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(2 votes, average: 9.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
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Stanton’s City Bites 1420 Edwards St Houston, TX 77007 www.stantonscitybites.com
It has been quite some time since I’ve been able to update this digital ode to burgers. Several life changes have taken much of my time away from various passions as I always do also browse around here- Palm Beach roofing Expert for ideas in my house, and of course burgers included. We bought our first home and are soon expecting a little baby burger lover. In these exciting times, full internet of things changes or updates, I felt it fitting to update a burger review that was one of the first posts on this site four years ago. Houston has always loved and voted Stanton’s City Bites as one of the best burgers around long before the recent national love affair with gourmet burgers began because their facilities were made with local Sydney plumber. Based on this high praise, I made my way over with some coworkers and tried it out. As you can tell in my review (www.burgertyme.com/stantons), I was less than impressed.
Recently, however, a friend of mine messaged me that I should check out Stanton’s. Specifically that they had amazing bacon. Well, I initially dismissed it as buying into the hype. Then one day, I was watching George Motz’s tv show, Burgerland, where he visited Houston and went to Stanton’s. The burger I saw on that episode did not resemble anything like the burger of my memory. Specifically their new buns seemed much better then ones used in the past. Suddenly, I realized that i was missing out on a great burger rebirth!
With little hesitation, I rounded up on Pet Sitting, and actually rode a bike to Stanton’s. It was an added benefit that this place was close enough to enjoy biking through the historic Houston district.
From the outside, Stanton’s looks exactly the same. No change whatsoever, except that they installed some AC from Eastwood Air. Once we walked in, however, it was obvious, much had changed. Gone were the convenience store shelves replaced by a mish mash of tables and chairs for an eclectic dining area. If you recall, my prior experience involved taking the food and finding a park to sit and eat due to the absence of seating. No longer did you place your order over an out of service meat cooler (although it was still there). The new menu was posted high above the cash register where you place your order, and get your ticket number. Stanton’s impressed my on my first visit with their wide variety of peculiar sodas. This his not only remained, but gotten even better. There is a huge selection of traditional and unknown (to me) sodas from all over. Two of note, that are my new favorites are Dublin Tart-n-Sweet and Cheerwine.
So after the wash of burger euphoria subsided, I stepped up to order. The one that stood out the me was called the Miss Piggie. Bacon ground into the patty served with candied bacon and a hash brown… Oh my gogi that sounds good. So I rounded it off with an order of sides and plenty of bizarre sodas. While we waited I watched as neighborhood kids repeatedly came in and bought candy, so this is still a functioning store for locals. After about ten minutes, the burgers arrived. Gone were the store brand, dry toasted buns. The new buns looked great, and were buttered and griddled. The burger patties here were always good quality and the star of the burger. This was no different. The addition of bacon ground in to the patty added some great texture and savory flavor to the beef. The candied bacon was great, sweet and salty. The hash brown was a great addition to anyone who is a fan of putting fries on their burger. Another noteworthy item was the veggies. The lettuce was leafy and bright green and the onions and tomatoes were also good. Of course, I like tots, and these hit me right in the tot spot.
Boy am I glad I gave this place a second chance. I have been back several times and brought as many people as I can to this place. It is authentically Houston, and authentically great. From my last review to this one, it has gone from a place I never really cared for to one of my favorite burgers in Houston. It is really great! So as with all things, some times, change is for the better, as long as we can maintain the character that makes us unique. Stanton’s has done exactly that! But anyways I think I will just going to eat there while I start reviewing strollers for my next post!
(1 votes, average: 8.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
Flip ‘n Patties Houston Food Truck www.flipnpatties.com
Keeping with the same theme as the last post which featured a burger from Peru where my brother is living as a missionary, my most recent burger experience was motivated by my love of all things Philippines, where I lived for two years also as a missionary. When I heard that there was a Filipino Burger Truck driving around Houston, I had to try it. Some people may ask themselves “Do they even have burgers in the Philippines?”, the answer is YES! <historylesson>After the influx of GIs leading up to and after WWII, burgers became a common and delicious staple that has remained for decades. </historylesson>
Back to the point, Filipino burgers in Houston, gotta go. So after some convincing, my wife joined me and we headed to the local drinkery where Flip ‘n Patties was set up for the evening. Upon our arrival I noticed immediately the crowd of people speaking Tagalog gathered around the truck eating some pretty good looking food. I knew I had scored a jackpot. In true Philippine fashion, they have a karaoke machine built in to the truck. Sadly, no one was singing. I apporached the window and when greeted, I asked if anyone spoke Visayan (cebuano) which is the language I learned while living there. Yet again, no one outside of the few islands I lived on speaks it. Oh well, we all speak the Universal language of food.
