Vancouver, WA: Decent Burger(ville), Hot Fries ... Ho-Hum

Burgerville
8320 NE Vancouver Plaza Drive
Vancouver, WA 98662
Phone number: (360) 944-6230
Website: burgerville.com
Prices: $$$$

Empty when I walked in, I thought they might be closing. They were not.

I had heard about BURGERVILLE from an old, and I mean old, friend, so I had to give it a try and went all-in. I ordered the Colossal burger with bacon and a large fries. The burger was plentiful, reminiscent of burger (king) days gone by. The bun was big with lettuce, tomato pickle, two 1/4 pound patties, and a slab or two of pepper bacon ($6.50 plus the bacon). Good burger.

The fries were enough, but the difference between the "small", "medium", and "large" were miniscule and not particularly cheap. The first couple of fries were cold and the rest scalding hot, so I know they had dipped them in the fryer and mixed them with those left behind.

In all, not a bad meal. Better than McDonalds by miles and Burger King by about 5 years (since they downsized "The Whopper", not quite near the quality, flavor and free peanuts of Five Guys.

CombatCritic Gives Burgerville 5 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Five Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16/'17

Tabelog - Official Judge (Silver)

Zomato - #1 Ranked "Verified" Foodie





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Read Chris S.'s review of Burgerville on Yelp

Title: Vancouver, WA: Decent Burger(ville), Hot Fries ... Ho-Hum

Key Words: Burgerville, burger, ville, hamburger, Washington, Vancouver, WA, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: Charlie-Mike = "Continue Mission"

Gresham, OR: Relatively Hoppy With This Burger And Brew Experience

The Local Cow

336 N. Main Street

Gresham, OR 97030

Phone: (503) 489-5116

Website: thelocalcow.biz

The Hoppy Brewer

328 N. Main Street

Gresham, OR 97030

Phone: (503) 328-8474

Website: oregonshoppyplace.com

Good burgers and fries with a brewhouse nextdoor. What more can you ask for? Sit on the patio between the two and have a Local Cow burger and fries and a couple craft beers from the Hoppy Brewer ... HOOAH!

I had a cheeseburger ($7.50) with bacon ($2) and sauteed onions ($1) for a total of $10.50. It came with fries which were paltry and uninspiring. My friends had a burger and Mount Hood Wedge ($9) and we got some beers from the adjacent Hoppy Brewer.

My burger was good, but at 1/3 pound, not particularly overwhelming and the fries were few and far between, closer to a garnish than a side. $9 for a wedge of iceberg lettuce with some cherry tomatoes, bacon bits, and balsamic vinaigrette was a tad excessive and would have been a much better value in the $5 range.

The Hoppy Brewer had some nice drafts, but the Porter from the fridge at less than $5 a pint was awesome and $5 well spent. They were knowledgable and helpful, delivering quality brews at reasonable prices. The brews from the Hoppy Brewer sealed the deal, otherwise this would have been a 5 or 6 bomb experience.

CombatCritic Gives The Local Cow And Hoppy Brewer 7 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Seven Bombs Equates To:

"Shits & Grins"

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Title: Gresham, OR: Relatively Hoppy With This Burger And Brew Experience

Key Words: Local Cow, local, cow, Hoppy Brewer, hoppy , brewer, beer, hamburger, Gresham, Oregon, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: S&G = "Shits and Grins"

Dillon, CO: Dam It ... Small Burgers And Hidden Upcharges Tainted This Special Occassion

Dillon Dam Brewery

100 Little Dam Street
Dillon, CO 80435
Phone: (970) 262-7777
Website: dambrewery.com

Not bad, not great. I went with my two sons who I had not seen for 6 months and, although it was a Friday night, we were seated rather quickly. Peter, our server, promptly arrived for our drink orders. We had three of their house drafts, me a Here's Your Dam IPA and my boys a McLuhr's Irish Stout and Sweet George's Brown respectively ($5 each). The beers were good, but all a bit too "smoky" for my taste, smokiness must be a Dam Brewery thing - Dam it!

