddle which I found particularly good. The cheese was melted perfectly over the patties and added to the juiciness of the whole package. The veggies were not particularly prominent in this burger, although, the grilled onions were great. I mentioned previously that the fries were fresh cut. They were, in my opinion, fried perfectly. They were crispy on the outside and a little soft on the inside. Not overcooked. They were so good that my dad placed a second order of fries after we had all finished our meals. I regret that I did not try the shakes. I’ve heard they are good. The “fry sauce” they serve there was pretty good. It seemed to be nothing more than ketchup and mayonnaise mixed together.

The Wrap-It-Up-

Ahhh memories… While I haven’t had it in a while, my wife’s recent trip confirmed how I remember it. In-N-Out Burger was and is a great Burger Tyme. The prices are reasonable and the quality is amazing. I only wish that they had them nearby so that I could eat it more frequently. Maybe that’s the magic of it. For me, it is some far off dream of what the perfect burger joint would be, only meant to be experienced a few times in one’s life… Here is my plea:

Dear In-N-Out,

Please bring your delicious food closer to those who love it. While I’ve considered making the trip to the west merely to eat an animaled up cheeseburger, I find the cost of plane tickets to be prohibitively expensive. For now I must settle for Christian’s Totem or Hubcap Grill but they are different burgers all together, and Five Guy’s, while very good for a chain burger doesn’t compare. Please In-N-Out. Please.

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