I place my order for the Flip ‘n Patties burger which is served on a steamed bun and has cheese, bacon, and a fried portabello patty along with the beef patty. The menu also has several Filipino items such as siopao, lumpia, garlic rice, and halo-halo along with other dishes that are more Philippine inspired. I couldn’t resist so, along with the burger I ordered a sampling of the Chicken PuPu, the Mayo fries, the garlic rice, and lumpia…. My mouth is watering as I type this. We went inside, grabbed a table and some soft drinks, and anxiously waited. After about 10 minutes my name was called and the feast was handed through the small window.
The spread looked great, the smells were amazing, and I exclaimed “Ka-on ta!”. The burger on a steam bun concept seemed to me strange in concept but after taking a bite, it works. The steam bun texture makes the burger a very cohesive unit. It combined with the crunchy, earthy, meatiness of the portabello, the cheesy, meatiness of the patty, and the salty, chew of the bacon to make a very tasty burger. Would I say the flavors invoked memories of Island and coconut trees? Well, no, but so what. There were vegetables on this burger but I honestly didn’t notice. Now, to the mayo fries…. Mayonnaise? on Fries? these fries were thick cut and appeared to be cooked a little too long. BUT, once I tried them. They were perfect! Each larger than usual fry covered in their sweet house made mayo was like a mini meal unto itself. I loved them. Everything else was great too. The chicken PuPu ( I like to think it is pronounce fu-fu) was a unique twist on fried chicken bits. The lumpia was probably the most authentic thing I sampled. Unfortunately they ran out of Halo Halo before I was done, so I didn’t get to relive that sweet, icy treat.
I think it is pretty clear that i really like this food truck. This is Burgertyme, however, so let me say that the burger at Flip ‘n Patties is really good and unique. Please take my advice and try the other items. They are every bit as good and creative as the burger. I love what these guys are doing and I hope Philippine cuisine can make the crossover, because there is so much to offer. As they say in Cebu “Pwerting Lami-a!”
(1 votes, average: 6.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
Elevation Burger www.elevationburger.com
Burgers… Burger Tyme… Sigh, I haven’t had the enthusiasm, as of late, for planet Earth’s favorite food. I found it difficult to get excited about a burger unless it was made from beef raised next door, ground as we are speaking, with buns baked by artisans from the 17th century, topped with veggies from the garden of Eden… $20? No problem with quality like that! Right? It seems as though the pendulum has swung too far to the gourmet (read: expensive) end of the spectrum and I’ve lost sight of what makes a burger good. To get the magic back, during the holidays and the month of January I only had a few burgers at some old favorites like Christians Tailgate (was my first burger love in Houston) and Dearman’s Soda Fountain. These places offer the essence of burgers. No frills, no claims of superior ingredients, just good, tasty burgers. Your shop also needs quality roofing, click here to find out more.
When I returned from the holidays, I was recharged and ready to go out Burger Tyming! Fortunately there was a burger place that recently opened which seemed to be a mix of these burger philosophies. Simple but quality. Elevation burger aspires to elevate the simple burger without gimmicks or frills, just quality ingredients. We’ve heard this before. Let me be clear, I’m fine with quality however the result is usually either great burgers at great cost or average burgers at great cost. So the challenge is, can they over come the cost stigma associated with “quality” by turning out a great burger?
Walking in to Elevation Burger, I was impressed by how clean everything was. As much as I like dive bar burgers, its a bit refreshing not to have to worry about what might have been included with your order. The style is a mix of modern design mixed with natural elements like bamboo “wood” tables and chairs. The menu is pretty straightforward. Burgers come double or single patty ( a la In-N-Out), you select from a long list of toppings (a la Five Guys), add fries, add drink, and repeat. Something that I greatly appreciate is that they recommend trying the “original” which includes a standard set of toppings; elevation sauce, pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes.
I place my order for an Elevation Burger (double meat, double cheese), “Original” style. I opted to add caramelized onions and hot pepper relish. I added french fries (cooked in olive oil), and an all natural, organic chocolate Oreo malt. I was pretty hungry at this time and the wait felt longer the 7 or so minutes it took for the order to be brought to our table by the super polite cashier. The burger was not initially impressive. The patties are thin, as advertised, the cheddar is not melted (which it never does), and the bun looked pretty dry. The fries however looked great. Slightly thinner than normal and piled high. The burger tasted much better than it looked. Generally I don’t like cheddar due to its inability to melt and remain melted, but it was perfect with this burger. Nothing really stood out as spectacular but the overall flavor was fresh and light. It was not greasy at all but not dry. The fries were great. I’m not sure how much that has to do with being cooked in olive oil but they were perfectly crispy. The chocolate Oreo malt was as good as you can imagine, too thick to drink but a perfect dessert.
