The lucky thing about living where I do is that I get to go to ISLANDS. Yes, a quick ferry ride and soon enough I can be on any one of the enchanting islands in the PNW. The other day, when my fella suggested we go to Guemes island, I thought to myself, “self, why not? You love a good adventure!”

So the three minute ferry ride we took, and soon enough, we were bounding about the great wilderness that is Guemes island. While we were bounding about the place, we happened upon Guemes Island Resort, a sweet little pod of cabins on the shore of Guemes island. Delightful does not begin to describe this place. While we were there, we happened upon all things, A FOOD TRUCK!!! Which happened to serve Guemes Island as well as parts of the Skagit Valley. In addition, this particular truck also sells….wait for it…..BURGERS!!! So…we thought…why not? And then we did.

This particular food truck is called DIGS Kitchen. The names of the items are kinda hip hop punk gangsta/star wars. Therefor I ordered the Notorious OG burger (organic beef). Kurt got a Salmon Sandwich named, aptly, Hoagie Juan Kenobi, served on a hoagie with sauteed organic veggies.

My burger was GORGEOUS. No other way to say it. The vegetables were vibrant, fresh and tasty, and the hand cut fries were beautifully brown and crispy. It was cooked MR - M, and by gum, did it have flavor. Loved this burger. Unfortunately, they put dijon mustard on it, and frankly, it overwhelmed the experience a bit. I believe I have written this somewhere before, but, hamburger is a subtle food. In order to really bring out its flavor, it must be seasoned and its accoutrements must compliment, not overshadow, the glory of the meat. So…while the dijon was a good mustard, I would have preferred to have a yellow or no mustard at all on my burger. 

The Scores were as follows:

KURT:
Flavor:  7
Juiciness:  7
Vegetables:  9
Bun:  8
Source:  6
Synergy:  7
Value:  7.5
SCORE:  7.5

SARA:
Flavor: 7
Juiciness:  8
Vegetables:  9
Bun:  7.5
Source:  5
Synergy:  7
Value:  8
SCORE:  7.5

Their meat was organic, and from Costco, so while they got points for caring, they got less for caring enough to use a local source. The cheese was a white cheddar, but was too mild to be discernible. Most of the veggies were organic, and as I said, they held real flavor, which is saying a lot. Usually tomatoes taste like soaking wet cardboard. The price of the burger was 12.95. A great value for such fresh and beautiful food. 

The burger would have fared better if it had not been for the overpowering dijon, yes, they missed it by this much. Also…the napkins kinda fell apart if you even glanced their way. I had to use five just to get through my meal, and I don’t even want to talk about how many Kurt used. Because it would seem wasteful. But it isn’t.
​
So, when you have the time, find your way to Guemes and check out DIGS Kitchen. It is a great little truck that serves high quality, tasty food.

On this day of days, Kurt, my partner in culinary critique, and I decided to go to Big Rock Cafe and Grocery. If you have ever been to Big Rock, you know. Their food? Pretty good. Their service? Pretty slow. This is not to say that the wait staff is slow. It is to say that the kitchen is a lot like sludge that moves down a mountain in dead summer. We were both very hungry when we went in, so we prepared ourselves for what is usually a pretty long wait. 

Kurt ordered the steak and eggs, and I ordered the Plain Ol Burger with cheese. American cheese that is. This burger also came with Rock sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, and fresh cut fries. It must also be noted that they hand grind their chuck every morning. Which is pretty impressive given the pub landscape these days.

Big Rock is a cool place. Tap handles line the ceiling of the place, and beer and liquor signs are scattered throughout. There is outdoor seating, very often there are bands there on weekends, and the decor throws a hunter/logger vibe atcha from all sides, from the tin pails on the lampshades to the antique tools on the wood panelled walls, this place feels authentically rustic. 

This was a very good day to go to Big Rock because our food didn't take that long to come out of the kitchen at all, and when it came out, it was as hot as you would hope freshly cooked food would be. The burger was cooked well, but was still fairly juicy, which speaks to the freshness of the meat and the flame it was cooked over. The fries were seasoned quite well, and fried almost perfectly.

