burgs
The hamburger is a classic cheap meal item that is somehow fairly difficult to be done right in the city. Either you are already expecting the bummer taste of a McDonald’s quarter pounder or you are going to be confused as to why you spent so much money at the local Clive Burger only to be majorly disappointed. Burger Inn isn’t what it used to be. Or maybe it is? Maybe the evolution of the hamburger has changed but the Inn has stayed the same.
It might just be that I haven’t had a decent burger in the city unless I made it myself. Tubby Dog has been selling burgers on Wednesdays for the last little while and although I am a big fan of their hot dogs and Taco Tuesday I have been thinking about (and eating) their burgers a lot recently.
There have been many claims as to when the hamburger was invented. It’s a pretty big mystery as are other important foods like the original sandwich or pizza. The earliest known report was in the Chicago Daily Tribune on July 5 1896 which made a claim regarding a “hamburger sandwich” in an article about a Sandwich car. I highly doubt the 1896 hamburger would taste even remotely as good as a McDonald’s cheeseburger but I guess I will never know. The hamburger was a big deal at the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair though when the New York Tribune referred to hamburgers as “the innovation of the food vendor on the pike.” This may have been one of the most important World’s Fairs in history.
For me a delicious hearty proper burger has to be able to hold condiments and many toppings without getting too sloppy. The Tubby burger is the perfect size and can hold many classic toppings (tomato lettuce cheese onion pickles) without dripping all over the place. The buns have to be adequate in order to do this. These buns are fresh and they are toasted on the grill which helps with the grasp of food in between.
The meat is full of flavour and is by no means too thick or too thin. We aren’t talking dad burgers or fast food trash. It’s also nice that they don’t advertise the burgers in any uppity way. Oh wow your burger meat comes from local cows that are fed local produce every day? I’ll come right over! Just kidding. I don’t really care. As long as it tastes good and I can afford it I am in.
Truth be told Tubby Dog is my favourite place in the city. I tell friends from out of town to go there when they visit. Who else regularly puts on all-ages shows in the city? It’s nice to go down at least once a week order a burger and get angry at that impossible Funhouse pinball game while waiting for my burg to cook. I can’t really think of another place I like to snack in the city as much as Tubby Dog. At the present moment the burger is on my mind.