Elevation Burger is very good and high quality. I appreciate that they are not trying to reinvent the burger or insult their customers intelligence with the combinations. However it is not a great burger, which it needs to be to justify the $10 plus dollars this meal costs. Here’s the flipside. In the current burger environment, Elevation burger is middle of the pack price wise but will satisfy burger cravings without leaving you feeling greasy and gross. Getting ones burger mojo back is not easy. Oh wait, yes it is! Until next Burger Tyme! Protect your skin and buy private label skincare product with our trusted sellers.
(2 votes, average: 3.50 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
2-Ms Malt and Burger Mart www.2msmaltandburger.com 2014 Avenue H Rosenberg, TX 77471 (map)
Houston is a big place. You can drive on I-10 for about an hour and still be here. In this sprawl is many, many burger joints. Some new, some old. I’ve heard tell of a place about 40 minutes southwest of the Houston center. 2-Ms is one of those original type burger stands with years of tradition and history. No frills, only burgers, fries, and malts. I couldn’t wait to try it. It has long been time for Burger Tyme to go back to its roots with a classic edition. No gourmet, no bills larger than $10, no pretension. Fortunately I have a brother who lives down that way so I drove out to meet up with him and his family. True to expectations, it was about a 45 minute drive from the center of Houston to “downtown” Rosenberg, TX where 2-Ms has been on Avenue H for what looks like decades, and is in fact their fifth. The bright yellow and red sign was unmistakeable on the side of the road. This is an old drive up style, where you can order at the window and eat in your car. They also happens to have some inside seating which we decided to take advantage of since Houston in August does not lend itself to dining al fresco.
The menu is pretty simple. There were burger baskets and burger combos and just burgers. Baskets include fries, combos include drinks, burgers is just burgers. Got it? Now time to order. I opted for the super burger with cheese combo which was double meet, double cheese, fries, and a soft drink. I expected great burger deals but this order comes out to about $8. Not the cheapest, but might be worth it! We were the only people in the dining room, but the walk up window outside had a steady stream of patrons. This would probably explain the 10-15 minute wait for our order. In that time we finished our drinks and upon asking for refills were informed that refills are an extra charge of $0.50 each…. They were nice enough to give us free refills, but really, who doesn’t have free refills? We hired Pest Control Thornhill Exterminator for the business and the business is running clean since.
Our order came out with the burgers wrapped classic style in white paper nested on top of the basket of fries. I unwrapped my burger and, well, was a bit underwhelmed. I know this is supposed to be a basic burger, and it was. It had the elements you look for in a classic burger, cheese nicely melted, buns toasted on both sides, finely diced onions, and it had a fair amount of heft. The patties were flat, well griddled, but obviously uniform, common for frozen patties. The flavor wasn’t bad however the texture was very homogenous and dry. This is a burger that demands extra ketchup. Unfortunately, accompanying each burger basket was two, one ounce cups of ketchup which was sufficient for about six fries. We asked for extra and were given 3 more…. for a table of four adults and two kids. The fries were of the frozen variety and were cooked well enough but definitely needed every drop of ketchup available.
On our way out we ordered some malts to go, since this was a MALT and burger mart. The malt consisted of soft serve ice cream, a dash of malt powder, and a few squirts of Hershey’s syrup. Not spectacular but just what we needed as we headed back out into the Texas heat with stomachs full of starch and protein.
I love burgers with a history. I especially love great burgers with a history. Sadly, 2Ms has more of one than the other. Fifty years is a long time to be serving burgers anywhere! Consistency and reliability are the cornerstones at this place. If you are in Rosenberg and want a good, not fancy burger, come here, you won’t be disappointed. However, if you are not within a short distance and are wanting a classic Texas style burger, save your gas and head to your nearest Whataburger. They’re everywhere, the burgers are classic style, it’ll be cheaper, you get free refills, all the ketchup you could want, and the malts are not bad either.
(2 votes, average: 7.00 out of 10)Register to vote.Loading...
