Rosco's Burger Inn - El Paso, TX

Rosco's Burger Inn in El Paso, Texas is a delightful and friendly throwback of a place. I travelled here after a couple of days of work in Juarez. Rosco's has a great location on a Y of a street. The checkerboard sign beckons to burger lovers. I parked my puny borrowed Tahoe among the really big SUVs in the lot. Stepping inside, I felt instantly welcome and took a seat at one of the faux-wood laminate tables. The place probably hasn't changed much since it was founded in 1955. It shouldn't.

There are 8 tables and a counter in the front room. The cooks toil behind the counter. There is an extra room on the side with another 6 or so tables. I went to the side room to find the bathroom, but saw two doors marked "Not A Bathroom". I was directed outside, as it should be, to a sparkling clean room smelling of chlorine.


I ordered a double-cheeseburger with everything, fries and onion rings. The double paddy mess was great. Thin hot patties were stacked high with onion, pickle, tomato, mustard and American cheese on a nicely toasted bun. This is your classic burger joint burger that only works when all the ingredients play together. And they play well at Rosco's.

The medium cut fries were, hot salty and tasty. Onion rings were the best of everything crispy, large and breaded crunchy.

I didn't get prices since I wasn't given a menu and I ordered from the waitress' recommendation. I think it all came to about $13 with a drink. I guess I will have to return to complete my review. Not a problem. I can't wait.

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

Rosco's Burger Inn

3829 Tompkins Rd
El Paso, TX 79930

(915) 564-9028

SF Burger Search

My wife Pat found this blog on yelp. Some favorites, but some new ones to try. So many burgers, so little time.

$22 Hamburger

Michael Bauer, the food critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, talks about some of the more expensive hamburgers in the Bay Area. he also ruminates on how much a burger should cost. He points out a few spots to get a good, if somewhat expensive burger in the Bay Area.

Check out his blog.

Giant Burger - Union City, CA

Giant Burger in Union City, is tucked into a strip center among the warehouses of Union City. It was pretty quiet in the restaurant when I went in one day at lunch time.

The Bacon Cheeseburger ($4.55), Fries ($1.65) and Onion Rings ($2.19) were all very unimpressive, although they were hot. The burger featured American Cheese, crisp bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion and a grilled bun. It looked good, but when I bit in, I mostly tasted mustard. The onion rings were overcooked and crunchy. The fries were standard issue medium cut. The best thing was the chocolate shake ($2.95). It was creamy and smooth, kind of like yogart.

Giant Burger will do in a pinch, but with Val's not to far away, that is a better option.

Burger 2 spatulas (out of 5)
Fries 3 spatulas
Onion Rings 2 spatulas
Shake 4 spatulas

Giant Burger
33592 Alvarado Niles Rd
Union City, CA 94587
(510) 429-1252

Athens Burger Restaurant - Dublin, CA

Athens Burger Restaurant in Dublin, CA is a neighborhood burger joint amongst the chains clogging downtown Dublin. You have to drive past McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King and a few others before finding the charming logo floating above the restaurant. Inside you will find a place full of cream and teal booths. Order at the counter and take your seat among the locals and armed-service people working in the area.

I tried the 1/4-pound bacon cheeseburger ($5.30), fries ($2.25), Onion Rings ($3.05) and chocolate shake.

The burger came out with lettuce, pickle chips, tomato, onion and thousand island dressing. The bacon was cooked correctly and American cheese nicely melted. But the burger looked better than it tasted. I found it pretty basic and while better than a warmed over slab at one of the nearby chains, it was nothing special. The fries and onion rings were both hot and right out of the frier, which, once again, is more than you can count on down the street. The milk shake was just okay and tasted like Hershey's syrup.

I will say, with their cool logo and nice atmosphere, I would opt for Athens again if burger hunting in Dublin. But would like to see a little more creativity in the burger.

Burger 2.5 spatulas (out of 5)
Fries 2.5 spatulas
Onion Rings 2.5 spatulas
Milk Shake 2 spatulas

Athens Burger Restaurant
6949 Dublin Blvd.
Dublin, CA 94568-3016
925-803-8135

Bill's Cafe - San Jose, CA

Bill's Cafe is a charming local place in Willow Glen in San Jose. It has the feel of a long time neighborhood fixture with neighbors chatting and eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. I walked in at lunch time and felt instantly at home. There were lots of burger choices on the menu, but I felt compelled to try the 3/4-pound Willow Glen Burger, with bacon, cheddar and avocado on a french roll.($9.50)

When I realized I had ordered a burger on a french roll, I tried to recall my order, but it was too late. They are fast at Bill's. The burger arrived minutes later. It is a monster burger served open-faced, with crispy bacon on top of a cheddar covered slab of fresh beef. The avocado was perfectly firm but not to much so. I found the burger good, but a little dry. Combining that with the dryness of a french roll, didn't work. Next time I will get a regular hamburger.

The fries, however, we fantastic. Maybe the best I have had. They were fresh cut and hot. Medium thick without skins, they were tasty and irresistible. The fries were worth the trip to Bill's alone.

The waiter noticed me taking notes and photos while I was ordering. I think that might explain why I was brought a complimentary dessert of bread pudding. A nice touch, I gratefully accepted.

Burger 3 spatulas (out of 5)
Fries 5 spatulas

Bill's Cafe
1115 Willow Street
San Jose, CA 95125
(408) 294-1125
www.billscafe.com

Defining Terms – What is a Hamburger?

Recently, on a post to Hoosier Burger Boy I reviewed a burger from Bistro Vida. The burger was prepared by adding onions, parsely and garlic into the meat prior to cooking. A person commented that it was not a hamburger, but a “meat loaf” burger. I guess he might have a point. In his book, “The Hamburger”, Josh Ozersky defines a hamburger as “ground beef patty served on a white enriched bun”.

I like this definition and will adhere to it for a reviewing a hamburger. But remember, the site is called Hoosier Burger Boy, not Hoosier Hamburger Boy. I still wish to review other burgers, even if they aren’t pure “hamburgers”. These could include gourmet burgers, like Bix great concoction, with truffles mixed in. Or the Vida Burger mentioned above. I will place these in my gourmet burger ratings, instead of the top 10 Hamburger ratings. I might even review the occasional turkey burger or fish burger if it seems novel or interesting. But I will try not to call them hamburgers.

Also, my top 10 burgers will tend to come from burger joints, whose main purpose is serving burgers. There are some fine restaurants like Zuni Café and Oak City Bar & Grill that have fine burgers, but that really isn’t their main mission. I will put these in the gourmet burger section as well.

SK