Cheeseburgers In Paradise

Even through it was about 80° outside yesterday, it was cloudy out with a chance of rain. None never came. It is supposed to be warmer today, about 86°.

Taking advantage of a little cooler temperature, I decided to barbecue some cheeseburgers. 

 

4 Amazing Burger Places In New Mexico

Above, the Laguna Burger at Exit 140 of Interstate 40. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since my heart episode of July 2018, I have curtailed the consumption of red meats for the most part.

However, I have enjoyed a burger or two since then.

NewsBreak Original posted an article on 4 amazing burger places in New Mexico. Of the four, I have tried burgers from Albuquerque's Laguna Burger. I highly recommend it! They have opened a restaurant at the Route 66 Casino Hotel during the past year or so.

The article begins with:

If you live in New Mexico and you want to try new restaurants, here is a list of four amazing burger places in New Mexico that are well-known for serving absolutely delicious food made with fresh and high-quality ingredients only.

4 Amazing Burger Places in New Mexico

• Burger Boy, Cedar Crest
• Sparkys, Hatch
• Laguna Burger, Albuquerque
• Rustic on the Green, Albuquerque

Each place gets a write-up. 

To read more, go here.

Return To Big Ass Burgers

Above, Big Ass Burgers in Thoreau, New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Late this afternoon, I headed to Thoreau, New Mexico (15 miles) to pick up some groceries. 

After doing so, I glanced at Big Ass Burgers across the street. Since the last time I had a hamburger was on June 13, I decided to head over got get their 1/4 pound cheeseburger combo (with drink and curly fries). It is combo number 2 on their menu.

I put on the BBC News and proceeded to consume the meal. As was the case last June, the burger was excellent. As I said back in June, their burgers are almost as good as In-N-Out Burger in California.

The place doesn't look like much, but they do have excellent food. One orders inside and then they deliver the order to their vehicle. And, the prices are reasonable.  

Big Ass Burgers

Above, Big Ass Burgers, a mom & pop burger stand in Thoreau, New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

It has been about two years since the last time I've had a hamburger. I have to watch my intake of red meats since I had to have two stents put into an arterial artery in 2018.

But all that changed today when I got a craving for a hamburger. I wasn't interested in a Denny's hamburger. I decided that I would try a burger from Big Ass Burgers in Thoreau, New Mexico. 

Above, my quarter pound cheeseburger. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I have passed by Big Ass Burgers many times since I do some minor grocery shopping across the street at BJ's Market across the street. But I have never bought anything at Big Ass Burgers. 

So, I drove the 13 miles to Thoreau and went to Big Ass Burgers. They had a sign that read "no indoor dining" due to the pandemic. I looked over their big sign of combo plates. They must have had about 15-20 different combo plates. I stopped reading when I got to their one pound burger combos. I settled on a quarter pound cheeseburger combo, which consisted of a cheeseburger, curly fries and a drink. I ordered, paid for it and waited out in the car. After about five minutes, they brought out my order.

Above, the Big Ass Burgers fries. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

I ate the burger there and it did not disappoint. It was quite good, almost as good as an In-N-Out Burger. It definitely was much better than a Sonic burger that I had four years ago. I decided to eat the fries at home. Those were good too.

Above, the Big Ass Burgers sign. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Big Ass Burger serves good burgers, based on the cheeseburger I had. I would be back again. 

My grade: A.

Yum Burger Shoppe of Inglewood, California

Above, the Yum Burger Shoppe logo.

Back in the 1960s, there was a hamburger restaurant called Yum Burger Shoppe at 3300 W. Manchester Blvd. in Inglewood, California. It was across the street from the Academy Theater in the Morningside section of the city.

My parents, grandmother and I used to frequent Yum Burger when I was a kid. The burgers were great, but what I really liked were their homemade donuts. After church, we would go there for lunch and pick up a dozen donuts.

Above, a vintage Yum Burger plate from the 1960s.

Somewhere around 1964, Yum Burger had a fire that gutted the restaurant, but, fortunately, the owners rebuilt the restaurant.

According to Restaurant Ware Collectors Network:

Yum Burger Shoppe was located at 3300 W. Manchester in Inglewood, CA. On the back of a 1951 menu, owner Arlow W. Nalder, who died September 26, 1969, welcomed patrons to the new home of Yum Burger so it either had a major renovation in the same location or relocated. Burgers and hot fudge sundaes were just 35 cents at that time.

