#6 Ruby Tuesday, Ala Moana

Ruby Tuesday
Ala Moana Shopping Center

Category: Gourmet Burger

Menu Item: Classic Cheeseburger

Price: $10.69 w/ Endless Fries

Burger Size: 8 oz.

Bun: Wheat

Cheese: American

Toppings: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Pickles, Ruby's Mayonnaise

Description:

Most of you probably have eaten at a Ruby Tuesday before, so I'll keep this review short. I actually had not planned to do a burger review on this place, but I ended up eating here and figured that I would offer my thoughts on the burger. Also, the burger pictures were taken with my phone because I didn't have my camera on me.

"Handcrafted" Classic Cheeseburger

The Ruby Tuesday Menu includes ten "Handcrafted Burgers" and four "Prime Burgers." The Handcrafted Burgers include 100% USDA Choice beef burgers with different cheeses, bacon, barbecue sauce, and they also have a bison burger. The Prime burgers are the same except that they are made from USDA Prime Beef. For this review I ordered the "Classic Cheeseburger" which was a 8 oz. Choice beef burger patty cooked medium on a toasted wheat bun and topped with lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onions, american cheese, and Ruby's Mayonnaise. It also came with a good amount of fries and even though they were "endless" I did not find it necessary to get another order.

Good and simple

The cheeseburger as a whole was good. It looks small when you eat it, but the 8 oz. patty makes it very heavy tasting and filling. After you eat it you probably won't want to move much. It is the opposite of the Islands burger which looked big, but ended up being very crisp and light eating. The fries were good as well, but there was nothing really special about this meal. The only thing that I noticed about this burger was that it had kind of a sour taste to it. Not in a bad way, but just different. I couldn't really tell if it was the sauce or the bun, but my guess goes to the bun.

Verdict:

In a word, Average. You probably wouldn't eat here for only the burgers, but if you wanted to order one I would probably try the Prime burger because they claim that it is the "World's Best Burger." For some reason I'm skeptical about that, but it's worth a shot right? If not, there are a few different burgers to try so you don't have to limit yourself to the classic.

Grade: C

Ruby Tuesday
1450 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96814
Sun-Thurs 10:30AM-10PM, Fri & Sat 10:30AM-11PM
808-943-2525
http://www.rubytuesday.com

#5 Teddy's Bigger Burgers, University

Teddy's Bigger Burgers
S. Beretania (University)

Category: Fast food / Take-out burger

Menu Item: #1 "Big Combo"

Price: $7.89, $0.59 added for cheese

Burger Size: 5 oz.

Bun: White

Cheese: Cheddar (also available in American, Swiss or Pepperjack)

Toppings: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions, Pickles, Special Sauce

Description:

Teddy's. Bigger. Burgers. What can I say? This place is amazing. Their slogan is "Reinventing the burger joint." Honestly, after eating here, they should change it to, "Completely blowing away all of the other burger joints on the island" (or something like that). They have a painting on the wall inside of the University restaurant showing a monster truck demolishing the Burger King restaurant down the street. How appropriate...

It's the little things that count...

Alright, on to the review. I used to have to drive down to Waikiki to enjoy a Teddy's burger, but this one recently opened up on South Beretania and I drive past it almost every day. It's really hard to ignore that giant picture of a burger on the side of the building and the Teddy's Hummer parked out front so I had to review it.

Before I even get to the burger, it'd be good to mention all of the things that set this place apart from your normal fast food / take-out burger place. I think on the drink cup, there is the story of the owners who wanted bigger and better burgers than what the fast food restaurants had to offer, so they started up this burger joint. And they did it well. The dining room is decorated nicely and the layout is impressive for such a small place. After you order your burger, they give you a buzzer that lets you know when your order is ready and they also give you a wet napkin for use after you finish your meal. It's these little things that let you know that they really put some thought into this place.

Teddy's "Big Combo"

For this review I ordered the "Big Combo" with cheese. It came out to about $8.50 for a cheeseburger, fries, and a drink which is a little more than a fast food combo, but definitely worth it. It took a little longer than a fast food burger to make, but it was worth the wait as well. The burger patty was perfectly cooked medium and was topped with lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions, pickles, cheddar cheese and special sauce. All of the ingredients along with the bun taste amazing together and the fries are great as well. It was easy to bite into and very difficult to put down. My only minor complaint would be that they sometimes load on the sauce kinda heavy, but I'm not really a sauce kind of person and the sauce does taste good, so its alright. I just ate the fries with the remaining sauce that gets left behind.

