CJ's Grill

Today I met my wife for lunch and visited CJ's Grill, located at 399 Sawdust in Spring, Texas. The first thing we noticed upon walking in was the smell of smoke. It wasn't overwhelming, but more of a lingering smell. The smell goes away after a while once you get used to it though. The menus are located at the tables and after sitting down I noticed that CJ's considers their food to be "gourmet junk food." I immediately thought, "That means it's expensive." As per my usual, I ordered the burger with bacon and cheese. Unfortunately, because it's a "gourmet" restaurant, there's no basket or combo here. I ordered the 1/3 pound burger for $6.25. Adding cheese and bacon added another $1.50. An order of fries or onion rings will set you back another $1.95. I thought about ordering the 1/2 pound burger for $7.25, but with the extra cost of the bacon and cheese, I couldn't see spending almost $10 for a burger, not including fries, not having tried it before. After a small wait we received our food and dug in. I fixed my burger the way I like it and when I picked it up, the bread on the bottom was soggy. I don't know if it was soggy due to the juciness of the burger or whether it was because the burger was sitting on a lettuce leaf. The meat at CJ's is grilled and you can taste it. It reminds me kind of like Burger King because it had that same grilled taste. The patty to my taste buds was not seasoned enough, all I could taste was the grill. The bacon was real good, nice and crispy. The cheese melted just right. Normally, I like homemade fries, but for some reason I didn't particularly like the homemade fries as CJ's. I didn't even finish them. As a matter of fact, I didn't even finish my burger. I don't know if it was because the bread was soggy, the place was smoky, I wasn't hungry enough, or it was a nice sized burger. Considering it was only a 1/3 pound burger, I'm glad I didn't get the 1/2 pound burger. It was actually a pretty big burger. Overall though, I'd have to say that if it wasn't for the smoky smell, the wet bread, the fact that it tasted kind of like a Burger King burger, and I don't really care for Burger King, and the fact that I couldn't finish it, and I ALWAYS finish my burgers, this place might have rated higher. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being The Perfect Burger, I give CJ's Grill a 6.

3B's Burgers and Beer

I visited this location on July 23. It is located at 466 Rayford in Spring, Texas. I had previously tried this location over a year ago and hadn't been back because it didn't make an impression on me. I decided to give it another shot after starting this blog. I ordered the bacon cheeseburger basket and a side of fries. That alone set me back almost $9.50. Strike 1. I went with a coworker at lunchtime so the wait was normal for the lunch hour. We received our food and after taking my customary picture, I began eating. The first thing I noticed was how there was absolutely NO seasoning on the meat! Strike 2. Maybe they don't season their meat in order for the customers to season the meat the way they like it. Maybe they season it lightly, but with my taste buds, I couldn't taste it. Whatever the reason may be, if I have to season my own hamburger patty, chances are I won't end up liking the burger. Well, that's what happened here. I kept having to add salt and pepper to my burger with almost every bite. The burger itself was nothing special. The bacon was a little tough as well. The fries, if you want to call them that, were, for a lack of a better word, pathetic. There was little to no salt on them and had to add salt to the fries also. In addition, they were somewhat brown as if they were left in the fryer too long, but not quite burned. Strike 3. If I had to choose again, I would've spent the extra $1.60 and got the onion rings. Needless to say, I don't think I'll be making another trip here, as my prior experience remained true. Add the fact of a high price for the burger to the fact that burger was not that special, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being The Perfect Burger, I give 3B's Burgers and Beer a 5.

Honey Bee Ham & Deli

I visited this location on June 25. It's located at 1418 N. Loop 336 W #1 in Conroe, Texas. I had the burger basket with cheese and bacon. Here, it's called a Bubba burger. The meat was seasoned just right. The fixins, pickles and lettuce, no onion or tomato here, were excellent. The fries are real good too, they're the seasoned kind. The bacon was also just right. But what makes this place are the choices of bread. You can choose white, wheat, or jalapeno bread. I usually stick with white or wheat. This is a real good burger and if you go later in the afternoon, you can get 2 for $9.99. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being The Perfect Burger, I give Honey Bee Ham & Deli an 8.

