McMenamins White Eagle Saloon - Burger Narcotics / Summer Eatcation 2

McMenamins White Eagle Saloon
http://www.mcmenamins.com/index.php?loc=55
836 N. Russell St.
Portland, OR 97227

Summer Eatcation Part 2 (of 7)

THE STORY
Portland is widely known as a hipster haven of art, culture, food, outdoor activity and micro-brews. Buds and Miller Lites are few and far between...thank god. Nicknamed "Beervana" this region of Oregon claims the home of 14 different kind of hops inside the Willamette Valley. Take a walk around and you won't travel more than a few blocks without bumping into a Portland brew pub. One of the more interesting and unique brew chains is McMenamins. Opened in 1974 by two brothers, the McMenamins now have 55 different spots where you can sip their malted beverages, try some others', eat some food and see some entertainment. Some of them even have hotels in them and one in question, became the perfect spot to quench the thirst and hunger of a 15 mile bike ride around "Beervana." But this isn't a beer blog...Originally we planned to visit the World Famous Stanich's for a burger but much like us, they were on summer vacation.

With my frustration came along a deep need for a beer and we headed immediately to McMenamins White Eagle Hotel. Housing Portland's oldest bar, the White Eagle is also known as "The Rock 'N' Roll" hotel. With nightly live music and a hotel, this bar has come a long way since its inception as a social club for Polish immigrants. Choose the outdoor beer garden or the large oak filled dinning are and get ready to eat and drink.

No sooner had Cara and I took a seat the bar when Breck, the knowledgeable, friendly and humorous bar tender asked to take our order. After suggesting a damn tasty McMenamins Hammerhead, he asked if we wanted to see a menu. Before placing them in front of us, he informed us that if we waited a whopping 3 minutes, it would be happy hour and everything would be cheaper. Tick, tick tick...

THE BURGER
Honestly, I had not planned on having a burger but after I read the following, I could feel the tide changing. "Third-pound Country Natural Beef patty with lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, & secret sauce on a traditional bun. Served with your choice of fresh-cut fries, tater tots, small mixed green salad, or cup of soup." Breck suggested Wilbur's Jumbo Deluxe with bacon, Tillamook cheddar and a fried egg. I was sold. He then took one look at me and suggested "you know what makes that burger really good? A dollop of peanut butter!" I looked up at him and asked "Are you inside my head?!?!?!?? I'll take one medium rare with tater tots."

When the burger arrived, I almost pee'd my pants. It looked divine. Breck then informed us that the we were about to bite into Oregon all natural free range country beef. The bun to burger ratio was perfect and the warmth perfectly held in all of the tasty toppings. Holy god damn Christ! This was one of for the books!! The warm peanut butter ran down my chin while the cheese and egg mixed with the beef to create a taste sensation like no other. One would think the toppings would over power the patty but the all natural beef has a very distinct, almost gamy flavor. It's subtle but you can definitely pick it up. Unfortunately it was a little over cooked but I can over look it. The sweetness of the Widmer Bros Witte I ordered provided a fantastic balance to the salty overload of my sandwich. As I "ooohed" and "ahhhed," Breck laughing told me the place used to have a speak easy and a opium den. Maybe that's what made the burger so enslaving.


7 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

Clyde Common - Euro-style Hipster Eatery with a Rotating Menu / Summer Eatcation Part 1

Clyde Common
http://www.clydecommon.com/
1014 SW Stark St
Portland, OR 97205-2610

Summer Eatcation Part 1 (of 7)

THE STORY
Portland was the first stop on summer vacation with my wife Cara. We stayed at the unique Ace Hotel. Connected to the hotel, as well as sharing a food and liquor license, are both Stumptown Coffee Roasters (wear your ear plugs, its LOUD and prepare to wait in a line) and the Clyde Common restaurant. When the hotel front desk informed us that our room was not ready, we decided to get something to eat. The hotel concierge suggested Clyde, but to check the menu first as it changes daily. When I noticed the "Clyde Common Burger; with white cheddar and a fried egg," listed first, my mind was made up! Opening in 2007, Clyde Common is made up to be a European style tavern but features an impressive list of micro-brewed beers, American whiskeys, European bitters and interesting list of wine selections.