Verdict:

For a take out burger restaurant, it does not get any better than Teddy's Bigger Burgers. You can tell that someone who really loves burgers thought of this place and got every little detail right. The environment was nice, the buzzer and wet nap were handy, and the food was delicious. I would recommend this place to everyone, but since it's always packed when I eat here, I figure that I don't have to. In fact, I think I'll just go back now. Shoots! See ya there.

Grade: A


Teddy's Bigger Burgers
2424 South Beretania Ave #101
Honolulu, HI 96826
Mon-Sun: 10am-9pm
808-949-0050
http://teddysbiggerburgers.com/

#4 Kua 'Aina Sandwich Shop, Ward Centers

Kua 'Aina Sandwich Shop
Ward Centers

Category: Gourmet Burgers

Menu Item: 1/3 lb Cheeseburger, Small French Fries

Price: $7.50 Cheeseburger, $2.25 Fries

Burger Size: 1/3 lb (~5.3 oz.)

Bun: Kaiser Roll (Also available in Multi-Grain Wheat or Heart Rye)

Cheese: Cheddar (also available in Swiss, American, Monterey Jack and Provolone)

Toppings: Lettuce, Tomatoes, Onions, Mayonnaise

Description:

Although you can phone order from Kua 'Aina's menu (for take-out I assume), I categorized Kua 'Aina as a "Gourmet Burger" place because I haven't really seen anyone order food "to go" from here and the environment seems built for the dine-in burger experience. After you walk in and place your order, they give you your drink and call your name when your order is ready. While I was waiting I took a picture of the table setup.

Shouldn't all burger restaurants have this setup?

As you can probably tell from my other posts, I am not a huge fan of condiments, but I found it interesting that they have a roll of paper towels on every table. It turned out to be very convenient as I usually just dive into my burgers head first and create a huge thunderstorm of a mess. Definitely a plus for those.

Kua 'Aina 1/3 lb Cheeseburger

For this review I ordered a 1/3 lb cheeseburger and a small order of fries. The burger came on a kaiser roll and was topped with lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions, and cheddar cheese. It also came with a carrot stick. The burger was good, but the bun was hard to bite into and chewing it was a bit of a jaw workout. The toppings were fresh and the burger patty was cooked medium and was very juicy. You can tell that the burger was cooked on a gas grill though, as it didn't have that smoky flavor like Kiawe Grill did. The carrot stick seemed a little out of place, but it was nice to have somethin different with my burger.

Look at those... fries?

Ah, the Kua 'Aina french fries. The fries are shoe string style and I love french fries any way you make em, so they aren't a big deal to me. However, a lot of people are opinionated on this topic so I'll leave it up to you to decide if you like them or not. So far, people I have spoken with are split 50/50 on the fries from Kua 'Aina. Half of them hate it and the other half like it, or don't really mind. They aren't my favorite, but I don't think they're as bad as everyone says they are. Plus, they don't come with the burger, so if you don't like them, you don't have to order them.

Verdict:

Kua 'Aina is a very unique burger place to eat at. The local environment, paper towels at the table and carrot stick with your burger are all pluses while the shoe string fries and kaiser roll bun are a little questionable. While I don't think this is the best cheeseburger and fries I've ever eaten, it is far from the worst. I left my table very full and satisfied and at a decent price. This is definitely a place you should try at least once to see if you like it.

Grade: B

Kua 'Aina Sandwich Shop

1200 Ala Moana Boulevard, Honolulu
808-591-9133

Mon-Thu,Sun 10:30am-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 10:30am-11pm

http://www.kua-aina.com/

#3 Kiawe Grill BBQ & Burgers, McCully

Kiawe Grill BBQ & Burgers

South King Street, McCully

Category: Fast food / Take-out burger

Menu Item: Kiawe Grill Cheese Burger, French Fries (Steak Cut)

Price: $6.45 Cheeseburger, $2.95 Fries

Burger Size: 6 oz.