Cruz'n Cafe

UPDATE: As of September 30, 2009, this restaurant is now closed.

I visited this location on June 27. It's located at 19790 IH-45 in Spring, Texas. I have previously visited this location and discovered the bacon cheeseburger was pretty good. This time though, I went with the buffalo burger. This is only the second time I've ever had a buffalo burger. The first time being at Bubba's Texas Burger Shack. If you've never had a buffalo burger and wondered what it was like, well, it is different than beef, as you might imagine. There is a slight difference in taste, but you can't really tell. The buffalo meat is leaner, therefore, there is not much juciness and somewhat dry. It is a healthier meat for you though. As the case is with buffalo meat, the price is higher than beef, but the tradeoff is worth it. With that being said, the buffalo burger at Cruz'n Cafe was better than I had expectations for. I had cheese with mine and went with mashed potatoes instead of french fries. The meat was seasoned well and the cheese added a nice flavor. The mashed potatoes, however, left something to be desired. I think next time I'll stick with the fries. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being The Perfect Burger, I give Cruz'n Cafe's buffalo burger a 7.

Vernon's Kuntry BBQ

I visited this location on June 29. It's located at 5000 W. Davis in Conroe, Texas. I had the burger basket with cheese and bacon. Just an FYI...I tend to primarily get the bacon burger with cheese. Anyway, considering this is a bbq joint, I didn't have high hopes of getting a good burger. While I didn't get a good burger, I at least got a decent burger. I probably won't go back there to get a burger on my own, meaning, if I was with someone I probably would, but if I had to choose, I wouldn't go back. The meat was not seasoned to my liking, I had to add salt and pepper. Not that that's a bad thing, I'm sure there are some people that like their burgers that way, but for me, it has to be seasoned. The bacon was a little tough too. The fries here are actually pretty good. A little cajun style. I didn't see a buffalo burger option. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being The Perfect Burger, I give Vernon's Kuntry BBQ a 6.

Big'z Burger Joint

Update: The August 2009 issue of Texas Monthly Magazine ranked the Famous No. 1 burger here number 21 of the Top 50 burgers in the state.

I visited this place with my wife on July 5. It's located at 2303 N. Loop 1604 in San Antonio, Texas. I had the double meat burger with cheese and bacon. Let me tell you, that was a lot of meat! I had trouble putting it down at the end! The meat is seasoned pretty well. I didn't have to add any salt or pepper. The meat was nice and juicy and the bacon was crispy. My wife went with the double meat burger with pico de gallo. She enjoyed her burger as well. The fries are plentiful and one order is good enough for two people. They serve them in a cone here. No buffalo burger here, but you can order your burger "dirty." They add a fried egg to your burger. I'll have to say, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being The Perfect Burger, I give Big'z Burger Joint a 9, which nearly makes it The Perfect Burger.

McKenzie's Burgers and Fries

This is the last place I visited on July 14. It's located at 1700 11th Street in Huntsville, Texas. I had the burger basket with cheese and bacon. This burger joint is located next door to a bbq joint and has been in my experience, you get a burger at a bbq joint and it's usually not that good. What do you expect I guess, it's a bbq joint. Well, at McKenzie's the burger here is pretty good. Actually, it's the best burger I've had at a bbq joint. The meat is seasoned pretty well and for me, the meat has to be seasoned well. Not overly seasoned, but it can't be bland either. The bacon was a little tough, but overall the burger was good. They have a fixins line so you can fix your burger just the way you like it. The fries here are good too, homemade. They also have some Tony Chachere's seasoning you can add to the fries, or your burger, which adds some spice. If you feel adventurous, you can go with the buffalo burger. I didn't try the buffalo burger this time around, but next time I will. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being The Perfect Burger, I give McKenzie's Burgers and Fries a 7.