HAMBURGERS....hippos, robins, hamlets and The Park

Hello again!

Have you seen the Jack in the Box TV commercial for the mini sirloin burgers and "cows that are the size of schnauzers"? So cute! John and I turn up the volume on the TV so we can sing along with the jingle...

Hamburgers always bring back happy memories to be. Does anyone remember HIPPO BURGER? The Hippo Restaurant on 19th Avenue in San Francisco was a special family outing back in the day - like in the 60's. If I remember correctly, the burgers were huge...or was I just small? Eventually, they opened a Hippo Burger in Menlo Park. I often got to bring my bff, Gail, and our stuffed animals and do a Hippo Burger night!

The next favorite burger memories are from my UCLA days ..Hamburger Hamlet in Westwood. Guacamole mushroom burgers with a side of "those potatoes" (potatoes, butter, sour cream, chives and who know what other goodness was in them). The burgers were huge and delicious ... Colleen and I would often talk each other out of going to class for a Hamlet adventure. Alas, the Hamlet is no longer in Westwood - sad, really! All the brilliant young Bruins with burger cravings now have to go to class.

Red Robin in San Mateo had good burgers. My buddies, Tom and Flip, and I would inhale burgers a few times a month - with Long Island Ice Teas! YIKES! I think I remember "Pong" and "Miss Pac Man" at the tables and at the bar...a few games and we had worked up a big ol' hamburger appetite!

A good hamburger is not an easy thing to find now a days! Some restaurants serve big buns and small patties, some hamburger buns fall apart, some meat is dry and overcooked, some meat is compressed and chewy...not worth the outing for a burger.

Age, cholesterol and thighs have challenged my hamburger cravings....but the hamburger options have changed, as well. Last night we had a perfect hamburger outing. Our great friends, Colleen and Bob and our new friends and past Petit guests, Steve and Mike, joined us for "Hamburger Wednesday" at The Park Restaurant. The burgers were amazingly delicious. They had four "flavors" to choose from: beef, turkey, duck and veggie. I had a home made veggie burger with fontina cheese and an asparagus slather.....delish! Colleen had a to-die-for turkey burger, and the guys all did beef, but with unique toppings that made the burgers really different and super yummy. The guys also had the duck fat fries - sounds scary and yucky, but I just read in the most recent Bon Appetit that duck fat is actually quite healthy (as far as fat goes) and those fries rocked! Great wine and beer list, as well. The Park was packed with local SLO folk...a good sign! It was such a fun and delicious evening!

I, we, can't do burgers as much as we would like, but we do know now that The Park is the burger place to go. We can still sing the Jack in the box jingle, and dream about "Those Potatoes" and hippos and such, but veggie burgers with asparagus slather and a glass of syrah is now the perfect Wednesday night out!

D
The Park Restaurant
11819 Osos St.
slo
545.0000