When I asked where they got their beef, no one seemed to know, but our server, Sarah, inquired as to whether or not everything was okay. It was a refreshing change from the usual indifference you get at most PNW food establishments.  Overall, this was a surprisingly good experience. The veggies on the burger were fresh, and the meat itself tasted good. There was even two slices of American cheese on the burger. The scores are as follows:

KURT:

• Flavor:  6
• Juiciness:  7.5
• Vegetables:  8
• Bun:  7
• Source:  3
• Synergy:  7.5
• Value:  7.5

SCORE: 6.5

SARA:

• Flavor:  7
• Juiciness:  7
• Vegetables:  7
• Bun:  7
• Source:  2
• Synergy:  8
• Value:  8

SCORE:  6.5 

It must be noted, and I am sure you will notice that the scores for SOURCE brought the overall burger scores down quite a bit. That is why we post these, so if a certain element of a food item is not important to you, you can discount it and make your decision based on the numbers that more accurately represent your value system.

For my piece, I care a great deal where my food comes from. That is part of why I am doing this project. It is not so much that all food must be local and organic, BUT, it is important that you know where your food comes from, and what type of food delivery system you are contributing to with your dollars. Personally, I would prefer my money to go into local pockets, all the way down to the farmer. I realize that is not the world we live in, but I am an idealist when it comes to food, because after all, I am putting it in my body.

In the end, it is, in my opinion, almost impossible to come up with a good final product if all of the ingredients you put in to that final product are crap, but there are always exceptions. One I will present for your consideration is American cheese. No, it is not actual food, but, it does wondrous things to hamburgers which not even I can deny.  It definitely improved the synergy of this burger, and only cost $1 more to add it. 

This was a very good food experience. The food was tasty, and the service was solid. I would go back again, and most likely, I probably will. I am hoping that this experience is a sign of overall improvement on their kitchen times. Everything else about this place is quite good.

This little foray into the bleak world of fast food occured immediately after the Superbowl, so you know how long I have been putting off writing about it. 

We walked into a deserted but bright and cheery dining room, and there to greet us was a life-sized cardboard cut out of Jack himself, holding a document in his hand labeled, "The Declaration of Delicious."  Evidently this was to announce the company's plan to give away one million burgers, most likely beccause no one will pay money for them.

So there we are, staring down the wrong end of a Jack in the Box menu, and between the strange smell, the empty dining room, and the disappointed looks on the faces of the employees, I just knew this was going to fall short of the declaration. In fact, though I was hungry, I was actually trying to figure out a way to get out of this situation. Sadly, no ideas came.

I ordered the cheese burger combo meal. Kurt ordered a burger too. What occured next can only be described as predictable yet still horrifying. I opened the box to my burger, lifted the bun, and noticed that the meat had a strange greyish-brown color that usually describes food that has either been badly handled or has been in the freezer too long. As I took several bites and chewed and swallowed as quickly as possibe, I hoped with all my heart that I would not have to finish the burger. Kurt tried weakly to defend the thing, but I could not be swayed. Though the tomato was fresh, the lettuce, cheese, even the burger itself were at best, disappointing. The scores were as follows:

KURT

• Flavor: 6
• Juiciness: 7
• Vegetables: 5
• Bun: 7
• Source: 1
• Synergy: 6.5
• Value: 6.5

​SCORE: 5.5

SARA:

• Flavor: 3
• Juiciness: 1
• Vegetables: 2
• Bun: 4
• Source: 1
• Synergy: 4
• Value: 5

​SCORE: 4

As you can see, I was a bit harsh, but frankly, there are plenty of good fast food burgers in the world, this just isn't one of them. I have spent far too much energy and time already writing about it. Kurt wanted me to mention that the fries were good. I have to agree, they were, and perfectly seasoned to boot. The good news is that there is really nowhere to go from here but up.

​I usually include a map, but I can't do that for this post. I really wouldn't wish this on anyone, much less give them directions to get there.

Oh, Anacortes. Your spacious main street, your quaint shops, and your various options for burger critique. I believe this is the fourth burger we have eaten in Anacortes on the record, and well, at least the beer was good.

It was a breezy, rainy weekend, and Kurt and I were looking for a place with a burger for us to consume. Unfortunately, we still haven't gotten it together to make a list of the places we have yet to eat a burger and plan that out, but I figure, hey, it will happen when it happens.

We decided on H20, a place we have frequented often for a beer when we want to watch a game, but not a place we have found to be particularly reliable for the food they serve. This visit would be no exception.

