Austin Burger News

Tagged: griddle RSS

• Chris 2:14 pm on February 10, 2015 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cheddar ( 27 ), fresh-cut-fries ( 8 ), griddle   

  Svante’s Stuffed Burger Truck 

  Due to the temporary closure of our company cafeteria, The Bistro, lovingly referred to by some employees as “The Shitstro,” there are food trucks coming in daily to nourish us hungry knowledge workers.  We were graced today by Svante’s Stuffed Burger Truck, and it did not disappoint.  Fresh fries, cooked well (not limp or soggy), nice size burger patty (grass-fed of course), good toppings (I got the All-American Burger).  Only complaint was the slighty herby taste to the burger, which I think can be attributed to the bun.  Could do without that distraction.

  They offer several fancy-pants burgers, which I shun, so can’t comment on the bacon-onion jam or jalapeño havarti options.

  Also, I saw no evidence of any “stuffage” on my burger (no molten cheese center, eg), so not sure why the name is “stuffed burgers.”  Regardless, quality food truck burger.

  

  The Truck

  

  Good Fries

   

   

  

  Still good despite Topping Inversion

   

  

  All-American

  

  Cross Section

   

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• Chris 1:33 pm on August 29, 2013 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cheddar ( 27 ), griddle, opening ( 11 )   

  Smashburger: Good 

  Checked out the new Smashburger up at Lakeline today, second day of business.  Wasn’t sure what to expect as a Smashburger virgin.  There is one way south in Austin, but I never get down that way.

  The space is somewhat small–not quite enough seating methinks for the inevitable lunch crowds.  Booths are not very comfortable either–backs are vertical, so feels strange sitting in one.

  No combo meals offered.  I got the Classic Smash cheeseburger, substituting cheddar for American.  YES, they have cheddar!  Added regular fries (not the “smashfries” variety, with rosemary, which does not sound appealing).  Burger was quite delicious.  Is 1/3 lb–a good size for a lunchtime burger–and griddled of course.  Beef tasted fresh, and…beefy.  Veggies good.  Bun good.  Fries are frozen unfortunately, but they give you an ample supply, and they are actually pretty tasty for frozen–very thin and crusty.

  Overall pleased with the food.  Agree with AHT assessment.  Good addition to the lunch options here up north.

  

  Classic Smash

   

  

  Crustage detail

   

  

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  • Chihwa 11:33 am on November 14, 2014 Permalink | Reply

    I want to try here next time. This site is pretty cool!

• Chris 6:53 pm on April 21, 2013 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cheddar ( 27 ), griddle, thick-patty ( 6 )   

  Alamo Springs Doesn’t Disappoint 

  Made another annual stop at Alamo Springs Cafe, south of Fredericksburg.  Much better experience this time that the previous trip, where we waited for 2 hrs for food to arrive at our table, as we watched angry patrons get up and leave after similar waits.  The lax attitude is expected here, but the 2hr marathon wait was a bit much.

  This time, we found a table immediatley, were greeted by the friendly nose-ringed waitress and got our food within about 20 minutes.  And it was as good as ever.  Can’t say I’ve had a burger of this sort in Austin.  It’s a half pound at least of griddled beef that stays on the well-seasoned griddle long enough to form a very nice crust.  This is the proper way to cook a griddle burger.  None of the griddle-burger places in Austin that I frequent achieve this kind of crust.  Hopdoddy should be taking notes.

  My burger was a bit overcooked, but even then, it was still very very juicy and delicious.

  Recommend a visit if you’re out Fredericksburg way.

  

  Competent Sides

  

  Green Chile Cheeseburger

  

  Crusty!

  

  Where the Magic Happens

   

   

   

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  • rl reeves jr 2:43 pm on May 3, 2013 Permalink | Reply

    are you on twitter? great site, would love to follow you

  • Irish May Bolcan 9:58 pm on August 8, 2013 Permalink | Reply

    The patties sure looks crusty and yummy very mouth watering

• Chris 7:16 am on February 7, 2013 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cheddar ( 27 ), fresh-cut-fries ( 8 ), griddle   

  Hopdoddy North 

  Made it out to the hoppin’ Hoppdoddy’s new north location.  We got there early enough to avoid the crowd.  When we left, there was a line out front.  Burger was good, but nothing great.  All fresh in-house made stuff (bun, beef, even ketchup).  Maine Root on tap.  Hipster vibe.  Burger was good, but did not cross over into greatness territory.  Bun was too sweet.  Burger was too perfectly round (handled by machine?).  Lacked sufficient crust and beefy flavor.  Fries good!

