Adrian's Local Cafe

Last week my work took me to the downtown area of Houston. I asked the employees where I was working if they knew where I could get a good burger. They recommended a local restaurant not too far from where I was working. They recommended Adrian's Local Cafe, located at 1730 Jefferson Street. The restaurant is actually located in a building of a local union, so it was a little hard to find at first. After making a few passes right by it and not seeing the restaurant, I finally saw it on the south side of the building and went in. I ordered their single patty hamburger with bacon and cheese. Their regular burger runs you $4.75 and bacon and cheese about another $1.50. I was previously told that I wouldn't be able to finish the burger because it was so big. I had to see it to believe it. When I received my food, I couldn't believe it. It was the single most biggest patty I have ever had. It's bigger than the burgers I make at home, and I make them big. I asked one of the ladies there and she told me that their patties are ONE POUND before cooking them! I can believe it with how big the burger was. The fries aren't fries at all, but potato wedges with some cajun seasoning. The patty was well seasoned, however, I found that there were pockets of dry patty and not a full juicy burger. The fixings were plentiful and when I was done, it looked like I had eaten a salad with all the lettuce that had fallen out of the burger. Were it not for the pockets of dry meat I would've given this burger a 10, but instead, Adrian's Local Cafe gets a 9.

J*A*X Burgers, Fries, and Shakes

Saturday, January 23, I treated the family to a hamburger dinner at this new restaurant that recently opened in Spring, Texas called J*A*X, located at 4334 FM 2920. I read about this restaurant in my local newspaper and immediately decided I had to visit it for my blog. I checked out their website and reviewed the menu before going to eat there and my choice on my usual bacon cheeseburger. Here though, they add jalapenos and call it the Baja Burger. I went with that burger and also ordered cajun fries. They have several types of fries, including garlic fries, regular fries, or J*A*X fries, and even sweet potato fries. And as the name suggests, I had to get a shake to go with those fries! They serve your standard chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla, but also an orange swirl and my selection, mint chocolate chip. Their website advertises angus beef, but I asked the owner and they serve an 80-20 chuck. The patty is 1/2 pound and does not lose much weight after cooking. The patty was well seasoned and very, very juicy. The juice would come out every time I took a bite. The cheese melted heavenly and the cajun fries were fantastic. The shake washed everything down nicely as well. The bacon was crispy. There wasn't one thing I found I didn't like. As a result, on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being The Perfect Burger, I give J*A*X Burgers, Fries, and Shakes a 10.

Check them out http://www.jaxburgers.com/.

The Backyard Grill

It's been a month, but with the holidays and trying to get back to normal, it's taken me a while to post an entry. So, without further delay, here I go...I visited The Backyard Grill back on December 23, the night before I started my Christmas vacation. Me and my wife decided to eat here since it was a Wednesday night and kids eat free at this restaurant. Also, if you join their mailing list and provide your birthday, they will send you a coupon in the mail for a free meal, up to $15, during your birthday month. Me and my wife signed up ourselves and the three kids, so we get to eat good at this restaurant at least five times a year! This restaurant is located at 9453 Jones Road in Houston. It's almost right next door to my wife's work, so I've visited this restaurant a few times before, but I had never had their hamburgers. That night though, I was excited about the holidays and going on vacation, so I decided to have their "gimmick" burger called The Big Daddy. It consists of two 1/2 pound patties, and I think that weight is post cooked, four slices of bacon, two slices of cheese, sauteed mushrooms, jalapenos, and your usual lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions. So, yeah, it's one big burger! It comes with fries, which I didn't even touch. As you can imagine from the name of the restaurant, the patties are grilled. They're well seasoned and cooked throughout. No pink here. The bacon's crispy and the fixins add a nice flavor, especially the mushrooms, of which I'm not a big fan, and the jalapenos. The burger is huge and I had a hard time eating it at first. After a few bites though, you can get the size down to where it's manageable. I suggest using a knife and fork, but I think that's the easy way out. I started out pretty good and got most of it down quickly, but after about 15 minutes I started to get real full. I continued on eating though because I wasn't going to let it beat me and another 15 minutes or so later I was finally done. Our waitress was nice enough to say that I finished it in eight minutes, and I got my picture on their wall! I can't say I'll ever do that again, unless I hadn't eaten in like, a week, but it was nice giving it a try. By the way, if you're feeling adventurous, they also offer what they call The Granddaddy, which is made with FOUR 1/2 pound patties. I don't think I'll ever try that one! On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being The Perfect Burger, I give The Backyard Grill a 9.