G. New Start?

Sup yo!

So after a burger reviewing hiatus, we're [somewhat] back! We're still fans of perfectly seasoned and cooked beef patties except we're totally sick of buns and fries. CARB OVERLOAD.

Therefore, we'll be moving on to something different! Something equally tasty but perhaps more local. We'll keep the best part--juicy ground beef--and eat it with rice, gravy, and a freshly cooked egg instead. It's LOCO MOCO time!

F. for Fail. Or Farewell?

Well, I always figured this day would come. The day where Brandon got sick of burgers. [Or perhaps sick of reviewing /writing].

Oh well. It was good times! Maybe we'll write about something else later. Maybe...lau-lau. (no.) or malasadas (no.) Manapua (cat?). We'll see. :]

Thanks.

E. The Best Burger in Hawaii?

I obviously have a favorite (Teddy's). I know other people don't agree and that's fine, we're all entitled to our own opinions. Some people probably don't even have a favorite, they just like burgers. Haha.

But of all the wonderful places to get a tasty burger on Oahu, the Food Network chose the Hukilau Cafe. In Laie. (I know this is probably really old. But for some reason I was thinking about it today! Weird?)

This is what that little box says:

A loco moco is Hawaii's take on a burger: a beef patty and fried egg on a bed of
rice, smothered in gravy. Fans of the state specialty know the gravy is
critical, which is why this loco moco is so popular. At the hidden eatery
on Oahu's North Shore, the rich, beefy stock is the best around.

I mean, nothing against the Hukilau Cafe, I'm sure it's a great place to eat. The highly opinionated people of yelp clearly like it. I'd like to try it myself, if we're ever in...the area (perhaps fishing?) YET when most people say burger, one thinks...beef patty. And a bun. I guess a loco moco is a local "version" of a burger...but it just simply is...not. a. burger. I like loco mocos! But still, I don't think it counts as that you say tomato, I say tomato(h) thing.

AND while Laie might be on the geographical north shore, its not THE North Shore.

Ha.

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On a side note, I visited my grandparents on my lunch break once because I was bored and my grandpa gave me a rather amazing tasting burger. I was like, "WOW holy crap this thing is amazing." And he gave me this kinda smug look and he said one word--"Costco."

Did I write about this already? Oh well. Today is Wednesday so maybe I get to eat another burger. I'm actually looking kinda forward to it. Hahaha. :]

D. Turkey + Birthday!

I hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving! And a happy Black Friday (and Cyber Monday) too. WHOOO I feel like I single-handedly took the economy out of recession. But anyway. I think we've FINALLY finished eating thanksgiving leftovers so good bye turkey, hello...burgers?

Last Sunday was Brandon's Birthday! :D HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRANDON! I rounded up all his friends and we went to The Yardhouse and he ate a surprisingly tasty (and monstrously large) burger. Maybe he's been too full of beer to write a review.

So there. More later. Gosh, December is another prime rib/spiral ham/eat dessert kinda month. Tasty Angus > Strange yam dish with marshmallows.

C. Williams Sonoma

People have been reading our blog! This makes me rather happy, especially when things like my beloved football team (WHY DALLAS WHYYYYYY) tend to put me in a state of melancholy.

So au contraire to the lack of reviews, we have actually been eating burgers. We've already crossed off the trifecta of Oahu Burger joints (Teddy's, Kua'aina, the Counter) off our list so we've been just going places and eating...well, burgers. SURPRISINGLY, we have found some really tasty ones! The way I think of it is like we're discovering all the underground (figuratively) burger places that people know of--but never SPEAK of--because they aren't well...the big three! Off the beaten path. I guess.

But anyway. I have a gift certificate at Williams Sonoma (there's one at Ala Moana)...that I've had for almost a year now! Its like money that’s burning a hole into my pocket. I want to spend it. :] Brandon says we should wait until we move and have a bigger kitchen, which TOTALLY makes sense because there's almost no place to put my ceramic knife (While I was in Okinawa, I bought CERAMIC KNIVES. Idk. It seems just like a really sharp knife so far. Haha.)! I also have no idea what I'd want from there anyway (aka so pricey).

So let's see. Would you buy this?

Adjustable Burger Press $36

I guess this is kinda handy. I guess. You can measure the weight and it'll make perfectly round patties. Also useful for loco mocos?

Chef's Press $24.95 for a set of 3

I kinda like this one! It's cute but we don't grill nearly as much as my Dad does. I think he'd scoff at it but it'll make your food cook more uniformly and whatnot. And you can use it when you cook asparagus. Yum. :]

Square Slider Burger Press $26.95

For some reason, when I look at this, I think: White Castle. I've never been there yet. I've seen them in the freezer section at Safeway (and by watching Harold and Kumar go to White Castle). I don't know about this one, I'm not a slider person!

Olive Wood Salt Keeper $49.00

It's pretty. I like it. The price? Not so much. Do I use kosher salt? No. But isn't it pretty?

K more (eating and reviewing of) burgers later. :]

Where'd we go?

OKINAWA. For work. It was alright. I ate a lot of Okinawan food (I have decided to bring Brandon here just to eat) but no worries! I still found time to eat a burger at....MOS BURGER, known for their very...interesting creations! :]

Yes. I do realize that Mos Burger is a fast food chain but seriously, you can't judge a burger by its drive through sign (and this is Japan we're talking about. Food is automatically better in Japan, even McDonalds.)