Bun: White (also available in wheat)

Cheese: American

Toppings: Lettuce, Tomato, Onions, Pickles, Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise

Description:

When I began writing this blog, I wanted the comparisons of the cheeseburgers and fries to be as even as possible, so I made a rule that I would only purchase the cheeseburger and french fries from the menu. Naturally, I knew that this would eliminate the specialty burgers from the menus, and this review was no exception. I mean, looking at the Kiawe Grill menu which includes Buffalo Burgers and Ostrich Burgers, I wasn't too excited that I was about to order the cheapest, simplest item on the menu: A regular cheeseburger. However, this place did not disappoint.

The first thing you notice when you arrive at Kiawe Grill is the smell of the burning Kiawe wood that fills the restaurant. The second is the large selection of burger meat that they grill here. The burgers range from Venison to Ostrich, and they also serve plate lunches. As I mentioned earlier, I ordered the regular cheeseburger and a side of french fries and was kinda disappointed that I couldn't try somethin else, like a Deluxe Kobe Burger. After a quick wait, this is what I got.

Look at those Fries!

Yes, look at those fries. Those things are huge! And good! Seriously, probably the best french fries that I have ever eaten. They were large, thick and crispy. But on to the burger. The burger was a basic cheeseburger with a ton of toppings. It makes me wonder what extra toppings would have been on the deluxe cheeseburger if lettuce, tomato, pickles, onions, mustard, mayo, ketchup and two slices of cheese weren't enough. What was really surprising though was how good the burger patty was. The burger patty was cooked perfectly and tasted great. The kiawe wood gives it a unique smokey flavor. My only complaint would be that there was a little too much ketchup and mustard for my taste, but not really a big deal. It was still very good for what I thought would be another average burger.

Verdict:

For a take-out burger and plate lunch place, Kiawe Grill does not disappoint. I ordered the cheapest and simplest burger on the menu and was very satisfied. This place also has the best french fries that I have tried so far, but that's probably because not many places offer steak cut fries. I definitely recommend trying this place if you get a chance. They have some unique foods to try if you don't mind your clothes smelling like kiawe wood smoke afterwards. If I had eaten any other burger (Venison, Angus, Kobe, 10 oz. Super "Prime"...), this place probably would have gotten a better grade, but for the basic cheeseburger and fries, a "B" feels right.

Grade: B

Kiawe Grill BBQ & Burgers2334 South King Street, Honolulu, HI 96826
Mon-Sat 10AM-9PM, Sun 10AM-8PM(808) 955-5500‎
http://www.kiawegrill.com/

#2: Cheeseburger Factory, Ala Moana Center

Cheeseburger Factory
Ala Moana Center


Category: Fast food / Take-out burger

Menu Item: Combo 2 (Regular Cheeseburger, French Fries, 22 oz. drink)

Price: $6.39

Burger Size: Unknown

Bun: White

Cheese: American

Toppings: Lettuce, Tomato, "Sauce"

Description:

Sup bloggers. Allow me to introduce the second category of burgers in the burger blog: The fast food / take-out burger. Unlike the first post on Islands, which I considered a "Gourmet Burger", this category is dedicated to the faster, on-the-go type of places. After all, comparing a Kua Aina burger to a Burger King burger wouldn't be fair. Aight, on to the review.

Not exactly what's shown on the menu...

To be honest, I didn't even know this place existed until a little while ago. It's in the far corner of the Ala Moana food court and most of you would probably never walk there. I just remember thinkin, Hey, I like cheeseburgers. Why they gotta stick the burger place all the way over here? It should be in the main area! But then I ordered this thing and everything made sense. For $6.39, I wasn't really expecting much, but this cheeseburger was pretty bad. The burger itself was probably a cheap frozen patty that you could buy from any supermarket, and I am 90% sure the "sauce" is thousand island dressing or something similar. I probably could have made this burger myself, except faster and better tasting. The burger patty was dry and the whole thing was drenched in "sauce." Oh, and another thing. Despite the picture of the meal showing a decent amount of onions inside the burger, there are none. It's just lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sauce. The only good thing about the meal was the fries. Again, probably store bought frozen, but they didn't screw those up.



Verdict: Don't be fooled by the burger shown on the giant light up menu behind the counter. This burger is not that big and juicy and there are no onions. Honestly, I probably would have preferred any fast food burger over this place. For the same price you could get something faster and better tasting. This place is located in the dark corner of the food court for a reason.

Grade: D


Cheeseburger Factory
1450 Ala Moana Blvd
Mon-Sat 9AM-9PM, Sun 10AM-7PM
808-941-1388
http://www.alamoanacenter.com/cheeseburger_factory.htm