I ordered the H20 burger, which came with lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo and melted smoked cheddar, (for .85 extra), and Kurt ordered a pasta dish.

H20 is an interesting place; sparsely decorated and spacious with images of different forms of water on the walls, they do a lot of house-infused liquors, and very often have some decent beers on tap. They also have bands, do different tasting events and show movies on Monday nights. It is a pretty cool place to grab a beer or cocktail to be sure.

The burger came with a chunky steak knife sticking out of the top, on a square white plate (wondering when this trend will die), next to some delicious smelling golden fries. As per our agreement, I ordered the burger M, but it came out quite well done. the vegetables were fresh and delicious, the bun was perfectly grilled, and the fries were completely yummy. But, as Kurt stated, "the hamburger patty ruined the burger." And he was right. There was a strange taste to the meat, like it had either been frozen too long, or it was just too old. Either way, it would have been a whole different scene if the meat had been fresh and cooked to the proper temperature. Then again, if the meat was as old as I suspected, it was probably safer that it was cooked to the temperature it was. The scores were as follows:

KURT:

• Flavor: 5
• Juiciness: 6
• Vegetables: 8
• Bun: 9
• Source: 2.5
• Synergy: 6.5
• Value: 8

SCORE: 6.5

SARA:

• Flavor: 4
• Juiciness: 7
• Vegetables: 8
• Bun: 8
• Source: 1
• Synergy: 6
• Value: 7.5

SCORE: 6

The burger was priced at $8.99, which is less than most burgers in pubs and bars cost, even with the additional .85 cents for the cheese. The burger was sourced from Sysco, a food service company which provides restaurants, pubs, and bars food nationally.The burger would have scored much higher if the meat had been prepared well; if it had not tasted strange, because really, everything surrounding the burger was quite well prepared.

Walking into The Brown Lantern is a little bit like walking into a schizophrenic's daydream. There are decorations of all sorts covering every available space on the walls, none of it relating to any thing else, but for some reason it works well together, and gives the pub a cozy hometown feel that makes you feel welcome.

As I looked over the menu, I noticed that The Brown Lantern had the honor of being named the place with the Best Burger in Anacortes in 2015. Between that and Kurt letting me know that one of his friends told him the burger was good, I figured it was going to be at the very least, a pleasant experience.

I ordered the Brown Lantern Cheeseburger, which consisted of 1/2 lb (?!) of Double R ranch, hand-formed ground chuck, raw onion, pickle, lettuce, tomato, onion and mayo. Kurt ordered the Cobb salad. 

One of the things I love about doing this project is that 9 times out of 10, Kurt orders some kind of salad or light fare and I order the burger, and almost every single time our food is brought out, the server assumes that he ordered the burger. This did not happen at The Brown Lantern, but my expectation that it woud made me realize that our size and sex differences usually override any memory the server has of who ordered what. Oh, life. It ain't nothin' but a funny funny riddle.

Anyway, the food arrived BIG. The Cobb salad was impressive to behold, packed with tons of avocado, bacon, and all that other stuff that comes on the Cobb, and the burger was artfully arranged on a gigantic oval platter, with perfecty cooked fries and a mound of fixings for me to pile on my burger in any way I chose.

This is where I made the obscene error of not putting ALL of the veggies on the burger. Kurt later noted, as he was eating the burger, that it would have scored higher had I not made that egregious error. I just figured that maybe next time I would order the Cobb salad and he could put all the veggies he wanted on his burger. Anyway, the scores were as follows:

KURT:

• Flavor:  9.5
• Juiciness: 9
• Vegetables: 8
• Bun:  6
• Source: 8
• Synergy: 8
• Value: 8.5

SCORE: 8


SARA:

• Flavor:  9
• Juiciness:  9
• Vegetables: 9
• Bun:  6
• Source: 8
• Synergy: 7.5
• Value: 8

SCORE: 8

The burger was well-seasoned and flavorful, the cheese was not too melted, and the bun, while toasted perfectly, was pretty standard and all but flattened as we ate through the burger. The vegetables were fresh and tasty, though the pickle was a bit mushy. Kurt stated boldly, as he is known to do, that this patty was in fact the best tasting patty so far, and I had to agree with him. The seasoning perfectly celebrated the wonderful juicy goodness of the meat. It was just too bad I didn't put all the veggies on that burger. Live and learn, I suppose.  The price, (10.99) for this quality of burger was very good. 

