KATSU BURGER

KATSU BURGER! Katsu Curry pork burger + fries with nori flakes + miso honey mustard dipping sauce + black cherry soda. Heavenly!

Adventure Time with The Wife, who had the flagship Tokyo Katsu beef burger.

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The crunch of the burger was perfect. It added texture. The ingredients were well-balanced and I can honestly say this was one of the best burgers I've ever had. Next time, I want to try beef.

COLONOSCOPY

The reward for a colonoscopy and its accompanying preparations was a bacon cheeseburger from Five Guys. And. It. Was. So. Damn. Good.

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Medical personnel need to be more upfront about what preparation for a colonoscopy entails. They need to be graphic and let you know exactly what is going to happen to your body as it purges yourself. (For instance, are you going to be "urinating" out of your ass? Yes. I wasn't quite ready for that.)

MINDFULNESS in McDONALD'S

Practicing mindfulness in McDonald's. Seriously. Trying to be present in the moment and engage the meal for what it is.

These are probably the worst two (McDonald's) cheeseburgers I've ever had. Is it because I'm focused on them as food? Because my awareness is directed upon them? Or because they were simply bad this time around? (Or all of the above?) They were overcooked and the edges were burnt. Is the equipment they were cooked in to blame? Or the person operating the equipment? Were they cooked more than once?

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I need to do better than indulging an appetite that is addicted to sugar, salt, and fat.

FATHER'S DAY

Father's Day saw TWT acting as grill master for The Father and various other assorted family members.  Hamburgers and hot dogs were plenty.  Fun was had by all.

BOX CAR BURGERS

The wife, the child, and I took a little road trip to Eastern Washington. En route to our final destination, we stopped by Box Car Burgers of Ellensburg for dinner.

This trip, I made sure that I ordered the 1/3 pound of beef Train Master instead of the 2/3 pound of beef Locomotive.

A little bit of burger heaven—bun, 1/3 pound beef, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, Box Car Burger Sauce. The only thing missing, and it was my omission, was added bacon.

JULIE & JULIA

I am going to make two somewhat contradictory statements. First, I am not a big fan of Nora Ephron. Second, I loved Julie & Julia.

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Nora Ephron is responsible for two movies that I absolutely cannot stand—Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. Part of that may have to do with the fact that they both "star" (non-) actor Tom Hanks. Part of that may have to do with the fact that they are corny "romantic comedies" filled with clichés. Ephron just doesn't seem to know when to quit. Or, at least she didn't in the 1990s.

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Julie & Julia avoids both of those problems. First, it doesn't "star" Tom Hanks. Rather, it stars the rather charming Meryl Streep as Julia Child. Amy Adams as Julie Powell isn't as successful in her role as I would have hoped, but she brings a fair amount of likability to the character. Second, although some of the corny, clichéd romance is still present, it is pushed to the background, which allows for the "relationship" between Julie and Julia, as well as their relationships to food, to be highlighted.

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My guess is that Ephron was reined in by her source material. Since she is working from two books in adapting her screenplay—Julie & Julia by Julie Powell and My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme—some of her own authorial voice is curtailed by the voices of the authors that she is inspired by and borrows from. This seems to have worked well.

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Another thing that works well is that Ephron allows the characters of Julie Powell and Julia Child to speak about Ephron herself. It feels similar to what Woody Allen does when he directs a film and has a male protagonist that is obviously a "stand in" for himself. There is a self-referentiality that engages the characters, the writer-director, and the audience in order that each is satisfied. There is a thread of connection that binds Ephron to Julie and Julia, and, by extension, binds us to all three.

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And let's not forget about the passion for food and cooking that borders on culinary pornography. The camera allows the dishes to shine. If it hadn't been for my giant bucket of faux-buttered, semi-stale theatre popcorn, then I would have been salivating through the entire movie and attempting to quiet my rumbling stomach.

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I was inspired* enough to go home and make my own flavored butters for dinner, with the help of the child (as pictured above).