For dinner we went with sandwiches, me a "Rodeo" ($11.95) with a beef patty, cheddar, bacon, caramelized onions and Bar-B-Q sauce on the side with French fries. The burger was very basic, small and uninteresting, likely a frozen patty of 5-6 ounces max. My youngest (soon to be 29) had the Munich Schnitzel Sammy ($10.95), a breaded pork cutlet and smoked gouda on a pretzel bun, accompanied by apple slaw, beer mustard, and fries. I tasted it and it was also nothing special. A "schnitzel cordon bleu" sandwich would have been much better, but my son seemed to like it.  My oldest (30) also ordered a Rodeo but with a bison patty ($4 Extra - $15.95), with cheddar, bacon, caramelized onions and Bar-B-Q sauce, opting to swap Mexican Beer Cheese Soup for the fries. The server asked if he wanted a bowl of soup instead of a cup and my son concurred, only to find out that the price had ballooned from $15.95 to $21.20 when the check arrived. It would have been nice to have been informed of the $5.25 up-charge when placing the order, but so you have it.

The sandwiches were decent, not great, the burger patties being a tad on the small side (± 5-6 ounces). My burger arrived with what I perceived to be no caramelized onions, so I sent it back. The server brought the dish back a few minutes later telling me that they were under the cheese while my son's had been on top of his Rodeo's cheddar cheese. Odd I thought, until the check arrived and I found out that I had not been charged for what I ordered (a Rodeo), but for a build your own burger ($9.25) with cheddar ($1.35), bacon ($1.35), caramelized onions ($1.00) for a total of $12.95, a dollar more than what I had ordered and what Peter had agreed to when I ordered it.

Rather than make a fuss about the unannounced upcharges, I simply deducted the amount we were overcharged from the 20% tip Peter would have received for the decent, not great, service he provided, leaving him with a respectable 16.5%. 

Server Lesson Learned: Give the customer what they order and, if you do not, inform them of any upcharges PRIOR to submitting their order, do not surprise us with unexpected charges when the bill arrives.

CombatCritic Gives Dillon Dam Brewery 6 Bombs Out Of 10 With Deductions For Unannounced Upcharges And Mediocre Food At Above Average Prices ... More Bombs Are Better!

Six Bombs Equates To:

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - Elite '14/'15/'16

Tabelog - Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - #1 Ranked Foodie





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Title: Dillon, CO: Dam It ... Small Burgers And Hidden Upcharges Tainted This Special Occassion

Key Words: Dillon Dam Brewery, Dillon, dam, brewery, CO, Colorado, beer, hamburger, pub, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, Zomato, Tabelog

Translation for Civilians: G2G = "Good To Go"

Lawrence, Kansas: Great Burgers, Best-Value In Lawrence ... HOOAH!

KC Smoke Burger
1008 Massachusetts Street
Lawrence, KS 66044
Phone: (785) 424-7723
Website: kcsmokeburger.com

This will be easy ...

1. Excellent hamburger, one of the best I have had in recent memory and a tremendous value

2. Daily Specials Monday through Thursday - 2 for 1 burgers (Monday - dine-in only), hot dogs (Tuesday), Philly cheesesteaks (Wednesday), and Gyros (Thursday) give people a reason to visit mid-week

3. Burgers come to the table in their own individual smokers and are placed hot and juicy on the bun by your server. Nice touch.

4. Good variety of fast food options (starters, burgers, dogs, sandwiches, desserts) provide a choice to consumers

5. Extremely friendly, efficient, and professional service made our short stay enjoyable and pleasant

We were in a hurry due to a logistical SNAFU and only had 30 minutes to dine before we had to leave for an appointment 1/2 mile away down Mass Street. We were warmly greeted when we entered, quickly seated, and order taken. 

Our onion rings ($5) arrived posthaste on a bed of fresh romaine lettuce with accompanying dipping sauce (blue cheese dressing).  There were seven perfectly cooked rings, crispy, not greasy, on the large plate. They were the best onion rings I have had in quite a while, but could have used a little more seasoning.

My wife and I both had the bacon cheeseburger, my wife's without tomato ($9) and mine with avocado ($10 - fries included). The burgers were large and obviously handmade, thick and juicy, and cooked to perfection (medium-well). Unlike other burger joints in town, French fries accompany the sandwiches so you do not have to spend an additional $3-$6 and they are very good. The fries were fresh cut, hot on arrival, well seasoned, and plentiful. They were perfectly crisp on the outside, soft. moist and hot on the inside. Well done!

The decor is modern and basic with the red walls covered in customer graffiti, you know ... tacky. Our server handled our rapid departure requirement flawlessly, getting us our meals and the check in rapid succession interspersed with occasional friendly chit-chat. With our bill coming to just $16 including tax, this 2 for 1 meal was an exceptional value, but even at $25 for the full-price option, an excellent meal at a very reasonable price ... HOOAH!

