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My brother has gone with me on a couple burger trips around the area. I also take him to places I liked. This time I took him to Five Guys. He loved the burger!! I told him I never take him to a place with a bad burger. He had the Cheeseburger with Fried Onions, while I did the Bacon Cheeseburger and we split a larger Fry. While I was there I heard a cook say that another one would be opening in the area. Watch out Mickey D's here comes Five Guys!!
So how did I come up with the title Waun-a-Burger, then have a Burger!! Well there is a burger named The Waun-a-Burger. I work at bowling center and that is one of our burgers. The bowling center name, The Waun-a-Bowl. A few business names in Waunakee start with Wauna. What is a Waun-a-Burger?? Well pictured is a 1/2 lb. burger, you also can get a 1/3lb. The 1/3 lb comes on a toasted small squishy bun, where the 1/2 lb comes on a par baked roll or French Round (got me?? but it is good.) We tried to use Brioche once for the 1/2 lb. and people hated the change so we went back to this "Big Bun". The patty is fresh, never frozen. It is a char-broiled burger, that's right. In my travels I notice using the griddle is more common. The Waun-a-Burger comes with two cheeses, that is American and "white" American. We call the white, Swiss. Why I don't know. Also on the burger is a slice of deli ham, which is cooked on the griddle. I use a deli slicer to slice ham myself, thank god I have not lost a finger yet!!! On the side of the Waun-a-Burger you get lettuce, tomato and pickles. What makes it extra good is a side of Ranch. I have been using Chipotle Ranch.....yummmmm. In the picture you will see a large order of fries with the Chipotle Ranch for dipping. That's my house burger and thanks to Matt for making it for me. The Burgers at the Waun-a-bowl are the best Burgers in Waunakee WI. If you are in Waunakee, stop in at the Waun-a-bowl, ask for Todd and we can talk burgers and maybe Matt will be on the grill that day!
Little side note, another Burger Trip coming up.... This time the Twin Cities!!!
Around Thanksgiving I was at Dotty's Dumpling. There I ran into owner Jeff Stanely. I actually go there every few weeks now. I know most of the wait staff by name, is that good or bad!?!? I was talking burgers with Jeff and he gave me a place to try. Paul's Tavern in Dubuque IA. Now I have gone on a one day burger run before that is an hour drive, this would be about an hour and a half plus drive. This will be about 195 round trip. I have been trying to get there for the past two months but weather or something else came up. Finally I had a nice day for the drive from Madison WI to Dubuque.
I get to Paul's about 12:30 pm. Be ready when you walk in! There are wildlife trophies everywhere. All the wildlife trophies are Paul's. Paul's Tavern has about 4 booths and about 16 stools. I take a seat at the bar, I could not get a seat close to the cook. I look up and there is a Polar Bear staring at me. There is about 12 of us at the bar with people coming in and going out. I get a soda and tell the bartender I will order in a bit. What I want to do is just sit and take in what is going on. Little did I know that I will get a lot of info talking with the staff. I think I learned what to ask when I was on a burger research with George.
Now the oven/broiler was made by Norge. I was told it was called a Broilator. I search the web and found Norge but not the broilator stove. I did find an ad though, Norge. When you open the door, the pan slides out towards the cook. The burgers are cooked on both sides by a flame, so no flipping. The burger is fresh and made by hand daily. It is a 90/10 blend and I was told it is about 1/4 lb. The burger is served on a toasted white squishy bun (pictured are my burgers and bun.) They will cook to order and the toppings are cheese, tomato, onion if you want. The Broilator can hold up to 8 burgers at a time. This Norge Broilator was made in 1932 and was new to Paul's in 1948. The original owner Paul is 82 and now his brother Tom has own the place for 18 yrs. Dave another brother works there also and who gave me most of the information about the burger and Paul's. I was told most of the staff is family by a regular.
My burger was HOT, I ordered a Hamburger and a Cheeseburger. No toppings just some yellow mustard. I liked the Cheeseburger best. The toasted white squishy bun was a nice touch. It was not lightly toasted this was done. The price is cheap also, 2 burgers, 2 sodas and a beer under $10.
This place is unique and some people may call it a dive. To me it is a it is a local bar that has it regulars and has not changed in a long time. Nothing fancy here, just a place people go to talk, drink and have a burger. Saturdays are the busiest day for burgers. The day before Thanksgiving and Christmas they offer free turkey and dressing. They serve more burgers that day then they serve the turkey and dressing. Could it be because the next day people will be having it for dinner, I doubt that. Who would pass up a free meal and order burgers instead? Dumb question, I would! What I will remember about Paul's besides the animals mounted on the wall is the way my burgers where cooked. Hopefully I can find some more info on the Norge Broilator. As I am getting ready to leave the jukebox starts to get played. I better get going before one of the regulars grabs me for a dance, I think to myself. I shake hands with Dave and tell him I will be back. An hour and a half trip seems short when you have a good time.
Paul's Tavern
176 Locust St. Dubuque IA
563-556-9944
This event happen on January 17th 2009.
Took my seat close to the griddle as I could. I usually try to do this when I visit places. I do this because I get to watch and second I can talk to the cook or waitstaff. To me it is another Wisconsin Tavern. The decor is great! Once again look at the ceiling, the decorative molding, it is like the Main Depot. Harmony is also a great place to hear Jazz.
Now they sell a lot of Walnut Burgers.... which is a veggie burger. No go for me!! I order a Cheeseburger and fries. The burger is a 1/3 lb. fresh patty. Watching it cook on the griddle, it seemed bigger then a 1/3 lb. The griddle must be on a low setting, it seemed the burgers were on it along time. I am talking 5 minute plus a side it seemed.
The Cheeseburger arrives...I am starving, no breakfast. The Cheeseburger comes on what I call a kaiser bun. It is not a hard roll like you would think but a lot of bun. I am thinking too much for this burger....maybe a 1/2 lb. burger but not a smaller one. Like I said it was on the griddle along time... That being said it is a flavorful, beefy burger. Not dried out and not the juiciest burger either. The burger hit the spot though.
Overall the Harmony is a people's place, neighborhood bar. Blue Collar, hardworking people mixed with the "Professionals." It is a place people got to relax and unwind. I know I will be back. Maybe next time I will try a Walnut Burger....HA HA!!!
Well time to catch up with things. Been awhile since I put a post up. Have to flash back to Christmas. My family knows I am a burger nut and they even encourage it. Heck my brother and Dad have gone on a few burger hunts with me. Pictured is some clothes I got for Christmas. That is a Hamburger America T-shirts, notebook and apron. I guess they are buttering me up so I take them on more burger hunts.
Fans of Hamburger America. If you want to hear George talk about his film and book try this: Mr. Media It is about an 55 min. talk about burgers, his research for the book and film.
I met my brother at the Village Bar the other day. He has been with me on some of my burger hunts. He has never been to the Village Bar. We get there after 1 pm and the small parking lot is full. We get inside and grab a table. I go up to the bar and put out order in. 2 cheeseburgers and fries. If you do make it there, sit at one of the taller tables. There are some rare collectibles under the top of the table. If you read my post about the Village Bar, you remember me talking about the seasoning. Well it is Lawry's Season Salt. I saw it with my own two eyes. This gives the juicy burger even more taste. Once again I had a great burger at the Village Bar, my brother loved it also. I will have to take him on more burger trips!!
