Burger Me! - Truckee, CA

Burger Me! In Truckee, CA was another recommendation from my cardiologist. He took his family there when he was in Tahoe at North Star and texted me some photos. I decided to swing by on my way back to Cali from my three week road trip across the U.S. It was a nice ending to my trip.

The proprietor happened to be taking orders at the counter and recommended the BBQ Bison Burger ($9.95) a 1/3 pound patty of fresh Durham Ranch Bison with bacon, cheddar, jalapeños and BBQ sauce. I also ordered up hand cut fries ($2.50), hand cut onion rings ($3). The even had house made tea. I gave my name and took a seat at the concrete topped table. In fact everything in the place was either concrete or corrugated metal. This fit in well with the building, which appeared to be a former fire station or car repair garage. It was all opened to the beautiful alpine day. People also sat outside at picnic tables.

The burger came nicely wrapped in red and white-checkered paper. It towered, having shredded lettuce, tomato and pickle slices mixed in with all the ingredients mentioned above. The bun was firm and toasted, a little heavier than most, but to good effect. Burger was cooked well, which with bison, one would think would be a bit dry to due to the lower fat content, but it was still fairly juicy. I would like to try it a little more medium next time. The mix of ingredients was interesting. Not as much BBQ sauce as one gets on most BBQ burgers. This left room to taste the crisp and yummy bacon, the pickle and jalapeños. I removed the jalapeños while I ate the second half of the burger and really enjoyed the flavor.

The innovative onion rings wrapped themselves in a thick batter featuring paprika, onion and garlic powders. The onion was thick and sweet. This was a very different o ring than I have experienced and I quite enjoyed them.

Fries were medium cut with the skins on. Soft and tasty on the inside, they were crisp and salty on the outside.

Great food and a very pleasant atmosphere on a sunny Sierra day, made this a great burger experience.

Burger 4.5 spatulas out of 5
Onion Rings 5 spatulas
Fries 4 spatulas

Burger Me!
10418 Donner Pass Road, Suite A
Truckee, CA 96161
339-587-8852
burgermetruckee.com

Juicy's Giant Hamburgers - Reno, NV

Juicy’s Giant Hamburgers in Reno, Nevada is a clean, new burger joint on Wells Avenue, a recently paved and face-lifted area that is in sharp contrast with much of the rest of Reno. There are no slot machines; this place is about the burger.

There are lots of places in the Bay Area named Giant Hamburger. They tend to be older burger places where you get a 1/4-pound burger that might have been considered giant back in the day, but now seems average at best. This is not one of those. The standard patty is 1/3 pound of fresh ground beef. I got the Double Cheese burger ($6.57). I added fries ($1.47). There were no onion rings.

The burger came out quickly, wrapped in white paper, with the fries in a plain white bag. Piled on top of ample lettuce, tomato and onion, the two patties covered in melted American cheese towered above the tray. I took a big bite and was very impressed that the burger was indeed juicy. Although presented like your classic burger with all the vegetables, mayo and mustard, this one had enough beef that the meat dominated the experience in all the right ways. The sesame bun was grilled nicely as well.
The fries were thicker than most, with the skins on. They were very crisp and tasty.

With its spare concrete floor, wood walls and basic laminate tables ad vinyl chairs, the restaurant was a clean, friendly port in the midst of all the casinos and cigarette smoke I had experienced the previous day or two. I recommend Juicy’s, especially if you are looking for a burger with your family.

Another nice escape in Reno is to walk out the river trail west toward the mountains. There are rapids, geese, people walking their dogs and a couple nice parks. It is a great way to work off your burger.

Burger 4.5 Spatulas out of 5
Fries 4 spatulas

Juicy’s Giant Hamburgers
301 S. Wells Ave.
Reno, NV 89502
775-322-2600

The Nugget Diner - Reno, NV

The Nugget Diner in Reno, Nevada represents much of what Reno is all about. From a run down strip near downtown Reno, one enters through the gaudy exterior, which portrays a nugget of gold glistening in the sun. The Metallic rendering of the shining nugget is preserved from an earlier time. After entering the door, you see a seedy bar and rows of slot machines. Nestled in the back under a little red sign that says “Diner”, awaits the Awful-Awful.

The Awful-Awful ($6.00) is a half-pound burger that sits on an onion bun. Called the Awful-Awful because it is awful big and awful good, the burger is indeed an impressive stack when you add in the lettuce, tomato, onion and the Thousand Island-style sauce. The burger sits on top of one pound of fries, seasoned and cut thin. It is rare to find both fries and burgers this good, especially at that price.
The burgers are griddled and greasy, but in the right way. The meat is seasoned with pepper and has a great flavor. American cheese blends well with the whole stack. The grilled onion bun is fantastic as it holds together the entire production.

We also had onion rings a big basket of massive Maui style beer-battered onion rings. At $6.75 they cost more than the burger and fries. They weren’t up to the high standards of the rest, but the onions were sweet and hot and the batter crunchy.

I realized I hadn’t ordered the shake and got a chocolate shake ($5.25). It was a little too Hershey’s syrup for my taste and not that thick.
As my friend Bill and I sat at the counter and took in the place, a constant flow of customers ordered their own Awful-Awful burgers. I loved the signs above the counter. “The Famous Nugget Hangover Omelet – a 4 egg omelet stuffed with chili grande and smothered in melted cheese and salsa.” My favorite was “9 out of 10 Vegetarians Don’t Eat Here.” That says it all.

Burger 5 spatulas out of 5
Fries 5 spatulas
Onion Rings 3.5 spatulas
Shake 3 spatulas

The Nugget Diner
233 N. Virginia Street
Reno, NV 89501
775-323-0716