In general, this was a very good burger. A lot of meat to it, which most likely contributed to its higher score. You know what they say: when it comes to meat, more is always better.

Have you ever watched a kid eat something that they are reallly enjoying? They will moan, squirm in their seat, and act super excited about whatever it is they are consuming.

This is the reaction I hope for out of myself whenever I am looking to eat...well, anything. Life is just too short to waste on mediocre food. Not when there is so much out there that is squirm-worthy. This is what I look for in burgers. I want to moan, squirm, and generally make Kurt slightly embarrassed to be seen with me. 

When we walked into The Cafe Burlington, I was immediately charmed by its kitchy old-school interior which was delightfully contrasted with mediocre local art on the walls and blown glass shades above the tables and the counter.

We waited a bit for service, then were approached by what appeared to be a cook, who asked for our order, then forgot what it was as he was taking it. The place was busy, so we assumed they were short-handed. I ordered the 1/3 pound organic burger, M, and a chocolate shake. After he took our order, two places at the counter opened up and we moved there, mostly because the booth seat behind Kurt kept pushing him forward due to two large men sitting in the booth behind him.

As we sat at the counter, I couldn't help but notice the gigantic, wonderful-looking and heavenly-smelling cinnamon rolls sitting right next to me, and all through lunch, it took all of my focus to not reach over and grab one. I did prevail, but it left me to wondering, once again, is it better to regret something you have done, or something you have not done? Especially when it comes to home-made cinnamon rolls?

It took quite a while to get the shake that I ordered, but when I did, it arrived in a gigantic glass mug with a back-up shake tin. And my, it was delight in a glass. The burger arrived a bit later beautifully arranged on a large pink platter, snugly nestled next to a mound of fries and all the fixings for the burger: red onion, romaine lettuce, tomato and a pickle spear.

As I took the first bite, I noted that the burger had been cooked to MW, but did not suffer much for this, for the meat itself was seasoned subltly but nicely and there was still plenty of flavor to be had in the accoutrements. Our server turned out to be the owner, and when we asked him about his beef, he told us about going to the place once a year in Arlington where he gets it and speaking with the workers. He also told us that they bake their own buns, which was impressive, as the one around this burger was firm and had actual flavor to it. It was whole wheat and full of yummy gluten, just how I like it.

Kurt commented that the owner most likely introduced a certain bias to our critique, as he was very open to speaking about his business practices with us, and that is most certainly true, but I think this burger would have done well even without his enthusiastic input. 

The scores were as follows:
KURT:

• Flavor: 7
• Juiciness: 7
• Vegetables: 8.5
• Bun: 9
• Source: 9.5
• Synergy: 8
• Value: 8.5

SCORE:8.0

SARA:

• Flavor: 7.5
• Juiciness: 8
• Vegetables: 7.5
• Bun: 9
• Source: 9.5
• Synergy: 8
• Value: 8.5

Score: 8.5

Yes, this burger had charm, but if I could, I would have changed the onion. WAY too sharp for the subtle flavors of the burger. The pickle spear was also disappointing: mushy middle with a tough and stiff skin. Ick. Yeah. Really. Ick. At 10.99, the plate of food was a pretty good value, and overall, the burger was solid. 

The burger and the place had charm, and my visit there convinced me that I must go back sometime for brunch...and maybe...a cinnamon roll. They looked squirm-worthy, and I am beginning to think that regretting something that I have not done is just too painful.

It was a snowy January day in La Conner, Washington. A small, formerly booming tourist town that had long lost its shimmer sat silent. 

I had heard about this burger before. My friend Michael and my fella, Kurt had told me tales of this fabled sandwich, and as we walked into Nell Thorn, my anticipation was palpable.

The bar for some reason was completely empty, and the Seahawks were on TV, and miraculously, beating The Cardinals on their way to the play offs.

We sat down and looked at the menu. I was somewhat disappointed to see that the burger did not come with tomato, but did come with pickled peppers. I have spoken on the pickling of veggies before, so for now I will say, I was a bit worried.

The snow outside made the inside feel that much more cozy, and the warmth of the room felt like home. But better. Cause it wasn't. 