THE BURGER
After selecting a tasty micro-brew, the first step in any meal consumed in Portland, I asked for the burger, cooked medium rare with a side of fries. Cara, knowing we would be eating burgers at a break-neck pace on the trip, opted instead for the grilled shrimp sandwich, served with spicy aioli, avocado, piccalilly, iceberg lettuce along with a nice red wine. She loved it.

The burger was dripping an egg yolk / grease happiness. After a few bites, I removed some of the over powering pickled onions and the overtly large array of lettuce. We can not have these things in the way of the real flavor. The bun was good but over toasted and too large, while the egg was just a little too under-done. Eggs need to have a warm runny yolk and a solid albumen to work just right on a burger. The burger comes accompanied by house made tomato jam, full-seed mustard and an unmixed mayo and tomato sauce. The mustard was worth the trip alone and it's great flavor earned it a second swipe on the sandwich. Thankfully for the overall creation, the perfectly cooked patty was jammed with flavor and won Clyde some taste points.


7 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

Shake Shack Citifield - The Wright Stache, Metal Sucks and Genghis Tron join forces with Burger Conquest

Shake Shack - Citifield
http://shakeshack.com/
12301 Roosevelt Ave
Flushing, NY 11368

THE STORY
Earlier in the summer, we took metal band Shadows Fall for a Burger Conquest at the Arctic Roadrunner in Anchorage, AK. It appeared as a guest blog on Metal Sucks.

Readers of both blogs and fans of the band really seemed to enjoy it. Vince from Metal Sucks and I said we should definitely do another cross blog about burgers and metal again. With a 3rd Shake Shack location opened at Citifield, where the NY Mets play, we had a perfect target. But why stop at 2 blogs? We like to go big so we invited the Jose's Chin Pubes from The Wright Stache ("The Internet leader in encouraging David Wright to grow a mustache") and Mookie from the metal band Genghis Tron, to join our pursuit for a tasty burger.

If you read this site, you live in or near NYC and like burgers, you know all there is to know about the Danny Meyer "roadside" burger stand, the Shake Shack. If this is the first you have heard of it, there's a reason for the hype; it's awesome. You can read more by clicking here. One of my favorite summer pastimes is drinking and eating my way around a baseball park (See Yankee Stadium / Dodger Stadium) this was lined up to be a lot of fun. With Mustaches adorned, we set off on our Conquest.

THE BURGER
Just like it's 2 predecessors in Madison Square Park and the UWS, the line at the Citifield Shake Shack location is no joke. In fact, it's guaranteed to be a 2 inning wait. If you like baseball, maybe not how you want to spend the game. If you like burgers, definitely worth it and there's the giant jumbo tron behind the score board so you can watch the action. As we got in line Chuck made the suggestion to get a sausage with peppers and onions to quell our hunger and impatience. Gotta love Chuck. The Shack location is behind 2nd base in a little terrace called "Taste of the City" along with Blue Smoke, El Verano Taqueria and Box Frites. Not NY enough for you? Each of them features their own special Brooklyn Brewery beer! The Shake Shack offers up the Shackmeister Ale, an American Pale Ale with an bitter but slightly sweet herbal taste. It was really good and complimented the burger well. Oh yeah...the burger!

After waiting in line for 2 innings, my hunger and excitement was growing. 2 Shackmeister Ales and one Double Shack burger, no tomatoes. It looked good, it smelled great and sure enough, it tasted fantastic. The Shack delivers a juicy burger in a soft potato roll with a delicious west coast style sauce. It's so good and there is no need for any other condiment on these hot little numbers. They're savory, their oozing with grease and cheese goodness and bursting with flavor. I will say that in comparison, the 2 Manhattan locations are better and my burger was a little over cooked but that didn't change my feelings, this is an awesome burger. Too bad the Mets suck and getting to and from Citifield is about as easy as pulling your bottom lip over the top of your head.