CombatCritic Gives KC Smokehouse Burgers A Near Perfect 9 Bombs Out Of 10 ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Title: Great Burgers, Best-Value In Lawrence ... HOOAH!

Key Words: KC Smoke House, KC, smoke, house, smokehouse, burger, hamburger, sandwich, Mass, Lawrence, Kansas, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor

Alcoholic Root Beer? No Warning? No Apology!

Dempsey’s Burger Pub
623 Vermont St
Lawrence, KS 66044
Phone: (785) 856-5460
Website: dempseyslawrence.com
Prices: $$$$

Root Beer - 5.9% Alcohol By Volume

This is an update to my previous review which was selected "Yelp Review Of The Day". The burgers and fries are still good, maybe the best in town, but this visit was fraught with issues. I hate to replace a previous stellar review with this, but I have been left no choice.

First, between the AC and the fans, it was quite a bit too chilly. Pick one or the other, you do not need both. Go with the AC.

Second, my wife ordered a "root beer" and our server brought her a "Not Your Father's Root Beer" which is actually an alcoholic beer (5.9% - $4.50). Fortunately, my wife is not a recovering alcoholic or a Muslim. but she does not drink alcohol and that is a huge problem. So much for our designated driver!

Read The Fine Print Before You Drink!

Third, when I explained to our server that my wife does not drink alcohol and that they should warn people about the alcohol in the root beer, she did not seem the least bit concerned ... which should be a BIG concern for management. No apology, no nothing.

Finally, I was more than a bit dismayed when told that they had no dill pickles. What kind of burger joint does not have dill pickles? They have "sweet" pickles, but they just do not belong on a good burger, so I passed. So sad.

CombatCritic Has No Choice But To Downgrade Dempsey' Burger Pub To 6 Bombs Out Of 10 For Their Various Faux Pas ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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Truffle Fries - $5

Shroom And Swiss Burger Minus The Swiss Add Cheddar No Pickle 'Cause They Don't Have Dill - $9

Portobello Burger - $9?

$4.50 for a root beer? Oh, there's alcohol in it? What if I were Muslim?

Title: Alcoholic Root Beer? No Warning? No Apology! 

Key Words: Dempsey's Burger Pub, Dempsey's, burger, hamburger, pub, bar, fries, truffle, French, food, beer, root, drink, Vermont, CombatCritic, TravelValue, travel, value, Lawrence, Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas: Mystified By BurgerFi's Small-Fry Burger

BURGERFI

Hot Dogs, American (Traditional), Burgers

918 Massachusetts Street
Lawrence, KS 66044

Phone: (785) 856-0824
Web: BurgerFi.com
Prices: $$$$

VegiFi Burger - $6.95

Reviews I had read were mixed, but having been out of the country since they opened, I had to give them a shot. Here is the low-down ...

Pros

1) Clean, inviting atmosphere

2) Prices seemed reasonable at first glance

3) Service was friendly and efficient 

4) Burgers, fries, and onion rings tasted great

5) Beer special, $2 for a cup of IPA, was a bargain

6) Bathrooms were clean

Cons

1) $27, not including $4 for the beer, is not exactly cheap for two burgers, a small order of fries and small onion rings

2) My $10 burger was ridiculously small, somewhere between a White Castle "Slider" and a McDonald's double cheeseburger

If you pay $10 for a burger, you should expect to need both hands to eat it. Mine was a one-hander and, other than Whitey One-Bites, the smallest hamburger I have ever seen. Unfortunately, the two cons overshadow the six pros in this case and, therefore ...

My $10 Burger

CombatCritic Gives BurgerFi A Middle Of The Road 5 Out Of 10 Bombs ... More Bombs Are Better!

Read Reviews By CombatCritic:

Yelp - "Elite '14/'15"

TripAdvisor - "Top Contributor" 

Tabelog - "Official Judge (Bronze)

Zomato - "Super Foodie"

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MENU

Title: Mystified By BurgerFi's Small-Fry Burger

Key Words: BURGERFI, burger, fi, hamburger, french, fry, onion, Massachusetts, street, Mass, Lawrence, Kansas, CombatCritic, travel, value, restaurant, menu, review, Yelp, TripAdvisor