I apologize that none of the pictures are mine! We went for lunch during work and I didn't have my camera on me. I'll do my best to describe it though. :(

So anyway, inside, the place is CLEAN. They give you GLASS CUPS (in a fast food place!). It was easy to order because they did have an English menu and all you have to really do is point at what you want. AND the most amazing part so far was that it was cheap. I am more than willing to pay for a wonderful cheeseburger but when she said 400 yen for a kids meal, I had the biggest smile on my face ever. (My "grown-up" coworkers got regular meals for roughly 700 yen.)

THE Mos Burger

In my opinion...From what I could learn from the signs, the meat is 100% beef but I swear it tastes like a cross between beef and pork. This is not bad in any way, it was nice and juicy. It wasn't grilled, but it was very flavorful. There was nothing special about the bun, it was just a plain white bun. The cheese was a very mild cheddar. It tasted a bit different but I've noticed that dairy in Japan has a bit of a unique twist to it.

Fries were good. :] They came in this little bowl! Very thick cut (probably frozen). Not crispy like McDonalds fries but nice and pleasurable to eat.

Only non wonderful thing about this place: Brandon would not be satisfied with portion size. It is very...small. I wanna say that all burgers come in a default of less than 1/4 pound. They put toppings on it and lettuce and whatever else you order, but it's still rather small.

Oh well. Guess we'll just have to get him two. :]

And that's all! We went to Teddy's when I came home. I love that place. Its definitely my favorite. :]

B. I love Spinach + No Thank You

Weeeee need to go eat burgers again. I miss french fries and perfectly cooked beef. Although I love chicken spinach pasta with all my heart, I think I'm going to take Brandon to lunch sometime soon. I especially miss burgers when I look at:

from Serious Eats

SPINACH AND ONION RINGS, I think I need to eat here. I've never seen spinach offered as a topping! I'd like that way WAY more then lettuce. I think. Spinach & Burgers = Part of Manda's favorite foods...but perhaps spinach + burger is...not tasty. Maybe I'll test-drive it this weekend.

But anyway, that looks way way tastier then this does, doesn't it?

also from Serious Eats

That, dear readers, is a McDonalds Quarter Pounder with poptarts as a bun. For some reason, it reminds me of KFC's Double Down. But true. You're very right. I think the Krispy Kreme hamburger is worse.

Actually no! I take that back! Maybe if it weren't for the shiny sheen of the layer of grease that coats this bad boy, it'd look pretty tasty. I assume that sweet glaze and dough is supposed to compliment the savory beef...ala bacon and chocolate? Now I'm rather curious. :P If someone ever brought this to me, maybe I'd ask for a bite. Maybe. No guarantees there.

But anyway. We went to Burger King today. We didn't review the whopper. Hahaha. :P

A. Where to Next? + Manda Guest Blog!

Well. Football Season is here. And being the good fans that we are, Sunday mornings are now dedicated to watching Eagles [and Cowboys GO DALLAS] games...so our blog will probably be slowing down for a bit. I'll compensate by putting other yummy burger things up! :]

So we've already hit the mega-trifecta of Oahu Burger joints: The Counter, Teddy's, and Kua'Aina. Now we'll probably be going to all these smaller restaurants, not so well known but with a reputation for tastiness!

1. Forty Niner Restaurant, Aiea

I've lived in Pearl City/Aiea my entire life, and I have never tried the food at the Forty Niner yet. It's not that the food is bad (it's actually got quite the reputation with the old-timers!), its just...I dunno. I've got plenty of excuses that range from the parking to the fact that it looks so hole-in-the-wall-sketchy. Imagine my surprise when I hear that they supposedly make a pretty good cheeseburger! I actually got scoldings from my grandparents cause I haven't eaten here yet, so if I take Brandon on our usual cheeseburger tasting, then that's two birds with one stone. Win.

2. The Alley Restaurant Bar and Grill, Aiea

One more in Aiea! It makes sense, since we're here all the time anyway. I don't know why didn't do this earlier. But anyway, I always knew Aiea Bowl had its own restaurant, but I've never eaten a meal there. Everyone I know goes here just for the "tasty chicken" so we'll see if they make a good burger as well.

3. I Love Country Café

How many "I Love Country Café" places are left on this island? I know there used to be one at Kahala Mall and there used to be one near Ala Moana, but that one is still closed/closed down cause of the fire a couple years ago! [I cheated. I looked on yelp and apparently, there are a lot.] This one (in the NEX food court) is the only one left that I know of. This burger is supposed to be tasty in that healthy, "local" kinda way. If that means teri-sauce, I know Brandon won't like it (I agree. Teri and cheese...is sorta..like W&M. HAHA). Even if the fries are freaking AMAZING, he'll probably give another teri-burger a...D at best. And I dunno, I have an ominous feeling about teriyaki and this place. Oh well. I want one of those giant slabs of banana bread that they sell at the register.

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K those were the 3 main ones I had in mind. More of the Take-Out variety then Gourmet...until I went to Ala Moana last weekend! Brandon and I bought pots and pans from Macy's. I swear, nothing will ever beat their One Day Sale. But anyway,

4. Panya Bistro

Name sounds kinda familiar? Its that Japanese bakery on the Sears side of the mall. Its neighbors with Longs, Victoria's Secret, and Genki sushi! Their baked goods are all nice and flakey. :] It wasn't until I was reading the Ala Moana magazine that I knew about their "hand-crafted" burgers. From the picture, I'm guessing something similar to MOS Burger (I MISSED OUT ON MOS BURGER WHILE I WAS IN TOKYO), a Japanese burger joint.

[THERE USED TO BE A MOS BURGER in Hawaii but I missed it! :(]

K that's all. We went to Teddy's again since our last post, and I swear to the Burger Gods, that that is my favorite burger on this island. So far. ;]