  Agree with A Hamburger Today’s assessment for the most part.  Everything looks and sounds great, but it just doesn’t come together as one would expect to produce a stellar burger.

  

  Fries Good

  

  Burger not bad…but should be “great”

   

  

  Under the hood–patty too perfectly round, lack of crust

   

  

  Cross section, decently cooked (sign of pink remaining)

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  • Alex 3:33 pm on February 28, 2013 Permalink | Reply

    You should review Wholly Cow Burgers! Best grass-fed burger in Austin!

• Chris 12:16 pm on April 19, 2012 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cheddar ( 27 ), fresh-cut-fries ( 8 ), griddle, thick-patty ( 6 )   

  In the Buns Update 

  First trip back to In the Buns since they were sold. A few cosmetic changes have been made, all positive in my view. The interior is much more inviting –no more chain link fence around the kitchen area, tables are larger, most of the flower sculptures are gone (I guess they left a few as a nod to the original decor), and there are booths along one wall.  All in all, they have softened the place up a bit.  Much more appealing than before.

  One other difference is that the cheeseburger comes with the cheese on top, instead of embedded in the patty.  I kind of liked the unique embedded cheese method, but the current burger incarnation is still good.

  Burger still generously sized and tasty.

   

  

  In the Buns Cheeseburger & Fresh Cut Fries

   

  

  In the Buns Interior

   

  

  In the Buns Interior

   

   

   

• Chris 11:44 am on January 3, 2012 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cheddar ( 27 ), fresh-cut-fries ( 8 ), griddle, thin-patty ( 12 )   

  Flippin’ Burgers Visit 

  Saw the sign for this place a few weeks ago, and found out it was open from some positive reviews on Urbanspoon.  The phrase “tater tots are made from scratch” had my interest piqued, not to mention in-house ground beef.

  The place is way up north at 183 and 1431 in Cedar Park.

  Got the combo meal.  The menu lists fresh made-in-house everything pretty much.  Burger was thin patty, griddled; cheddar available and procured.

  The purported Tater Tots® (registered trademark of Ore-Ida, inventors of the Tater Tot®) are tots in name only. They were more like “battered home fries” to me–small chunks of potato with some breading/crust.  So not even close to what I know as the Tater Tot®–cylindrical potato composites, à la Sonic.  So tot-lovers don’t be fooled, I wouldn’t call these tater tots.  They were tasty nonetheless, however I would definitely try the fries next time.

  Dublin Dr. Pepper on tap, as well as Maine Root Cola.

  All in all, a good burger with quality accessories.  It’s a bit far afield for me, so unlikely to visit again soon.  But if it were more convenient, I could see making it a regular stop.  Definitely need to get back and try the fries and onion rings.

   

   

  

  Cheeseburger and "tots"

  

  "Tots" detail -- tasty, but not "tots"!

  

  Edge Detail

  

  Lacking crust, plus Dry Bun Syndrome (but very nicely toasted bun)

   

  

  Salt/pepper burger

  

  Check it out

   

• Chris 1:11 pm on August 26, 2011 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cheddar ( 27 ), fresh-cut-fries ( 8 ), griddle   

  In the Buns Fresh Cut Fries 

  Returned to In the Buns to check out the fresh cut fries.  Burger still delicious (had the cheddar burger again).  Fries much better than the generic frozen curlies I experienced on my first visit (more pix in that post).  They also upgraded the tables–replaced most of the too-small tables that featured the odd fork sculptures with roomier tables sans art.

  

  The New Fries

  So the upshot: french fry upgrade and table upgrade = good experience.  Only cons: somewhat grating music, and I wish the combo price were a dollar or two cheaper (comes to $9 and change as is).  This is by far the best burger I’ve found in the area.

   

   

  
  View Larger Map

   

• Chris 10:47 am on May 3, 2011 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cheddar ( 27 ), griddle, opening ( 11 ), thick-patty ( 6 )   

  In the Buns Burger Joint 

  Read on Chowhound about a new burger place just minutes from my office so had to give it a try.  Overall I was quite impressed with the burger.  It was very juicy and was a good size–6oz–no thin patty here.  Cooked on a griddle, nice crust development.  The cheeseburger has the cheese mixed into the meat instead of sitting on top…not sure about this technique, but at least they offer cheddar and other real cheese (non American) options.  The bun was good–well toasted, held up to the burger but was not overly bready, and was also top-toasted on the griddle, always a nice touch.

