Jimmys Burger Shack

Hard to believe there's more mini than 5oz

Love Potion #9. Or something

Home sweet home! Back in the city so nice they named it twice after a whirlwind trip that brought me all over the middle of this great country. After stepping off the MEGA BUS and before boarding the not-so-mega-train, I ventured to Jimmy's Burger Shack for some, wait for it....wait some more....you guessed it!! BURGERS! Desperate times call for desperate measures and I was putting my burger craving in the hand of Brother Jimmy in the hopes that he could satisfy my needs. Did Jimmy deliver? Did DJ get his burger craving satisfied on the corner of 8th and 32nd? Stay tuned to find out!

And we're back!! So I stroll into the Shack only to immediately be disappointed, why? Well, it appeared as if there was chaos all around in there and the cook just didn't look like he was feeling it that day. Maybe he wanted to see some preseason football? Maybe he had to catch up on his DVR episodes of Judge Judy? Maybe he just can't cook burgers? Well, I order the No 9 (5oz w/bacon and a fried egg) and I waited. And waited. And waited. Somewhere in that waiting was my realization that there was no way that my teeny tiny burger was going to show up rare. Or medium rare. Or medium. Or medium well. Or well done. It was just done. Hockey puck done which I guess is appropriate considering their proximity to MSG, the World's Most Famous Arena.

Hi. I'm #9

To the left is my lil' puck covered with a perfectly fried egg and perfectly cooked bacon (FOR ME PEOPLE! Maybe you want your bacon crunchy by for me this is perfect, k?) Anyway, this lil guy was like the most delicious bacon and egg sandwich (on a mini potato roll) marred by a ultra well done burger that lacked any flavor. Well, not any flavor. It had the flavor of overcooked, which I am certain is on the spectrum somewhere.

No9 - REALLY DONE

As your gracious host, I never stop at just one and I gave a mini a shot and well, the results were quite similar. Over done, no taste other than the lettuce and tomato, oh and bread. Can't forget that. Nor can I forget the Shack Sauce. All those little helpers tried to drown out the taste of overdone and all some type of flavor to the poor lil guy. I think the saying was help for the helpless as the end result was mediocre at best.

I was entertained by this couple engaged in a fight that was LONG overdue. And it was nice to be begged for money by NY hobos since I was tired of the beggars in KC or MPLS or Boston.

Rating - 1.25/5 - Concept is the only thing that scores points. Some cooking tips for anyone making a slider, it's small and takes a lot less time to cook. You do not need to cover it on the grill. Bad idea. Bad, bad idea.

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Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole - Columbus Ave

"Home of the 7oz. Burger." This must be some kind of joke because the burger at the Hole is massive. I'm not sure how many ounces it is in total (pre, nor post cooked weight) however it feels and eats a lot larger than lucky number seven - not to be confused with this classic film.

Jackson Hole is like a burger aficionado's dream come true in the sense that there's a wide variety of toppings and fun names for their burgers. I'm a burger aficionado! Must explain my affinity for this place. The burgers are fresh, never frozen, and served in giant hand-formed patties that are slightly larger for their undersized bun. More on that in a minute.

Jackson Hole - Southwest Burger

I've ventured to JH on several occasions and am always surprised at the size of the burger and I have to admit, I laugh because the big guy usually falls apart and I need to use my fork to finish it. Even at medium rare, this thing has a hard time staying together (at least you know the meat's fresh and not a frozen piece of junk).

Jackson Hole - Burger Breakage

The meat, however, lacks any discernible flavor. It just tastes like meat. The toppings, on the other hand, usually just add to the fun and make a nice party in your mouth. My most recent visit, for this review, features the Southwest Burger - topped with fresh guacamole and raw onion. Two words, simply delicioso - not to be confused with Miss Ingrid, but she can join me for burgers any day.

Look at the size of that thing! 7 oz?!?!? I think not but I LOVE IT! I've had a number of their mega-sized burgers and have always enjoyed them. Even when they break apart like the picture shows at right. Don't be fooled though, this will not disappoint! You may want to go with medium but that's against my religion.

Rating - 4/5 - Size and variety reign supreme. I'd love to see some different bun offering but this does the job.

For more on Jackson hole, click here.

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Croxley Ales - Redux

It's rare (no pun intended) that I'll go back to a burger joint and do another review but on occasion there's something that merits not just a revisit, but actually a whole new review. Heck, if I did a review for all my Stand visits you'd think I was stalking someone there. But, the newest review is actually a revisit to Croxley Ales, one week later.

What would warrant such a thing? Simple, the Mac Daddy offered by Croxley Ales. The menu describes the Mac Daddy as "our 1/2 lb burger topped with Mac n Cheese." Now Mac n Cheese can swing a number of different ways and as the review of the now dead WSBS proves that it needn't even have Mac to be Mac n Cheese. Such blatant false advertising should be illegal but in the end, the WSBS paid the piper and is not serving up burgers anymore.

Croxley Ales - Mac Daddy Burger

So, my burning question was, "will this thing even have macaroni?" Which was followed up with,"I wonder if it'll be boxed Mac n Cheese?" Well the moment of truth arrived and behold, in all its splendor, the Mac Daddy.

Let's start with the positives, semi toasted roll = YUM! Burger = cooked perfectly. Mac n Cheese = definitely homemade, definitely delicious, and kudos to whomever choose orecchiette as the Mac. WOW! Sweet potato fries on the side was a nice touch.

The negatives? Well, I'm not sure why there was lettuce, tomato, or onion on there. I ate them all separately and called it my salad - I needed something resembling healthy food since I wolfed down about 30 hot wings plus this monster.

The other negative, the burger and mac n cheese seemed disjointed. They just didn't seem to want to play with one another. I LOVED the mac n cheese. I can't stress that enough. I'd eat that any day of the week and put it up as a stand alone against anything S'mac serves and Croxley will be the winner. But this was not the right fit for the burger. I needed something more cheddar-y and less alfredo-y to deliver here. Would I do this again? I'm not sure. But I do suggest you try it because it's quite a delicious experience all for only $12.95.

Rating - 3.75/5 - the idea is flawless. The execution only slightly flawed. It's big and it's tasty and it's worth a look but there's still room for a true Mac N Cheese burger out there and I'm still on the hunt to see if anyone else can deliver.

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