TNT Diner » Burger of the Month Club

Yum on a bun: Five more Tacoma bar burgers to try before you die

Sue Kidd — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 12:55:04 +0000

It took months and three bottles of Tums to recover from last December’s bar burger series. Remember that? I wrote about the 20 burgers you have to eat before you die (or die trying).

This time, I took a considerably smaller bite out of Tacoma’s bar burger footprint: Five more bar burgers you should add to your list of must-try-or-die burgers around town.

Just don’t tell your doctor before you embark on your eating project. Click “read more” to see my top five bar burgers of the moment.

Please note: The burgers listed here are …

Burgers and chips: Hop Jack’s in Bonney Lake and The Spar in Tacoma spare me from fry fatigue

Sue Kidd — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 14:22:37 +0000

Burgers with fries. Anyone who follows this blog knows how much I’ve written about that combo in the last year. If not, just click here, here, here, here, here and here (did that make you dizzy?)

The last few months, I’ve encountered a few burgers served with house-made chips worth a mention. I was starting to suffer from fry fatigue, so the burgers at Hop Jack’s and the Spar, both served with crisply fried, thinly cut potato chips, found a fan in me.

Here’s a look at the two burgers:

Hop Jack’s
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Lefty’s Burger Shack coming to University Place

Sue Kidd — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 20:23:49 +0000

For six months, Pam Hubert has told curious passersby that she’ll be opening Lefty’s Burger Shack in “two weeks.”

This time, she means it.

The University Place burger restaurant has been Hubert’s working dream for two years, and all she needs now is health department approval to open. She expects that will come this week or next. The burger restaurant will serve hand-formed burgers, hot dogs and something that sounds genius in theory: “frings,” which are combination orders of fries and onion rings.

Hubert, a first-time restaurant owner who has lived on Day Island for 15 years, …

Burger radar: The one-pounder LPG Monster at Lakewood Pub & Grill

Sue Kidd — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:04:56 +0000

TNT Diner reader agtoth has been telling me to go try the Lakewood Pub & Grill since I took this job. Recently, I took a bite out of the pub’s one-pound burger. Click “more” to hear all about it.

Sometimes a one-pound burger sounds like a good idea; like a fried turkey for Thanksgiving. It’s rarely a good idea to eat the whole darn thing. Out of morbid curiosity, I ordered the LPG Monster, which is the house specialty and one-pound giant on the menu at the come-as-you-are bar.

The LPG Monster burger ($12.95) dwarfed the half …

Burger radar: Marcia’s Silver Spoon. Classic diner burger at a great price.

Sue Kidd — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 12:20:49 +0000

Sometimes you just want a classic diner that serves great breakfasts or a perfectly grilled burger. In Tacoma, that place is Marcia’s Silver Spoon. This week, I’m taking a look at burgers recommended by readers. Click “more” to read about Marcia’s.

The price was right for a deluxe bacon and cheese for $8.99. Served with a heavy pile of fries, it added up to a good bargain. Food at Marcia’s comes in two sizes: big and bigger. The scrambles are notorious behemoth affairs. The one-pound “Man” burger is not for the timid.

Marcia’s burgers are built with …

Burger radar: Masa burger. A burger with fried cheese. Need I say more?

Sue Kidd — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 12:31:32 +0000

In case you missed it, way back in December, I went on a mission to find the best bar burgers. That resulted in 20 bar burgers you have to eat before you die. This week, I’m coming back to visit more burgers suggested by readers (you can read about other reader suggested burgers here).

Today’s featured burger: The Masa Burger.

Click “more” to read about this flavor bomb of a burger.

YOUR TURN: Comment below to nominate your favorite burger in town for Burger of the Month Club.

If the proof of a good …

Bacon burger fail, veggie burger win. Where do you go for house-made veggie patties in Tacoma?

Sue Kidd — Wed, 18 May 2011 13:55:50 +0000

I paid a visit to The Ram for a burger exploration mission. I forged one bite into the new Bacon Bacon Bacon burger ($10.99) and immediately injured the roof of my mouth from too much crunch. While a burger with bacon mayo, a bacon-studded patty AND chicken-fried bacon sounds over-the-top swell in theory, this burger was poorly executed on two separate visits. The crispy chicken-fried shell on the bacon was just far too crisp and dry, leading to a burger that scraped more than pleased my palate. Pass.

While I might not return for the chicken-fried bacon burger at …

Burger basics: After almost 50 years, Little Holland Mikie Burgers still are flipping

Sue Kidd — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:56:30 +0000

I remember a phone conversation with the new owner of Little Holland/Mikie Burgers, just over a year ago. “No, we won’t change a thing,” said Chi Baek. She said it multiple times during that phone interview. I asked why she was being so repetitive. Baek sighed and confessed. Simply put: Fans of the well-known burger drive-in restaurant were insistent that the new owner stay true to the 50-year-old burger drive-in’s honest approach to burgers, fries and shakes. Putting it more bluntly: Baek received backlash in verbal form and in not-so-nice comments posted on News Tribune online stories about the

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Bison Burgers: Tatanka Take-Out in Ruston makes burger indulgence a not-so-guilty thing

Sue Kidd — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:47:45 +0000

If you want to eat a burger, but not feel like you swallowed a small grease factory, then you should point your car toward Ruston for a trip to Tatanka take-out. Bison is the specialty here. The restaurant makes five burgers and a dip with bison patties.

The restaurant bills bison as America’s original health food and I’d agree after looking at the nutritional information on Tatanka’s menu – the signature bison burger weighs in at 360 calories (unless you add cheese). The bison patty is lean and beefy, with just enough juiciness to make it tasty, palatable. I …

Kicky burger: Hot chipotle and poblano burger at Crockett’s Public House in Puyallup

Sue Kidd — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:18:03 +0000

Give me a dose of heat and I’m a happy burger lover. Crockett’s Public House in Puyallup has a knock-out burger on the menu that’s a punchy intersection of Southwest flavor – chipotle mayo, pepperjack cheese and roasted poblanos. It’s not for the timid. I’m moderately tolerant of spice and this burger made me want a frosty mug of an adult beverage.

Crockett’s opened in February in a cavernous building downtown, right across the parking lot from Trackside Pizza. Both restaurants are owned by Shaun Brobak. Here’s my first bite report from a few weeks ago. Crockett’s …