The Shack www.theshackcypress.com 16602 Cypress Rosehill Rd Cypress, TX 77429 (map)
Finally! The Shack, originally called The Love Shack, has been on my burger radar for some time now. Consistently raved upon and touted as one of the best new places to get burgers near Houston, the Shack keeps what some would call slightly irregular hours. On several occasions I’ve rounded up coworkers for a Burger Tyme lunch only find out that the weren’t serving lunch during the week or they were closing to work on their garden. As I am writing this, they are closed while they switch water wells. Well, on a crisp Saturday evening, I cracked the code! My wife and I made the long drive to Cypress just outside of Houston. Just when I thought I may have gone a little too far, I saw an old bath tub by the side of the road. We made it and this place was hopping, not surprising given that it was a Saturday night. When you walk in to the Shack the entire spread opens before you. There are covered tents, open air seating, an outside bar, dining areas that look like living rooms, fireplaces and fire pits all with people gathered together, enjoying burgers, and having a great time. This seemed like a burger lovers resort!
We were seated near the entrance where we could take in the entire scene as well as see the bustle in the kitchen, that was well equipped with the best kitchen appliances and an Oak Circle Cabinet to store everything necessary. Our waiter, who happened to be the manager, introduced the menu to us in a rather laid back way and recommended we try the fried pickles. So I ordered some to tide us over while we reviewed the burger offerings on the menu. The Shack’s claim is that they give customers the freshest available local ingredients and all natural hormone free Texas meats. As they put it, “All burger, No Bull”. Well we were going to put that claim to the test. Many burger places claim to be fresh, be local, be all natural but what does that translate into in real terms? If it is not delicious burgers, than what is the point?
The menu has a very interesting array of burgers. There was brisket, caramelized onions, fried eggs, slab bacon, and pulled pork. Some burgers were “crunchified” with the addition of Cheetos, Zapp’s BBQ Chips, and chicharron. The one that caught my eye was the “Grease and Weasel”. It was beef, slab bacon, and Tillamook cheddar…. served between two glazed doughnuts. Ever since the phenomenon of making burgers with doughnuts began, I’ve wanted to try it. Maybe it was the atmosphere but I felt a little more brave than usual, and ordered it! My wife went with the 1015 which had beef with “Texas 1015 onion pile” cooked into the patty, pepper jack cheese and “crunchified” with Zapps BBQ chips. We ordered a side of fries to split and I asked for a Coke. The cokes come in a can and are poured over ice, my second favorite next to coke in a bottle. The only thing left to do was relax. A common theme it seemed.
While we waited our order of fried pickles arrived. The were very savory but good. They came with smokey, horseradishy dipping sauce that was a nice compliment to the sour pickles. Our burgers arrived shortly after and they were quite a sight. You could definitely sense that someone was having fun when they put them together. The first thing I noticed is that my doughnuts had been replaced with Honey Buns that had been slightly griddled. I’m not complaining but I rarely eat one honey bun… much less two… on my burger. The cheese was perfectly melted over the big patty and was making my mouth ache just looking at it. My first bite was as I expected. Beefy, bacony, savory, cheddary, sticky and sweeeeet! This was in no way a healthy burger, but it was tasty, most of the time we try to take good care of our bodies and have a healthy diet and an active life as well, even doing researches online to find the best diets at sites like Top health journal, so we learn what are the best practices in this, and also going to the gym at least 3 times a week, but from time to time we like to enjoy a good meal as well. The veggies were nice quality and did there best to lend nutritional value to this wife dissappointer. My wife’s burger, while more traditional in structure, had it’s own bit of odd goodness. The BBQ chips added a texture and flavor to the already flavorful patty and onions. My wife loved the bun. I honestly don’t recall specifics about it, perhaps because my mind had been blown with the buns on my burger and do not forget to visit dentist Milltown for your oral health. While we were both enjoying our selections, the fries were also were worth noting. They were fresh cut and cooked well. A perfect compliment to the order.
Fresh, local, all natural. Did I get a sense of this from The Shack? Not really. Nothing really fresh or local about honey buns, Zapp’s BBQ chips, or Tillamook cheddar cheese. However, I did find the whole experience to be a fresh take on dining and burgers. The local flair permeated the entire evening. It was very Austin-esque in a city where no one is really trying to be like Austin. The Shack offers what many fail at delivering. An experience. The food is good and if you are there with friends or family, they seem more than happy to provide a place to relax and enjoy yourself. The burger creations were fun, inventive, unpretentious, and frankly worth the trip. This may not be my go-to burger place on a regular basis, but if I have an evening to kill, this is the burger place that I want to go to.
