Creatively, American Burgers has an "American Burger", and then 50 different burgers (each named after a different state). They also go on to list at least twenty more burgers named after different countries. The Japanese, Greek, and Russian burger are actually written in the native languages. Have fun trying to order those.
In addition to being my first non-chain, it was also the first burger I had company with to rate on the BBSR. My friend, Matt, and I sat down at a table and within 8 minutes the waitress had visited our table four times asking if we knew what we wanted. If this was the original American Burgers with four burgers on the menu, it would have been understandable. Seventy-five burgers though! We need some time. I looked at the American burger, and then the New York burger because it would have made sense to get one of those, but then I thought to myself...I know nothing about this place. I'll let the waitress decide, since she was basically sitting on our laps waiting for our order. I asked for the most popular burger, no matter which one it was. The burger pictured is the Arkansas Burger, which is a one-half pound beef burger, topped with bacon, fried onions, and American cheese.
The Beef: The half-pound patty, which was cooked to order, had juices running throughout the entire patty. A bite into these 8-ounces of a once very nice looking cow, had my salivary glands producing almost as much juice as this burger was with each bite. 3 out of 4.
The Bun: The bun was a toasted, sesame seed bun, but could have used a little more toasting on the bottom. While the top bun was great, the bottom bun had absorbed many of the aforementioned juices, and created a soggy bread, that melded into the burger. Average bun, average rating...2 out of 4.
Beef to Bun Ratio: The BTBR on this burger was excellent. A 3 out of 4 is an accurate rating for this ratio, especially since it was a one patty burger. Every bite had a good amount of meat in it, and the burger fit almost perfectly on the bun.
Presentation: The burger came on a plate! This was a first on this quest for me. I was growing accustomed to cardboard boxes, paper wrappings, and plastic trays. And then I saw this. The bacon and onions, along with the cheese, all found their way on top of the burger waiting to be covered by the top bun and devoured by me. The 3 out of 4 rating is for no additional presentation on the plate (the burger was absolutely by itself).
The Cheese: C'mon American Burgers! The cheese was good, but on a half pound burger, you're only going to give me only one slice of cheese? 2 out of 3.
The Sear: I think the sear had been overtaken by the juices mentioned earlier, and created a uniform texture throughout the entire patty. While there was sear on both sides of the patty, maybe it could have been more effectively applied. 2 out of 3.
Overall Taste: Let's all take a moment to look at the left side of the picture. First of all, that is supposed to be a "fried" onion. If American Burgers spells "raw", f-r-i-e-d, then yes, it is a perfectly fried onion. I'm expecting some nice fried onions, maybe even a deep-fried onion ring on top? I get a full slice of onion, not separated, and positioned exactly where my first few bites were. Now, I've eaten a raw onion before...unpeeled, and in three bites in an attempt to pick up a fantasy football draft pick, but if American Burgers wasn't interested in giving me at least a second round pick in the upcoming draft, I wanted no part in the onion being on this burger where it was. Moving away from the onion, the bacon was cooked to perfection (which in my taste is not too chewy and not too crunchy), and the cheese created a nice contrast with the onion and bacon, although there could have been more. For overall taste, considering all factors, I give American Burgers a 3 out of 5.
BBSR: 18 / 27
Very bold of American burgers to post this on their front window. After careful review, this statement is proven invalid on the BBSR rubric. Great burger, but I would not go as far as to say "the best".
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