A small town in Seymour, Wisconsin claims to be the home of the American hamburger and even has a Hamburger Hall of Fame, annual festival and world’s largest hamburger parade. The “burger” is taken seriously across all 50 states yet the actual origin of the famed meat between two pieces of bread phenomenon is still debated. We present to you our Hamburger Hall of Fame choices from across the United States.
GoldBurgers-Newington, Connecticut.
Featuring an array of different toppings for each burger, the highlight of GoldBurgers is their quality products all produced locally. Each savory burger is a hand-crafted, made-to-order sausage patty combined with beef that is ground daily at Bogner Quality Meats in Manchester, CT where all cuts are grass fed and without hormone injections. The local favorite on the menu is the Fat Cat which is a patty topped with bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, coleslaw, fries, farm egg and GoldBurger sauce all provided by local farmers in the Connecticut area.
Dotty Dumpling’s Dowry-Madison, Wisconsin.
Known as the land of cheese and well, cheese curds, Wisconsin is home to many hearty restaurants competing for best burger with at the annual Burger and Cheese Festival in Waukesha each summer. Dotty Dumpling’s has been voted cheesiest burger so many times they opted out of the competition after winning 10 consecutive years. Each burger on the menu is complimented with a sauce specially designed to bring out the flavor of the meat and the texture of the cheese all over butter battered bread. Our favorite is the Toadstool which boasts two patties with baby swiss cheese, wild mushrooms, and their signature English garlic sauce. Be sure to bring extra mints after enjoying one of these savory meals.
Tookies-Seabrook, Texas.
When Tookies was originally founded in 1975 the owner wanted it to have the same feel as the old Tooker Brothers drugstore he remembered from a small town in Texas. Now of course Tookies is not a drug store but the vintage decor delivers the same Americana nostalgic hometown feel. They say everything in Texas has a story and in 2008 when Hurricane Ike destroyed most of the restaurant it took over a year to rebuild but with the help of the community ,Tookies re-opened with the same great taste with better seating. Their most famous burger is the Squealer which is a handmade beef patty, blended with bacon, dressed with mayo, covered with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato,pickle and an onion. It goes great with a side of housemade fries.
Skip’s Kitchen-Carmichael, California
It may be hard to believe we once lived in a world where there was no such thing as a $50 hamburger and often when we hear “gourmet burger” huge prices follow. But it has only been a decade since the humble ground beef patty entered the high cuisine pantheon and there are a few eateries that offer gourmet flavor at food cart prices.This local neighborhood favorite serves gourmet casual cuisine in a low-key, hipster friendly atmosphere and all of the burgers are less than $12 dollars. Each burger takes a new spin on the classic and presents innovative gourmet tastes in a classy, yet comfortable setting. The favorite from Skip’s is the Western Burger, which is a patty of beef topped with a thick-cut cherrywood smoked bacon, an onion ring, BBQ sauce, smothered with medium sharp cheddar. The sweet and savory BBQ sauce on this delightful patty makes it a champion amongst burgers. The secret’s in the sauce.
In conclusion
There is no right or wrong way to make a burger and restaurants across the US have tried putting any and everything on top of their burgers. Here are some toppings to consider when choosing your next slice of beef between two pieces of bread. Would you like some bacon, avocado or guacamole, sliced sautéed mushrooms, cheese sauce and/or chili (usually without beans), fried egg, scrambled egg, feta cheese, blue cheese, salsa, pineapple, jalapeños and other kinds of chili peppers, anchovies, slices of ham or bologna, tartar sauce, french fries, onion rings or potato chips? Your options are endless.
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