Above, a 1950s Yum Burger menu.

The former location of Yum Burger is now a dentistry. The building's shape leads me to believe that it is the original Yum Burger structure, just extensively remodeled. The entrance faced diagonally at the corner of the block.

Here is the building today:

I could not find any photos of Yum Burger Shoppe. If anyone reading this has a photo of the restaurant, please forward a copy. I would be happy to post it.

Another favorite "burger joint" in Inglewood was Scotty's, near the 5th Avenue Theater. Unfortunately, I could not find any information on it. 

Original Tommy's In Las Vegas

Above, Original Tommy's in Las Vegas across the street from Sam's Town. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The great thing about staying at the KOA Kampground at Sam's Town Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas were the choices of eateries nearby.

On Tuesday night, we ate at T.G.I. Friday's in Sam's Town. It has been a while since I last ate at a T.G.I. Friday's. I had steak and lobster.

On Wednesday morning, there is an Original Tommy's Hamburgers! Mitch had not eaten at a Tommy's for decades (since the 1980s), much less having a breakfast sandwich (sausage, chili),

Since I have not been to a Tommy's after I moved to New Mexico, the choice was obvious!

Also, I bought myself a Tommy's baseball cap while there.

Above, my new Tommy's cap.

By the way, there are two Original Tommy's in Las Vegas!

Tradition!

Above, cookin' cheeseburgers. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Along with fireworks, firing up the outdoor grill (a barbecue, for those of you in an airhead neighborhood) is an American tradition on the 4th of July.

This evening, I fired up the Weber barbecue at the Happy Trails RV Campground and cooked cheeseburgers for Jess and I. They (if I do say so myself) came out great!

Supposedly, we're to have 30% chance of scattered rain and thunderstorms before midnight tonight. I would be one happy camper! I haven't seen a good thunderstorm in a long time.

A Most-Important Stop

The Peter Lebeck clampout weekend began Friday morning and ended today at Tommy's Hamburgers in Valencia.

Both times, Glenn Thornhill and I stopped in for breakfast. The restaurant is located off of Interstate 5 near Highway 126 in Valencia. Tommy's is famous for their chili hamburgers.

As Glenn put it:

And so another great ClampAdventure ends, just as it began, with breakfast at Tommy's Valencia, in the shadow of Magic Mountain. Now, the hard part: the return to civilization (such as it is).

The above photo is of a photo of Tommy himself at his original hamburger stand in Los Angeles on Beverly Blvd. and Rampart Blvd. that adorns the restaurant's wall.

Best Burgers In Tokyo

Above, The Beat Diner's bartender. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If one happens to be in Tokyo for several days and after days of Japanese food (or if one doesn't like Japanese food), a craving for a good, juicy hamburger sets in, where do you go?

Naturally, there are McDonald's restaurants all over Tokyo. But, if one desires a burger much better than what McDonald's offers, Time Out Tokyo has a list of 20 "best burgers in Tokyo" to steer one in the right direction.

They begin it with:

The casual observer could be forgiven for thinking that fast food chains dominate the Tokyo hamburger scene - being confronted with golden arches, bearded kings, and their Japanese competitors cannot be avoided, no matter where you are in the city. However, once you dig a bit deeper, there's a huge selection of speciality burger joints that compete for the juiciest patty, the most imaginative toppings, and the tastiest buns, making Tokyo an unlikely haven for those partial to America's greatest culinary export. The west side of the city has long been known as the better burger side, although noteworthy eateries have began to rise in the east as well in recent years. Here's our 20 top picks, ranging from cheap eats to Kobe beef-based luxury choices and from simple classics to some highly unlikely topping combos. 

During my last trip to Tokyo (in December 2010), I discovered The Beat Diner (it is situated under the shinkansen tracks dividing Ginza and Hibiya and where Becker's used to be) and found their burgers to be excellent. Unfortunately, The Beat Diner didn't make the list, but I would still recommend them. Besides great burgers, they also have classic rock playing inside. (See my December 2010 review of The Beat Diner by going here.)

The burger joints Time Out Tokyo lists are intriguing. I may give any one of them a try during my next trip. They say that each one will make you "forget all about the chain grub."

To see the list, go here.