Tally's Cafe - Tulsa, OK

Tally’s Café in Tulsa, Oklahoma was shown on our Route 66 map as we motored across the U.S. It sounded good so we stopped in for a burger. Nestled on a corner in the old section of Tulsa, it is a bustling place. It seats at least 100 people in its red booths and stools. The place looks like it probably has for forty years. Not a re-creation of a 50’s diner, but the real deal. The waitresses have probably been there for years. They have plenty of attitude, but are sweet at the same time.

I ordered Double Meat Cheeseburger ($6.95) with Bacon ($1). I upgraded from fries to Onion rings for another dollar. An order of the Tally-Os goes for $4.95 by itself. My daughter had fries with here Texas Toast Grilled Cheese, so I got to have those as well.

The burger was great. The sesame bun was perfectly toasted. The two 1/3 pound patties were juicy and just smoky enough after being charbroiled. The bacon was crisp and flavorful. Fresh lettuce, tomato and onion sat under the burger. American cheese was melted on top. I also selected mayo, when asked “mayo or mustard” by the server. I think this is the best burger I have had in a long time.

The onion rings were just as good. Crisp and lightly battered, juicy and sweet on the inside, I cannot say I have had better. The fries were medium cut and coated, not my cup of tea, but hot and tasty none-the-less.


I found Tally’s the perfect mix of atmosphere, authenticity and good food. Check it out when you are cruising Route 66.

Burger 5 spatulas out of 5
Fries 2.5 spatulas
Onion Rings 5 spatulas

Tally’s Café
1102 South Yale Ave.
Tulsa, OK 74112-5343
918-835-8038
www.tallyscafe.com

Aurelia's Diner - Gallup, NM

Aurelia’s Diner in Gallup, New Mexico was named after the grandmother of our server, the day we stopped in on our Route 66 trip. This is a clean, spotless little gem of a diner. It is obviously run with pride by the family that owns it.

All, chrome, white tile and red naugahyde, it is tastefully decorated to feel like a fifties diner. I ordered the Bacon Swiss Mushroom Burger ($7.95) with fries included. We also had onion rings ($4.50 and a chocolate shake ($4.25).

The burger looked great. It was a big patty, probably frozen, that was a little overcooked. The bun was soft but a little crumbly on the edges. The Swiss cheese was nicely melted and gooey, to good effect. The mushroom blended nicely with the flavors. It should probably come with mayo. If it sounds like I am overly critical, I guess it was because the lovely place and great service got my expectations up. With a little more attention to detail, this could be a very good burger.

The onion rings fared better, huge, crunchy and sweet. The fries seemed fresh cut. They were wide and flat and quite unusual. I liked them.

The shake was good. Creamy but maybe a little thin, it was presented well in the coke glass.

I would recommend Aurelia’s, despite the quibbles. It was a fun place with good food. Just a few details from being very good.

Burger 3 spatulas out of 5
Fires 3.5 spatulas
Onion rings 3.5 spatulas

Aurelia’s Diner
2502 E. Historic Highway 66
Gallup, NM 87301
505-726-2800

Mr. D's Route 66 Diner - Kingman, AZ

Mr. D’s Route 66 Diner in Kingman, Arizona is a nice stop on your visit to the old route 66. We set out to take the old Route 66 that breaks off from Interstate 40 from Kingman to Seligman. We kicked it off at Mr. D’s.

The restaurant is a clean and attractive diner with pink and turquoise chairs and booths. I ordered a Cheeseburger ($6.95.) The patty is one half pound. The burger has shredded lettuce, tomato, onions and a pickle spear. It comes with fries.

It is a big burger, moist and cooked nicely, but obviously from a frozen patty. Bun was soft and toasted. The veggies fresh. Fries standard issue medium cut, but hot.

The service was cheerful and the place had a nice charm. You could do a lot worse.

Burger 3 spatulas out of 5
Fries 3 spatulas

Mr. D's Route 66 Diner,
Old Route 66 & 1st St
105 E. Divine Ave
Kingman, AZ 86401
928-718-0066
www,mrdzrtdiner.com

Snackbar - Austin, TX

Snack Bar in Austin, Texas, sits right in the middle of my favorite part of Austin, the South Congress area. I had visited earlier in the week and enjoyed their pulled pork sliders, but had noticed the Brie Burger on the menu. Drea the charming hostess, waitress, artist that works there, assured me it was quote good. Anyone sporting a "Where the Wild Things Are" monster tattoo on her arm has credibility with me. So I ordered it the second time I ate there.

The Brie Burger ($10) is made with "Beef raised right", caramalized onions, brie cheese, of course and the usual lettuce, tomato, etc. The bun is nicely toasted and fits the large patty well. The onions are so sweet, they could have been apples. The beef is prepared to order, medium for me, and was cooked right and tasted very good.

As good as the burger is the ambience of Snackbar. There is outdoor dining and indoor. Indoor they have a dining area and bar area. They play movies on the wall. This night, Kung Fu Hustle, was playing on the wall with subtitles below. A steady stream of Autsin's energetic young crowd came in and out keeping the place lively on this "First Thursday", a night once a month that South Congress stores stay open and the street is packed.

Drea recommended I try the burger at Jackalope next. A fine idea next time I am in Autsin.

Burger 4 spatulas out of 5

Snackbar
1224 South Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78704
512-445-2626
www.snackbaraustin.com

Steak 'n Shake - Austin, TX

Steak 'n Shake has been a favorite of mine since we used to stop there in Indianapolis when I was a kid. I was very happy to see one in Austin Texas on a recent trip and felt compelled to stop by and see if it still held the magic it did when I was young. I am happy to report it does.