I ordered The Nell Burger M, and it arrived beautifully, on a pristine white plate nestled against a mound of perfectly fried potatoes. The bun was toasted nicely, and the Irish cheddar was melted perfectly. The first bite into the burger was such a wonderful experience; juicy, the flavor of the seasoned meat balanced perfectly with the sweetness of the pickled peppers. I was both surprised and impressed that I loved the pickled peppers so much. The meat was actually cooked MR, which I was very happy to taste, and it made for a juicier and more tasty burger.

Kurt commented that usually the size of the bun would obscure the flavor of the meat and the veggies, but this burger had the flavor of a well-thought out meal. Flavor contrasts brought out and celebrated the individual ingredients, and the texture contrasts were well executed. This was an intentional burger. This burger had been planned out; it had been created to celebrate each of its ingredients, and the finished product was full of character.

The scores were as follows:

KURT:

1. Flavor: 9
2. Juiciness: 8.5
3. Vegetables: 8
4. Bun: 9
5. Source: 9
6. Synergy: 8.5
7. Value: 7.5

SCORE: 8.5

SARA:

1. Flavor: 9.5
2. Juiciness: 9
3. Vegetables: 8.5
4. Bun: 9
5. Source: 9
6. Synergy: 9.5
7. Value: 9

SCORE: 9

The Nell Burger cost $15 and was sourced from the Skagit River Ranch. You can only get this burger at lunch, so if you are wanting a solid burger, the best I have had so far, you will have to go there during their lunch hours.Nell Thorn is on their game with this one.

Many moons ago, Kurt and I visited 13 Moons at The Swinomish Casino. Neither one of us are casino folk particularly, but we figured we had better get it out of the way, as we would eventually have to eat there anyway.

I ordered the Kobe Burger, sourced from Snake River Farms and costing a whopping $22 for the plate. Kurt ordered a wedge salad, the chowder and an order of truffle frites. 

The bar was full of older people and was being attended to by one bartender who could barely keep up with the business that she had. The bar itself was tastefully decorated and despite a slight chill, was actually quite comfortable. 

The burger arrived on a trendy square white plate, with a trendy square tumbler of fries sitting next to it. The bun was sea salt brioche and un-toasted. The cucumbers were not pickled, and the onion had very little flavor. The cheese was nice, but it did nothing for the flavor of the burger. As for the patty itself, it was unseasoned and labored under the heft of the bun it sat on. If it had been thicker and wider, it might have had a chance in competing with the ginormous bun.

The fries were okay, and the sauce that came with the burger I am sure was meant to lend flavor to it, but using it just ended up covering up what little flavor the burger had.

Generally speaking, save the price, it was not an impressive burger. The scores were as follows:

Kurt:

1. Flavor: 7
2. Juiciness: 6.5
3. Source of meat: 9
4. Vegetables: 8
5. Bun: 7
6. Synergy: 6.5
7. Value: 4.5

SCORE:  7

Sara:

1. Flavor: 7
2. Juiciness: 6
3. Source of meat: 9
4. Vegetables: 6
5. Bun: 5
6. Synergy: 6
7. Value: 5

SCORE: 6.5

The burger wasn't bad, it just wasn't good, and in my opinion, if you are working with Kobe beef, you must come to the plate with a well-rounded family of other high quality ingredients. It's like putting Hershey's chocolate syrup in organic hand made vanilla ice cream to make a chocolate milkshake. It is a waste of good ice cream.

The food at 13 Moons wasn't bad, it was just overpriced, though Happy Hour looked okay. Either way, this burger was a missed opportunity, at best. The good news is that we couldn't hear the casino from the bar.

When attempting to find The Best Burger in The Skagit Valley, you sometimes get to go to amazing places. Sometimes, you get to go to places that for whatever reason, turn your stomach. It really is a crap shoot.

When Kurt and I decided to go to Dad's, we both knew we were in for a treat. We had been there before and I had eaten their burger. I could still remember how I loved it. As we entered the diner, my mouth watered with anticipation, and my fingers itched to grab on to that burger and show it who's Daddy I was.

