I love the road. If you read this blog on a regular basis, you already know this. What you see on the road is generally better than anything you'll see on television.
Gravel roads are the best.
The road is full of culinary surprises:
A few years ago I embarked on a quest to visit every county in Kansas. I used an old map and a yellow highlighter to keep track of my progress.
I gradually chipped away at this goal. I was proud of my efforts until I read about a man who had not only visited every county in Kansas, but he also managed to eat a hamburger in each one. My accomplishments paled in comparison, so I became discouraged and abandoned my goal.
I'm thinking about getting back on that horse. After reading Hamburger America by George Motz and viewing the documentary that accompanies the book, I'm ready to hit the road. Motz criss-crosses America searching for the best hamburger.
Now I'm thinking about setting a new goal. Any ideas?
The following is his list of the 100-greatest burgers:
ARKANSAS
- Cotham’s Mercantile - Scott
CALIFORNIA
- The Apple Pan Los Angeles
- Hodad’s - Ocean Beach
- Irv’s Burger - West Hollywood
- Jim-Denny’s - Sacramento
- Joe’s Cable Car Restaurant - San Francisco
- Marty’s - Los Angeles
- Pie’ N Burger - Pasadena
- Taylor’s Automatic Refresher - St. Helena
- Western SteakBurger - San Diego
COLORADO
- Bud’s Bar - Sedalia
Connecticut
- Clamp's Hamburger Stand - New Milford
- Louis' Lunch - New Haven
- Shady Glen - Manchester
- Ted's Restaurant - Meriden
- Yankee Doodle & Sandwich - New Haven
DELAWARE
- Charcoal Pit - North Wilmington
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
- Ben’s Chili Bowl
- Tune Inn
FLORIDA
- Le Tub - Hollywood
-
GEORGIA
- Ann’s Snack Bar - Atlanta
IDAHO
- Hudson’s Hamburgers - Coer D’ Alene
ILLINOIS
- Billy Goat Tavern & Grill - Chicago
- Moonshine Store - Moonshine
- Top Notch Beef burger Shop - Chicago
INDIANA
- Heinnies - Elkhart
IOWA
- Hamburg Inn NO.2 - Iowa City
- Taylor’s Maid-Rite - Marshalltown
KANSAS
- Bobo’s Drive In -Topeka
- Cozy Inn Hamburgers -Salina
LOUISIANA
- Bozo’s - Metarine
- Port Of Call - New Orleans
MAINE
- Harmon’s Lunch - Falmouth
MASSACHUSETTS
· Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage Cambridge
· White Hut West Springfield
MICHIGAN
- Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger - Ann Arbor
- Miller’s Bar - Dearborn
- Redmak’s New - Buffalo
MINNESOTA
- THE 5-8 Club - Minneapolis
- Matt’s Bar - Minneapolis
MISSISSIPPI
- Bill’s Hamburgers - Amory
- Phillip’s Grocery - Holly springs
MISSOURI
- Town Topic - Kansas City
- Winstead’s - Kansas City
MONTANA
- Matt’s Place Drive-in - Butte
- Missoula Club - Missoula
NEBRASKA
- Stella’s Hamburgers - Bellevue
-
NEW HAMPSHIRE
- Gilley’s PM Lunch - Portsmouth
NEW JERSEY
- Rossi’s Bar and Gri ll - Trenton
- White Manna Hamburgers - Hackensack
NEW MEXICO
- Bob Cat Bite - Sante Fe
- Owl Bar & Café - San Antonio
NEW YORK
- Corner Bistro - New York
- Donovan’s Pub - Flushing
- Hildebrandt’s - Williston Park
- P.J. Clarke’s - New York
NORTH CAROLINA
- Char-Grill - Raleigh
- Snappy Lunch - Mount Airy
- South 21 - Charlotte
OHIO
- Cabill’s Hamburgers - Urbana
- Gahanna Grill - Cahanna
- Hamburger Wagon - Miamisburg
- Kewpee - Lima
- Thurman Café - Columbus
- Wilson’s Findlay
OKLAHOMA
- Folger’s Drive- Inn - Ada
- Hamburger King - Shawnee
- J&W Grill - Chickasha
- Johnnie’s Grill - El Reno
- The Meers Store & Restaurant - Meers
- Robert’s Grill - El Reno
- Sid’s Diner El Reno
OREGON
- Giant Drive-In Lake - Oswego
- Elvetia Tavern - Hillsboro
- Stanich’s Tavern - Portland
PENNSYLVANIA
- Charlie’s Hamburgers - Folsom
- Tessaro’s - Pittsburgh
SOUTH CAROLINA
- Northgate Soda Shop - Greenville
SOUTH DAKOTA
- Hamburger Inn - Sioux Falls
- Nick’s Hamburger Shop - Brookings
TENNESSEE
- Brown’s Dinner - Nashville
- Dyer’s - Memphis
- Rotier’s Restaurant - Nashville
- Zarzour’s Café - Chattanooga
TEXAS
- Burger House - Dallas
- Casino El Camino - Austin
- Christian’s Tailgate Bar&Grill - Houston
- Dirty Martin’s Place - Austin
- Hut’s Hamburgers - Austin
- Kincaid’s Hamburgers - Fort Worth
- Lankford Grocery - Houston
- Tookie’s - Seabrook
UTAH
- Crown Burgers Salt Lake City
VIRGINIA
- Texas Tavern - Roanoke
WASHINGTON
- EastSide Big Tom - Olympia
- Dick’s Drive-In - Seattle
WISCONSIN
- Dotty Dumplings Dowry - Madison
- The Plaza Tavern - Madison
- Peterson’s Hamburger Stand and Ice Cream Parlor - Jefferson
- Solly’s Grill - Mill
5 comments:
Oh I have one...but it's here in my home town in Ottawa, Ontario Canada: The Works - http://www.worksburger.com/ They must have a list of about 50 burgers. Sooo good!!!!
Lindastamps
Next time you're in KC, you should head over to Westport (just north of the Plaza) and have a Westport Flea Market burger... blows Winstead's away.
bigBADbob
My vote is to "breakfast" your way accross the land. Those little mom and pop cafes and diners have the best breakfasts. Some even have freshly grated hashbrowns and fresh eggs. My fondest memories of road trips have been the mom and pop restaurants. No chains and franchises for me. Nella
I went through the list by Mr. Motz. No mention of bowling ally burgers.
I second the breakfast suggestion. Hot dogs are good too, but the best ones are from places that are fairly unidentifiable and often transient.
I have two of those goals, but they're more like life-long lists: Visit every state park, run a marathon in every state. In the meantime, whenever I road trip, and even when I drive around in my area, I make it a point to eat at the diviest place I can find. Usually this works out great, sometimes not so much.
Also, I think Five Guys should be on the Virginia/D.C. list!
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