10/29/17 Max & Erma's Cola BBQ Bacon Burger

Max & Erma's advertises this burger as the "Winner of Best Topped Burger". Let's take a look:

The toppings were caramelized cherry cola onions, smoked bacon, onion rings, and cherry cola BBQ sauce. I was sold. I love cherry cola and long-time readers of this site will know I am a sucker for a BBQ and onion burger (Western...Rodeo...whatever marketing name someone will give it). I don't know if Max and Erma themselves have given the burger the award for best topped burger, but this burger did not make grade for the toppings and the root cause was the cherry cola BBQ sauce...or lack thereof. The flavor itself was lackluster. There was nothing of substance to stand apart from a normal "original" BBQ sauce, let alone an advertised cherry cola BBQ sauce. With that said, there was not much sauce on the burger to begin with. If you put it in the name of the burger, it better be a main taste in the burger. The onion rings were perfect for a shareable side, but not for a burger. One bite and the entire onion ring falls apart...breading...everything. The caramelized onions were non-existent as well. Overall, as the graphic indicates, the toppings are a spectacle, but they overall fail on each level.

The patty was good. It wasn't over-seasoned nor was it bland. I wasn't impressed, but it doesn't deter me from trying another burger from Max & Erma's.

The bun is a brioche bun that was just a bland bun that was meant to hold the burger together...and it did the job somewhat. It didn't distract you from the burger not did it become the highlight...nor did it compliment the burger either.

Toppings: 2
Patty: 6
Bun: 5

Overall: 4
-Nick
nick@rateaburger.com

10/29/2017 Max and Erma's Garbage Burger

Nick and I were debating what to do and where to go for lunch yesterday. We decided this was a great opportunity for a burger review.

So we usually pick what burger to eat by choosing our favorite, or trying something crazy. The name Garbage Burger intrigued me.

The burger is a half pound burger that is loaded. I can't think of a topping I would add to it. It has
crisp smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, American cheese, mozzarella cheese, sauteed mushrooms, sauteed onions, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and marinara sauce.

My burger was cooked perfectly. It came out medium. It seems like when Nick orders well done and I order medium, that one of our burgers are bound to come out wrong. Not the case today. The patty was well seasoned.

The amount of toppings were great. I love having a burger that is complimented by the toppings. I would have preferred the cheese slices to have been melted since the other toppings weren't hot toppings. I also would have sauteed the onions longer. They were really crunchy.

The bun is a brioche bun. It wasn't toasted or warm, which was disappointing. It was fresh and soft, however.

Overall I would happily choose this meal again.

Bun: 4
Toppings: 8
Patty: 7

Overall: 6

-Kristina
Kristina@rateaburger.com

9/30/2017 Barley Creek Brewery's Jalapeño Popper Burger

On a weekend get away we stopped at the Barley Creek Brewery in hopes of finding great burgers. We were not disappointed. They had about 8 varieties of burgers and sliders. I ordered the jalapeño popper burger. It said that the burger came topped with jalapeño queso sauce, fried onion rings, and sliced jalapeños. The burger came out over done which was sad. I ordered medium and it was well-done, no pink in site. Luckily it was a very juicy burger and I think that saved it. All of the toppings were great! The onions and the jalapeños were fried and delicious. My only complaint was I wished the burger has mayo or another condiment. The cheese sauce was so think which made it great to stay on the burger but made me want mayo. The burger was fantastically seasoned. It was a great hamburger. The bun was warm and soft and possibly brushed with melted butter. Yum!

Toppings: 8
Patty:7
Bun:8

Overall: 8

Kristina
Kristina@rateaburger.com

10/1/17 Official BBQ and Burgers Black Angus

Today on our travels home from New Jersey we stopped in Pennsylvania near Harrisburg to try Official BBQ and Burgers burgers. With the name being so official we knew we needed to stop. The shop is a mom and pop type of restaurant off the side of a highway. You go up to the counter and order. I ordered the Half pound Black Angus cooked medium. This burger place is unique because they have about 20 items you can pick from for them to put on your burger. I ordered cheddar cheese , mayo, bacon, and A1. As a side note, they have just as many toppings to add to the top of your French fries.

All of the buns are listed as gluten free. I am really beginning to appreciate having this as an option. The buns were soft but did not have any thing special done with them. The patty was overdone. It was very close to being well done. Only one or two bites had a slight hint of pink. The meat was seasoned well with salt and pepper. The patty was neither juicy or dry. I love cheese. The thickness and oozing of the cheese suggests they put on multiple pieces of cheddar cheese. The mayo and A1 were there enough to be present and noticed but I would have liked more on by bun. The bacon was not impressive. I for a couple bites forgot it was even on the burger. I would eat here again and would like to try something from their BBQ menu as they had over 10 sauces to try.

Bun: 4
Patty: 4
Toppings: 5

Overall: 4

Kristina
Kristina@rateaburger.com