We sat down at the counter, our favorite place to sit at any establishment, and ordered. I got the Plain Jane Burger, and Kurt ordered the Chicken Salad Sandwich. As we waited, I cast my eyes about the joint. The wall facing the counter was covered with pictures of Dads, including Darth Vader, (translated as dark father in German), a tip of the hat to the Star Wars franchise that I personally saw as a good omen.

Our food arrived and it looked quite delicious. My burger was flanked by some potato wedges that were obviously fried to perfection, and the burger itself sat open-faced, cheese meliting down around the sides of the burger, Kurt informed me that Dad's prepares all of its own meats, so when we asked where their beef was sourced, the response, "Kansas City" kinda baffled us both. After doing a little "research" via Google, I discovered that a place called Kansas city Steak Company is reknowned for its beef, and I can only assume that this is where Dad's procures it.

The vegetables left a little to be desired, as the burger only came with lettuce and pickles. But the bun was toasted to perfection and the burger itself was seasoned and cooked perfectly. The scores were as follows:

KURT:

1. ​Flavor: 7.5
2. Juiciness: 8.5
3. Bun: 6.5
4. Vegetables: 6.5
5. Source: 6
6. Synergy: 8.5
7. Value: 7

SCORE: 7.5

SARA:

1. Flavor: 7.5
2. Juiciness: 7.5
3. Bun: 8
4. Vegetables: 6
5. Source: 4
6. Synergy: 8
7. Value: 7.5

SCORE: 7

Yes, this burger fared well, mostly because of the flavor and the juiciness. There is nothing like well-seasoned ground beef and Dad's knows what they are doing on that score. Kurt added that he believed it to be a well-crafted burger, and that the general ambiance and service definitely added to the overall experience.

Dad's burger was pretty good overall. We would both definitely return.

Adrift is a little joint in Anacortes with a high-priced menu and a reputation for great food. My partner in culinary critique and I decided this would be our next stop on our cheeseburger journey.

The place itself is dutifully decorated with all manner of maritime art and knick knacks, including spectacular full-body tattoo designs, and the tables are covered in bright sheets of copper. The booths are made of high-end, well sanded plywood with bookshelves cleverly built in. You look around and know that care has been put into the styling of this sea-faring establishment.

We were both very excited about The Skagit Burger, made with Skagit-raised grass-fed, premium natural beef. Kurt ordered a crab scramble. When the food came to the table, I could barely contain my excitement. The burger was THICK, obviously hand-formed, and it sat on a lovely toasted bun. Next to it sat a pile of artfully seasoned fries. My mouth watered just looking at this amazing plate of food. 

Kurt was also visibly excited by this vision of loveliness. 

But some food is just unrealized potential. Some food disappoints. Unfortunately, this burger, for me, fell into this category. While the burger was thick, it had very little flavor. While the bun was toasted, it was not toasted enough to create a texture contrast. While the balsamic glazed onions were made in house, they disappeared on the burger, leaving me to wonder what would have happened if they had simply used raw onions and pickles instead of this awkward trend of a tweener. (A tweener is something that is a combination of two things, but has no real defining characteristics of its own. It gets lost and is actually less than the sum of its parts.)

The scores were as follows:

KURT:

1. Flavor:  5.5
2. Juiciness: 9
3. Bun:  8
4. Vegetables:  5
5. Source:  9
6. Synergy:  6
7. Value: 6

SCORE: 7

SARA:

1. Flavor:  5
2. Juiciness: 9.5
3. Bun: 7.5
4. Vegetables:  4
5. Source:  9
6. Synergy:  4
7. Value: 4

SCORE: 6

While the burger itself was 12.75, I ended up paying two extra dollars for a slice of cheese, which drove the value score down in the end. Additionally, while the fries were well-seasoned, some of them were not cooked through, which left me wondering why they didn't cut their fries more evenly. The other question that came to my mind was, where was the tomato? I mean, I understand that at this point, most tomatoes are mere shadows of what tomatoes once were, but this burger needed it. It needed the crispness of a good pickle, the sharpness of a fresh onion. 

I wanted more from this burger, as did Kurt. We both felt that just a couple of tweaks could have elevated this promising plate into the top three at least. For the record, Kurt's scramble was one of the best we have had in a long time. The eggs were perfectly cooked and the flavor of the ingredients complimented each other perfectly.

Looking around the restaurant, I know the people running Adrift have it in them, they have all the ingredients to make an amazing burger.