"Casual burger eaters love to shit on the seemingly endless lines that plague every Shake Shack--and Citifield is no exception. We waited on the line for a solid two innings, but HOLY SHIT was it worth it. Everything about this burger is fucking perfect: the meat patty isn't over-cooked and is damn tasty--the toppings are fresh and the sauce is tangy--no ketchup or mayo needed. This place never ever disappoints--and considering the Mets were inevitably embarrassing themselves and all their fans, I didn't mind missing a couple innings."
-Mookie, Genghis Tron


"The Shake Shack burger was absolutely delicious. Despite the Rev's insistence of ordering a single burger ("more food later"), he ended up ordering a double and was all the better for it. I usually don't go for hyped food, especially when waiting in long lines is involved, but I have to say the Shack Burger is really worth it. Any time I'm at Citi and hungry, I'll definitely go for the delicious, juicy, tangy Shake Shack! Perhaps Livan ate a few too many this year leading to his lackluster performance of late."
-Jose's Chin Pubes, The Wright Stache



8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

OTHER DIGESTIONS
Premio Sausage with onions and peppers - 7 out of 10. Could've used a little more spices
Brooklyn Brewery Shackmeister Ale - 7 out of 10
El Verano Taqueria Chicken tacos - 8 out of 10
El Verano Taqueria Carnitas tacos - 9 out of 10, best tacos I have had in NYC!
Brooklyn Brewery Sabroso (APA) - 8 out of 10, bummed you can't get this in stores. Muy Bueno!

Big ups to Burger Conquester Chuck for the tickets, along with entrance into the Ebbets club with free beer and pretzels as well as entrance into the Acela Club! Made for a great time and a great story. All in all, Citifield is a modern park, with great views, wonderful food and drink choices. The one that had me laughing the most, the "Bottle Beer" stand that only had been in cans but at least they had Brooklyn Lager! Too bad its way out in BFQ and don't go looking for that bar next to the park where you can meet up with friends, it's all alone in a big parking lot.

Soho Park - Smells Can Be Deceiving

Soho Park
http://www.sohoparknyc.com/
62 Prince St
New York, NY 10012-3306

THE STORY
On the first 3 Saturdays in August, Park Avenue in NYC is shut down to motor vehicles. It's called SummerStreets and allows people to walk, cycle, skate, etc from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park and back. When I tried to plan our annual bike ride to Coney Island, Nona suggested we add the SummerStreets ride to the route. As we rode down Park towards the Bridge, the sweet smell of burgers filled my nose as we passed Spring Street in Soho. It was Soho Park. Nona said it was pretty good and when a few blocks later Bram got a flat, I suggested we pop in while he got it fixed.

Soho Park has large garage doors that open on all sides, save the outdoor patio which they open wide to give this place an airy and open feel. They offer all kinds of sandwiches, sides and drink menu that focuses on locally made wines and beers. All orders come with a used car license plate bent in half with a number scrawled on it. This allows servers to find you once your order is ready.

THE BURGER
With the sun in my eyes, the wind in my hair and the smell of juicy burgers in my nostrils, I couldn't wait to bite into this 6oz burger. The first bite left me confused. There was a taste I could not place. I bit in again. The soft potato bun was good and the sauce had a nice sweet yet savory flavor but something was off. It was the patty. It had a slight butane like flavor, like when you put meat on a charcoal grill before the butane is burnt off. But that wasn't all. Another bite and I came to believe these patties were frozen. After an aroma that dragged me in like Pepe Le Pew to a perfume coated cat, I was let down. Thank god there was a delicious Nathan's Famous grilled Hot Dog waiting for me in Coney Island!


4 out of 10 ounces
-Rev