Revisiting hamburgers of Detroit

[smogboy]

I think part of the appeal of Verne's was that it was a grimy old place. While I do remember the burgers fondly, it was the fries that always stuck out to me. They were thin, kinda greasy and served up in that little paper dish.

One place that I think has upped the burger ante is the Vinsetta Grill up in Royal Oak. I tried it and it was actually pretty darn good. They offered up selections galore with it; you had to check off things on a clipboard and it was done up pretty well [[or at least to my feeble standards for a good burger).

One other place I'd also recommend is Blimpy Burger in Ann Arbor- another down & dirty sort of place that just serves it up with no muss or fuss.

[JStone]

I will second Gsgeorge's post about AFB Burgers. Hefty portion [[comes with fries), tasty, and cheap. The sliders aren't really sliders but more like a bag of three decent sized hamburgers. Delicious. Cheap good beer too.

My favorite burger though is Casey's for sure.

[Detroitnerd]

Lately, I've had good experiences with Famous Hamburger.

[Bearinabox]

One other place I'd also recommend is Blimpy Burger in Ann Arbor- another down & dirty sort of place that just serves it up with no muss or fuss.

I've only been there once, but it was a memorable experience.

Me: "Hi, can I have a burger please?"
Blimpy guy: "Double, triple..."
Me: "Uh, just one?"
Him: "Those are only for little kids. Haven't you ever been here before?"
Me: "Um, no?"
Him: "How long have you lived in Ann Arbor and you've never been here yet?"
Me: "Uh, I don't live here?"
Him: "Oh. So, double, triple..."

[Detroitnerd]

I've only been there once, but it was a memorable experience.

Me: "Hi, can I have a burger please?"
Blimpy guy: "Double, triple..."
Me: "Uh, just one?"
Him: "Those are only for little kids. Haven't you ever been here before?"
Me: "Um, no?"
Him: "How long have you lived in Ann Arbor and you've never been here yet?"
Me: "Uh, I don't live here?"
Him: "Oh. So, double, triple..."

Haha. That is classic Blimpy. If you look closely before you order, you'll realize there are instructions you are supposed to read before ordering. Of course, it's worth it because, as Blimpy advertises, their burgers are "cheaper than food."

I guess that sort of quirkiness is part of the charm at quite a few old-line burger places. At Miller's, for instance, you don't get any instructions. You don't get a menu. You get a few choices from the waitress [[who by then knows you're a newbie) and pay the barkeep on the honor system when you're done. Kind of awkward the first time, but the bonus is you feel like a pro when you return.

[Gannon]

Unless something happened in the meanwhile, I have to suggest Harry's...along with Checker they were the winners of my survey a few years back.

I still remember how I felt after ingesting something like ten pounds of ground beef in two weeks or so...hence the reluctance to repeat the experiment.


Of the newer kitchens in town, I have no doubt that AFB places in the top ten, if not higher.

[DetroitScooter]

Unless something happened in the meanwhile, I have to suggest Harry's...along with Checker they were the winners of my survey a few years back.

I still remember how I felt after ingesting something like ten pounds of ground beef in two weeks or so...hence the reluctance to repeat the experiment.


Of the newer kitchens in town, I have no doubt that AFB places in the top ten, if not higher.

Does anyone know when AFB is actually open? I tried twice [[once with the scooter club) and the place was locked up tighter than Ft. Knox. If I try again and they are closed during their "open" hours, I'll never try again

[stromberg2]

I'll second Gannon on Harry's...a very good burger and they will do it any way you like.

Stromberg2

[Fury13]

So many good bar burgers... Anchor, Detroiter, Honest John's, Coaches Corner.

There is a joint on Fenkell just east of Telegraph, JR's, that makes a great bar burger.

I prefer sliders... Telway, Bray's, etc.

[dookie joe]

Before we can answer the question, we must first determine: What is a burger? A burger can be many things to many people, or many things to the same person. And therin lies the difficulty in determining with any degree of certainty which, exactly, is the best burger.

Different situations call for different burgers. If you want to sit down among friends, toss back a few cold ones and watch the game on the big-screen TV, then it's hard to beat Nemo's or Casey's.

But if you're drunk on your ass and you need some quick grease to soak up the alcohol, you can't beat Motz. A few of those burgers would clean anything out of your system, because whatever's in you won't be for long!

Checker's used to be a good place for lunch. Honest John's is good for a nice sit-down, too, as is Miller's out in Dearborn. And there used to be a few of those truck stops in the south end of Dearborn that served a mean burger, although those places were best known for their breakfasts.

[KENSINGTONY]

A few years ago I was pleasantly surprised by the Fuddrucker's on Main in Royal Oak.I had been wary of going there[[having had bad luck with the one in Sterling Heights and one in Hershey,Pa. in past years.) but the burger was quite good.

[gnome]

Dookie Joe, you're right, different moods/circumstances call for different burger choices.

However, of all the great choices we have, I'd offer the Red Coat's piedmont beef stuffed with blue cheese is the major domo of burgers.

[EMG]

Although I'm sure they wouldn't qualify as the city's best by typical objective standards, my two childhood favorites were right next to each other on Harper near Cadieux on the east side. Daly's Dalyburgers with the special sauce and Geneva's grilled onion sliders, bag of 5 for $1.98.

There was also Kavan's which was on the corner of my block of Nottingham at Morang, but I personally had a minor pet peeve about their burgers. They were good quality burgers - no question about that - but I never liked the fact that they made them "upside down" - the toppings were on the bottom and the meat patty on the top. This resulted in the toppings seeping into the thinner bottom part of the bun and creating a soggy mess. Whenever I got one of their burgers I would turn it upside down immediately and if I was lucky I got it quickly enough before all those seeping liquids got the bun too soggy to handle.

These days I'm a health nut, so I only have a burger once or twice a year - and when I do, it's always Burger King. I don't care how many "gourmet" places there are out there; for pure personal preference and satisfaction, nothing beats the Whopper for me.

[EMG]

Just thought of another place I remember - Gate's hamburgers at the corner of Harper and Nottingham. I probably only had their burgers once or twice, and remember them being similar to, but not as good as, Geneva's.

[sumas]

Lots of nostalgia for me on this thread. Had a burger at most places mentioned. Don't get around much now but i'll put in a personal note for Checkers.

Vernes now closed was also great. The Bluegrass music on weekends was also great fun. When I moved briefly to New Mexico I fit right in because I knew how to clog.