  They offer an array of quality sugar-cane soda options at the fountain–Maine Root sodas, and Dublin Dr. Pepper on tap.

  On the flip side, I thought the fries were pretty much terrible.  They were edible, but were run of the mill frozen curly fries.  Also not a fan of the interior and the tiny tables with the annoying flower sculptures.  The combo price, at $9+ after tax, is a bit steep as well.

  Overall, very good burger.  If they switched to fresh fries made in-house, I’d find it difficult to stay away.

  Check them out on Facebook (they don’t appear to have a dedicated website). Their Yelp entry has quite a few photos.

   

  
  View Larger Map

  

  As delivered--note bun top toasting

  

  Nice crust development! Nice bun toasting as well.

  

  Note cheese oozing out from within

  

  Cross section showing cheddar distribution

  

  Boring fries

  

  Dublin Dr. Pepper on tap!

  

  Tables too small

  

  Not a fan of these table sculptures...seem to be in the way

  

  Order up

  

  They need better signage

  

  

  Blurry cross section...need a new camera

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  • Jim Howard 3:44 pm on August 26, 2011 Permalink | Reply

    I live in Anderson Mill, and had no idea these guys were here! I’ll check them out this weekend, thanks.

• Chris 10:45 am on May 2, 2011 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cheddar ( 27 ), griddle, thin-patty ( 12 )   

  Dan’s Hamburgers–Good 

  Went to Dan’s recently, an Austin institution.  It’s a reliable favorite.  Griddle patty, frozen faux fresh fries.  Very good onion rings.  Nicely toasted buttery bun–they do the Standard White Bun very well.  Cheddar available.  Overall, a solid griddled thin-patty burger.

  

  Order at the counter

  

  Ambiance is a bit lacking

  

  Medium burger and fries

  

  Under the hood

  

  Cross section--typical thin-patty action

  

  Fries ho-hum frozen variety

  

  

  North Lamar location

   

• Chris 1:03 pm on June 7, 2010 Permalink | Reply
  Tags: cheddar ( 27 ), griddle, thin-patty ( 12 )   

  Steak ‘n Shake Thumbs Up 

  Yes, another chain, but this place gets props from Respected Burger Heavyweight George Motz of Hamburger America and the venerable burger blog A Hamburger Today, so have been wanting to try it.  So out to Round Rock I went, via the shiny new 45 Tollway.

  First, a little background, gleaned from the above posts and the Steak ‘n Shake website–their beef is fresh, never frozen.  They have been around since 1934, based in Illinois.  They cook the burgers on a griddle using the smash technique, resulting in razor thin patties with some crispiness to the edges.

  I was surprised when I walked in to see that it is a sit-down restaurant with waiters.  Was expecting the typical fast food experience.  Then I was double surprised to see my food served on a real plate.  I mean a real porcelain plate.  Not a paper-lined plastic basket, not a school-cafeteria style bakelitey plate, but an actual breakable plate.  Nice touch.

  I opted for the badly-named “Cheesy Cheddar Steakburger ‘n Fries”.  I had to get some clarification before ordering it because the picture and description on the menu led me to believe that the “cheddar cheese” would be that liquified type of cheese glop, the kind you see at concession stands at sporting events that is spooned out of a hot vat with a ladle.  The waitress explained that they take actual grated cheddar, melt it in a cup, and then add it to the burger.  Thumbs up.

  Burger was quite delicious for what it is.  Cheese was plentiful and cheddary.  Meat-to-bun ratio good.  Fries were ok–frozen thin cut fries.  Good for what they are, but I always prefer fresh cut fries.  They were very similar to the fries at Freddy’s Steakburgers, or should I say that Freddy’s fries are very similar to Steak ‘n Shake’s…I can now see where Freddy’s got its “inspiration”.  They should have also taken the cheddar idea from Steak ‘n Shake (no cheddar to be found at Freddy’s).

  So, thumbs up to Steak ‘n Shake.  Just wish they had a location closer to central Austin.  There’s one down south and one in Round Rock.

  

  As delivered...real plate!

  

  Cheesy Cheddar Burger

  

  Fries OK

  

  Cheesy Cheddar Cross Section

  

  Ahhhhh

  

  Their Famous Slogan

  

  Round Rock Location

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  • sean 10:09 am on August 30, 2010 Permalink | Reply

    Their burgers are frozen and thawed for use. Wendy’s is the “fresh, never frozen” boaster.