Burger Quest #5 - Voilà!

Toshi and I did not know what we were getting ourselves into... This restaurant was totally fancy and meant to be a location for dates. So after we arrived at the door, we realized that we were wearing North Face rain jackets with hideous clothes underneath (at least me cuz Toshi's Japanese and they always wear nice crap). So we went in and was chaperoned to a table right next to a couple sitting at the corner. When the waitress started introducing the menu we immediately knew nothing was within our price range except for the burger we were here for. So we did not even waste time on looking at the menu and went ahead ordered the "Kobe Beef Burger". The waitress noticed our out-of-place-ness so I explained our mission. Then she cracked up and went "there were two guys doing the exact same thing as you guys and they were in here last week. And now I think about it, they sat at the exact same table as you guys are now!" So the couple next table overheard our conversation and started chatting with us too. Afterwards, Toshi asked me if I thought they were a couple and I said yes but then he pointed out that the girl was pretty cute but the guy was kinda chunky and normal looking. "Maybe that's the way she likes it," replied me.

Participants
Toshi and Tim
Verdict
The Kobe beef was definitely not just a name. Although I thought it was a waste to grind such good beef to be hamburger meat. This burger was definitely worth a try. But it costs 14 bucks so I would not recommend trying it more than you need to if u're a poor student. The only other burger that could compete with this one is the Jak's burger. The patty was thicker, though smaller in circumference. One thing that nobody else has was the CARAMELIZED ONIONS! They were simply the "SWEETEST" things in the WORLD. That taste came hand in hand with that meaty KOBE cow into my mouth. It was GLORIOUS. Here you can ask more mustard and another sauce that I had never tasted before. I didn't catch its name because it was too sophisticated. It tasted something like mayo plus very light mustard or something. The fries came with the burger and were pretty good too. I believe they were fried in animal fat because you can taste the meat in them.

Recommendation
The Kobe Beef Burger

Burger Quest #4 - Jak's

fancy interior

look at that beast

This time we had a bit more people. So we did not realize this Jak's place was pretty close to both campus and Burgermaster. We had a high expectation for this one because it came 2nd place in the mag. As it turned out, it not only did not disappoint us but it just made us want more of it. The downside though, is that we didn't know if you go in the happy hour you have to sit at the bar in order to get the bill half off... But the burger was still worth the money, thought it was the most expensive burger I had had up to that point. But the class of that restaurant definitely matched the price you paid here. Even the service was exceptional, although so was the bill.

Participants
Toshi, Tim, Mark H, Andreas, Byron

Verdict
Everybody got a one-pound burger except Byron. He ordered a half-pound burger. Although I called him a pussy in the beginning but then I realized being a pussy is the right choice sometimes. However delicious the double-pattied, tower-looking burger looked, it was very difficult to maneuver your mouth to take a bite off of that beast. Though the result was priceless. It was without a question the best burger I'd had ever tasted in my life (up to that point). It was simply glorious.

Recommendation
The burger, preferably half-pound. Bacon on top is an option you should not miss. Go in their happy hour on Monday-Thursday from 5-6pm. Sit at the bar and you get your bill cut in half

Burger Quest #3 - Teddy's

Hawaiian style decor

don't they look like what you think they look like?

mm~~! that yellow sauce is the shit!

This time only the core members of my burger quest went on the "challenge". Teddy's is located in Woodinville, WA. where I had never been before. We almost got lost but thanks to Toshi's keen eyes, he spotted Teddy's just right off the main road. The decor was along a Hawaiian theme, which was also the theme of most their burgers. It was also a somewhat classic American diner from the 60's. Funny story was, near the end of the meal, a waiter dropped two moisturized napkins on the table. But the packaging looked like condom packaging and when he dropped them, he put them face-down. And he goes, "you will need these when you guys are finished." Toshi and I looked at each other when we first saw them and burst out laughing.

Participants
Toshi and Tim

Verdict
I actually don't remember which burger I went for but I remember Toshi got a Hawaiian burger. The burger was great and it was supposed to be great meat since they asked us how well we wanted to have it. The other thing about the burgers was the sauce. They had this special mayo plus something else sauce that took our breath away (and brought us bad breath at the same time) especially Toshi, he had that very content look on his face when he had that sauce. But that's very typical Japanese cuz they always exaggerate emotions when it comes to food. But the burgers were definitely epic.

Recommendation
Hawaiian Burger and Whatever burger that has their house sauce on it

Burger Quest #2 - XXX ROOT BEER

the burger was bigger than Toshi's head

This place is famous for its oversized signature burgers and frosted root beers. This burger joint actually did not make it to the top 13 places in Seattle Metropolitan. But we decided to try it because it was sort of on the way back from Mount Rainier to Seattle. After a hard day's hike, some root beer and massive burger sound good so we went for it.

Participants
Toshi, Tim, and Mrinal

Verdict
We thought the diner was nice; it looked like a very classic American diner from the 60's almost. There are tons to be explore on the walls and whatnot. They even have a jukebox (I am saying it as if it was rare). So Toshi and I did not chicken out like little Nancy's so both ordered the "the famous and incredible XXX burger" which was incredible and famous for its size I would imagine. It was a whole good Frisbee size of burger which seemed quite appealing in the beginning. But after eating half of it, you'd find yourself battling with the grease that tries to find ways through your fingers and things are crumbling due to gravity. The root beer though, is amazing with the pre-iced mug. It was a cold day when we went though, I could imagine myself enjoying one of these babies on a hot sunny day in the middle of August, or even considering celebrating my birthday (in August) here and making people order this giant just to see the look on their faces.

Recommendation
Get the root beer!

Burger Quest #1 - BurgerMaster

Toshi having his Burgermaster burger

Surprising enough, this Northwest burger chain was rated 6th place on the Seattle Metropolitan Magazine.

Part of the fun eating at a Burgermaster is that you can only drive in and have your food in the car. But since there is just one convenient location next to the U-village that doesn't require people to drive in, we just went ahead and dined in.

Participants
Tim, Toshi, Patrick, Martin

Verdict
As our first burger experience, we sort of had a high expectation of burgers. We pretty much ordered the same Burgermaster's signature burger, with different drinks. First of all, the burger itself was not big at all. If it wasn't for the "ROOTBEER MILKSHAKE" I ordered, THAT'S RIGHT, a ROOTBEER MILKSHAKE, NOT a ROOTBEER FLOAT(which we would get to on the next quest). The burger itself was not impressive at all. The way they wrapped sort of ruined the aesthetics because it looked all sqooshed. But the sauce was comparable with Big Mac's sauce, which was quite alright. But c'mon, I paid much more for this burger than I would have paid for a Big Mac, I was expecting at least some more content to it. They have tons of flavors for milkshakes though, which was a plus.

Recommendation
Get a rootbeer shake!

BURGER QUEST!