First of all, Steak 'n Shake, sets out to set itself apart from the other burger chains. The signs inside read “Famous for Steakburgers”. I ordered a double Steak 'n Cheese Burger with fries. $3.99. But instead of ordering from a drive up window (which they also have) or at a counter, they actually have table service. And here in Austin, the service was polite and speedy. I also ordered a chocolate milkshake $2.99 and a side of baked beans $1.69.

The food came before I could even finish my notes about the clean restaurant trimmed out in black, red and white. The food serves up on an actual plate, not in a paper box. The burger tasted yummy, with crisp toasted bun, tender flavorful beef from “real cuts of steak”, and fresh and crisp pickle, lettuce, tomato and onion. There was no sauce but Ketchup and mustard were at the table. The skinny shoestring fries were crisp and light, but a little tepid. The beans brimmed with the taste of onion and bacon. The shake towered over the table, a creamy chocolate confection with a mound of whipped cream on top.

The place was cheerful on this Friday night. Families filled the place and bubbly staff kept it hopping. Yes, Steak 'n Shake still has the magic.

Burger 4 spatulas out of 5
Fries 3 spatulas
Shake 5 spatulas

Steak N Shake
Bldg E, 9300 S I H 35
Austin, TX 78748-1751
(512) 291-8095
www.steaknshake.com

Slider Bar Cafe - Palo Alto, CA

Slider Bar Café in Palo Alto recently opened on the popular main drag, University Street. There were countless restaurants bustling on a Friday night, including this place. A striking, high ceilinged room welcomes folks to the café. We sat at the bar as all the tables were full. Slider Bar Café has a sophisticated take on the slider concept, also serving several micro brew type beers and mid-level wines. If you sit at the bar, the friendly bar tender will take your order and get your wine, while you watch the soccer game or ESPN on the flat screens behind the counter. If you sit at a table, you have to order at the counter, take a number and have the food brought out later.

Pat and I ordered up three sliders: the Classic American $2.89, a plain Classic American and a Mediterranean $3.69. The price drops for each additional slider you get. For instance, for the American, one slider costs $2.89. Two are $5.29. Three will set you back $7.49 and a dozen are $28. We also ordered baked fries $1.99. They don’t have a fryer.

The order got messed up in the back and took about 15 minutes to come out, but we didn’t really mind. The beer and wine were good, the young lady at the counter charming and the other customers friendly. When the sliders did arrive, the burgers were nicely arranged on the white plate. A little more than 3” in diameter, the little burgers are artfully and carefully constructed. On my American Classic, the yellow bun was squishy and fresh. The Niman Ranch all natural beef patty, was thick and nicely cooked to medium. On top was the melted American cheese. Stuffed underneath the patty were shredded lettuce, tomato, onion and a crisp pickle chip. A little mayo lubed the thing up. The burger was quite enjoyable.

The Mediterranean was a combo of flavors I had not had before on a burger: garlic and ginger spiced lamb was accompanied by Bleu cheese, artichokes, tomatoes, red onions and garlic sauce. But the nicest touch were the sliced black olives, which I don’t usually like.

The baked fries were surprisingly good, served up in a little silver pail. They were thin and light and not the limp soggy things I expected.

Two sliders, baked fries and a beer, I could get used to hanging out at the Slider Bar Café and enjoy it.

Burger 4 spatulas out of 5.
Fries 3.5 spatulas

Slider Bar Café
324 University Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94031
650-322-7300
www.sliderbarcafe.com

Jack's Prime Burgers & Shakes - San Mateo, CA

Jack’s Prime Burger’s & Shakes in San Mateo, CA came highly recommended by a fellow burger enthusiast. I wasted no time in getting my self to the clean, modern looking place to give a burger a try. Jack himself greeted me at the door and showed me to a wood-tabled booth. I compliment Jack for not going for the faux chrome-and-white-tile 50’s diner look, but rather a more authentic and classy mid-century vibe in the converted shell of the old hubcap store on El Camino Real.

A diminutive young lady with a British accent, like Jack’s, quickly took my order of Jack’s Prime Classic Cheeseburger ($9.00 with bacon added). It also comes with shoestring fries. The fries are normally $2.50 on their own, but there are a whole host of other sides offered including onion rings, sweet potato fries, fried pickles (all $3.95 each) or Irish Nacho Fries ($4.50). My server nicely offered to make my fries a half and half with onion rings. Perusing the menu, I am intrigued to go back and order the Ultimate Bacon Burger with maple bacon mayo and bacon in the burger.

The burger was delivered to my table in less than ten minutes on an impressive plate with fries, onion rings and fixings, which included pickle strips placed artfully in an X, lettuce, tomato slices and onion. The crisp and tasty bacon sat on top of melted American cheese. The bun was puffy white with an X cut in the top. The patty itself is made from 1/3 pound of Meyer Ranch natural Angus Beef. It is not ground on site, but brought to the store and cooked fresh. I found the burger to be cooked perfect medium, juicy and flavorful. The Thousand-island inspired sauce was updated with what I think was a little dill for a nice twist. Among lots of new burger places lately, this the best new burger on the Peninsula since the Counter opened in Palo Alto.

The onion rings were beer battered and crisp with sweet onion in the middle. The first were a little too thick for what I would call shoestring – more about the size of MacDonald’s fries. They were hot and fine, but not as outstanding as the burger.

I will definitely be returning to Jack’s. I liked the vibe as much as the burger.

Burger 4.5 spatulas out of 5
Fries 3 Spatulas
Onion Rings 3.5 spatulas

Jack’s Prime Burger’s & Shakes
3723 S. El Camino Real
San Mateo, CA 94403
650-638-1479
www.jacksprime.com