gcabh round 2: arkansas burger company

When last we met the intrepid burger explorers, they were replete with their first burger hunt success at Frostop.  On the heels of that delicious and entertaining experience, the next locale on our burger adventure was going to have to bring it. On the recommendations of many, many people we know, our adventurers braved the wilds of midtown to face the Arkansas Burger Company. Could it live up to the hype?

The experience:  Once again the three natives in the hunt were late, and our bearded scout (CST#1BF) had to face the unknown alone, drinking tea and making what I can only assume was a very intimate connection with our waitress.  All I know is that by the latecomers arrived, she was throwing around the terms of endearment like there was no tomorrow--and no wedding ring on his hand.  Apparently she loved him so much that she her endearments could not be contained, and the rest of us got the "sweetie, baby, honey, sugar-puddin', love muffin, angel face" treatment too.

We ordered our burgers and criticized Shane while we waited for them to arrive.  Actually CST1BF was the only one criticizing him.  I was probably criticizing Jess because that's what I do for fun.  And then the moment of truth.  The burgers arrived.  I made the ravenous beasts pose for pictures before they fell upon their food with abandon.

Hey, is that a pickle spear?  Score.

Modeling food and sleepy faces.

Jess went with the onion rings.

We'd had our food for less than a minute by this point.  

The scattered remains of our carnage.

The results:

From CST#1BF:  The more I think about it, the more that I think the hamburger at ABC was better than the Frostop burger.  The meat had some kind of spice in it that was fantastic.  I didn't really notice it until I got to the end of my burger and was mostly eating bun and meat without toppings to overpower the flavor, but Jess was right when she said, "This meat is good."  The fries were also very good, though I was completely underwhelmed by Jess's onion rings.  I liked the variety of burgers available, but Frostop still had more options, but ABC had a pickle spear.  

The atmosphere and experience at frostop was better, but ABC was great too.  I'm glad that they're on different sides of LR so that I can have an excuse to eat both in the future.

9/10  A great burger.  

From Jess:  (Oh, that's right.  We lost Jess at ABC--it was her final stop on Burger Tour 2011.  She will have no say.  We'll miss you, burger-eating friend.  Sorry you weren't up for the challenge.)

From Shane:  lots of chewing--but no commitments on burger ranking yet.

Ellen's opinion:  I think the fries were on par with Frostop, but the ABC burger was definitely better.  I had a bacon cheeseburger in both places, and while both were delightful, the ABC meat was superior, and I had cheddar cheese which is a personal favorite.  I'll give it a 9/10.

Clearly, I'm very behind on my burger-blogging.  We've been to two more places since ABC.  Eventually, you'll hear about them, imaginary readers.  In the meantime, approach Arkansas Burger Company with caution.  The food is definitely worth it, but the deliciousness is apparently capable of swallowing up your dining companions.  I miss Jess.

gcabh round 1: frostop

The experience:
I was running late.  I nearly always am these days, but I thought I'd still be able to beat CST1BF to the restaurant.  Our destination was quite near home, so my plan was to swing by the house, change clothes, and pick up Jess.  Work had other plans.  Mac was at the place before I ever left work, so I called and made Jess meet me there.

When I finally arrived, it seemed like CST1BF might have been waiting longer than twenty minutes I thought had elapsed.  He was like Norm from Cheers.  Everyone in the place was involved in his conversation.  It turns out that the owner of Frostop also owns the rug store next door, the very same rug store where Mac will tell you he didn't buy a rug four times.  Apparently not buying a rug from this dude is a bonding experience.

We stood at the counter contemplating orders and were loud and chatty and obnoxious.  Those people. But CST1BF had obviously talked us up because Jess and I (and later Shane) were greeted with the same warm, effusive manner that had embraced CST1BF.  We have not established a lot of elaborate rules for our hunt, but it turns out, one must actually order a burger to participate, so I put off trying the gyro for another day.  They serve a giant pounder called the Big Daddy, but I stuck with the single, adding bacon and cheese.  Given a choice, I almost always choose bacon.  CST1BF also added mushrooms, Jess had a regular cheeseburger, and Shane ordered the double.  There was a tot option that I took over the fries because fries are unreliable but tots are always as expected.  It turned out once the orders arrived that their fries were really excellent, so I'm sorry I didn't take a chance on them.  I'll know for next time.

My three companions also went for the root beer, served in a frosty mug, naturally.  As a staunch root beer hater, I abstained.  They do have lovely crushed ice at this place, for the ice enthusiasts among my imaginary readers.

It seemed like our burgers arrived speedily and did not disappoint.

If that ridiculous face isn't a ringing endorsement, I don't know what is.

Here are the official comments from our panel of judges:
From CST1BF (who takes this hunt seriously):
"Pros:
1. Size - even the single was a sizable burger
2. Options - mushrooms, fried egg, and other unusual options were available along with more traditional toppings.
3. Wasn't too dry or dense and wasn't too greasy.
4. Sides - fries were good, and I liked the tots option

Cons:
1. I'm a mustard connoisseur, and I wish that I'd had the option of dijon or spicy brown mustard.  There was a little too much mustard on my burger which got in the way of some of the other tastes.
2. No pickle spear.  I think that a pickle spear is a great side item with a burger, and I was sad not to get one.

Overall score: 8.5/10  A very good burger

On the whole, I was very impressed.  I liked the eccentric atmosphere (americana decor and home-made baklava in the same place).  I liked the friendliness of the staff.  Mr. Joe is a super nice fella even if his trinitarian theology leaves something to be desired."

From Shane:  

"This is a tasty burger"--an initial response that sparked a string of Pulp Fiction quotes from the guy at the next table.  (A word of caution about the linked clip:  there's some shooting and dropping of the f-bomb if you watch the whole thing.)

When I tried to pin Shane down on a rating out of 10 (which is our agreed-upon standard), he couldn't commit.  I suspect that three to four weeks after our hunt has ended, Shane will be prepared to rank all burgers in order, but I doubt I get a single number out of him until then.

From Jess:  

8/10 with no additional comments.  Her plate cleaning shall speak for itself.

The final word from your fearless blogger:

Great fries, great ice, lovely dining experience.  I was the first to vocalize the excess mustard, but aside from that, the burger was a triumph.  As I once famously said in reference to Chris Hemsworth, "there is nothing wrong with that."  I'll give the burger itself an 8/10 also.

Stay tuned for our next riveting adventure in Burgerland, appearing sometime before next Wednesday.

the great central arkansas burger hunt

CST#1BF doesn't get to hang out with me as much as he'd like, so this fall he's manufactured a handy excuse to drive to the Rock weekly to teach our Wednesday night class at PV just so he can see me.  I know it sounds desperate, but my appeal is just that strong.

Since we're going to be hanging out every week, he's created a little adventure for us to undertake:  to find the best burger in the greater Little Rock area.  We've got at least five eateries on our list so far, and for all you Central Arkies out there, this is your chance to be part of something so much bigger than yourselves:  you can post your suggestions for good burger spots in the comments here, and we may try to add your suggestions to our quest.

We actually sampled our first contestant last night, but I'm still tabulating the results, so I don't want to tell you about it yet.  I guess you'll have to tune in later.  I will post the official verdict no later than Tuesday night and also maybe announce the location of our second stop on the Burgertown Express.