That Saturday Night Live Cheeseburger skit is one of the best! I always think of it when trying to figure out where and when the best cheeseburger is/was. The burger is a part of American culture… we are known for it, sometimes even negatively, but it is an iconic representation of our way of life. From fast food burgers to gourmet wagyu burgers to picnic backyard burgers from the grill, we love them all. Jimmy Buffet says it best:
Cheeseburger in paradise
Heaven on Earth with an onion slice
Not too particular, not too precise
I’m just a cheeseburger in paradise
I have had my fair share, but I also have my favorites (in no particular order):
Doe’s Eat Place – Little Rock, Arkansas: Perfect size, perfect patty made with the right ground beef (probably 70/30 lean), with hot cheese and fries – those great real potato fries. Also, makes it even better to start with a few of their famous hot tamales!
Buffalo Grill – Little Rock, Arkansas: Local place to Little Rock that Lex also helped to start with Richard Harrison (who has started multiple LR restaurants including the predecessor to the above Doe’s called Rock City Café – also with Lex, and currently has Pizza Café in Little Rock). Larger burger than I normally like but still awesome, great handmade patty, soft bun and great fries – same as Doe’s – real potato fries.
The Box – Little Rock, Arkansas – old place that used to be on Main Street but with new owners moved to 7th street. They know how to do a cheeseburger!!!! Again, great size and great grease content…(hehehehehe) and fries too!!!!
McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese – how can we talk about cheeseburgers without talking about this one….. how many served? Over a billion? I know McDonald’s sometimes gets a bad rap for health issues, but this is a great simple burger…. And the fries are known worldwide…. And the lines at the drive thru in downtown Little Rock are still long and 2 deep! So, while I may be chuckled at for mentioning it, you know you love it – hahahha!
Freddy’s Steakburgers – These have fast become my favorite burger – but seeing the end product, I just know that it can’t be that good for me, but it is hard to care when it tastes that good! The Double is their signature burger with mustard and pickles, which always takes me back to what I have been told about my grandfather’s diner (Ray’s Diner – Batesville, Arkansas), which was way before my time, but apparently had a similar burger – but was “breaded,” – an old trick to soak up the grease and enhance flavor and the number of burgers per pound of ground beef. Don’t’ think Freddy’s has adopted this process but they are great none the same!
Cheeseburger in Paradise – Rumored to both be loved by Jimmy Buffet as a cheeseburger in paradise are Pirate’s Cove in Gulf Shores, Alabama and Tinghum Village in Harbor Island Bahamas. Very different in character, but similar in result – awesome burgers but in equally awesome and local surroundings. Pirate’s Cove with its outdoor swimming area in the bay and picnic tables and Tinghum Village with its homey small bed and breakfast family style hotel on the interior of Harbor Island, are each unique and memorable for their experiences.
PJ Clarke’s – New York City: This is an iconic old place in NYC – it has been re-done and become a little swanky, but they have kept the old charm and the old style burger! Small burger served on an onion slice….. fries or onion rings or home fries on the side…. Red checked table cloths, dark wood walls and an old timey bar in the front that has seen more than its share of NYC lunch hour beers and/or martinis. Incredible atmosphere – this place will remain iconic in my mind.
Hubcap Burger Company – Little Rock, Arkansas – started in the tradition of the original Hubcap Burger from Cotham’s Country store (a burger as big as a hubcap!), Erin and Jon Griffin started Hubcap Burger Company as an off shoot of their Cotham’s in the City lunch restaurant in the old TGI Friday’s building in downtown LR. Great Burger, great people, great tradition.
So many others…. The Terrace in Little Rock supposedly has an incredible gourmet burger. Feltner’s Whataburger in Russellville, Arkansas (not a part of the Whataburger chain) has an old timey burger that is hard to beat. And who doesn’t love a good flat burger from the multiple remaining Dairy Bar style restaurants on the side of the highway – Kream Kastle on Hwy 71 to Hot Springs; The Lion’s Den in Clarendon, Arkansas; or Spradlin’s Dairy Delight in England, Arkansas. And don’t forget the old joint, Sportsman’s in Stuttgart, Arkansas! That bacon cheeseburger and a bottle of COLD Miller Lite is perfect sendoff to the prairie or the woods for some hunting.
Just a few of my favorites – hope you can respond with a few of yours wherever you are or wherever you have been. Always on the lookout for a great cheeseburger in a great spot!!!
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