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*Additional inspirations for trying to make some of our own food from "scratch," such as butter from heavy cream and seasonings, included (1) "Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch: How American Cooking became a Spectator Sport, and What We Lost along the Way" by Michael Pollan in the Sunday 02 August 2009 issue of The New York Times Magazine; (2) my expanding waistline; and (3) my astonishment at the nutritional information concerning a hamburger I ate.**

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**The A.1.® Peppercorn Burger at Red Robin was described on their menu in glowing terms:

Sizzling, hickory-smoked bacon, melted Pepper-Jack cheese, A.1.® peppercorn spread, crispy onion straws, and tomatoes on an onion bun. It's a taste explosion!

It was an awesome burger. However, Red Robin also saw fit to include a laminated nutritional information card on our table. There I discovered that this burger also contained 1433 calories (half of what I need for an entire day) and 5619 milligrams of sodium. That level of sodium, while providing much of the flavor (and probably most of my enjoyment), is two to three times the recommended daily intake, and easily twice that of any other burger that Red Robin serves.

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As they say, knowledge is power. Although the A.1.® Peppercorn Burger was a spectacular burger of salt and seasoning, savory beyond compare, I don't think I will be having another one anytime soon. I would prefer to live to see another day and to see what Nora Ephron comes up with next.

HELLO MY NAME IS...

Either HELLO my name is TROY or HELLO my name is TЯOY, as prepared by the child.

Picnic. Hamburger. Hot dog.

No BEER. Lemonade.

No WANDERING. Stationary.

But feeling rather well.

THE HUB

Yesterday, the wife, the child, and I made our way to Point Defiance Park to hang out with what felt like half of Tacoma. We happened upon a parking spot and then walked around in the sun and warmth of the afternoon. We played Frisbee, watched the Rhododendron ferry make its run between Point Defiance and Tahlequah, walked down to the waterfront, threw rocks into Puget Sound, played on the "big toys," wandered through the Rose Gardens, and hiked around.

Afterward, we headed to The Hub, sister restaurant to The Harmon, for food and refreshment.


Chili-Chocolate Ale, a Spice/Herb/Vegetable Ale by Harmon Brewery & Restaurant

16 ounces on tap at The Hub, served in shaker glass.

This was my "warm up" pint prior to the meal. It was a beautiful and brilliant light brown fading into ruby red. There was no head, no lacing, and no detectable carbonation.

The aroma was of chocolate, vanilla, pepper, and spices.

The flavor began with an intense earthiness that would best be described as what the smell of a field of young and tender stinging nettles after a brisk spring rain has just ended would taste like. This slowly morphed into chocolate and a light smokiness. A chipotle heat slowly crept in as the finish lingered.

I realized that I could "change" the flavor depending upon how much beer I imbibed with each drink. Sips meant more stinging nettles. Full mouthfuls meant more chocolate, more smoke, and more heat. I opted for the latter.

This was an interesting ale that I would definitely try again, if it was paired with the right food.


Point Defiance IPA, an India Pale Ale by Harmon Brewery & Restaurant

16 ounces on tap at The Hub, served in shaker glass.

This pint greeted me with an orange and amber body, a finger width of fine white head, and some lively carbonation. It left a fair amount of lacing behind.

The nose was floral and orange zest. There may have even been a few spicy notes.

The palate was lively. The main citrus flavor of this particular IPA tended more toward the orange side of things, with a slight tartness and a hint of tangerine. There also seemed to be quite a bit of pineapple in its flavor profile. I tend to like IPAs that are more grapefruit-influenced, but this was very good for one that was orange-influenced.

This was also a great ale to accompany my hamburger.

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I ordered The Hub's Cinelli Burger. It was a 1/2 pound beef patty dressed with lettuce, tomatoes, pepperjack cheese, and chipotle mayo, all of which was held between two buns and piled high with pepperoncini. It was spicy, but not too spicy. And the IPA cut some of the heat that was present to make for a meal that was excellent.

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Then it was back into the gorgeous spring weather of the Pacific Northwest for more wandering.

BREAKFAST BURGER

Three days of "mini-vacation" bliss ended with a homemade breakfast burger, which, I must inform you, was spectacularly delicious.

The three days included:
*a trip to Pacific Science Center
*tacos de pescado
*10 holes of disc golf at Van Zee Disc Golf Course, Port Orchard
*19 holes of disc golf at NAD Disc Golf Course, Bremerton
*lunch at Fritz European Fry House
*Lazy Boy Porter
*dinner with the parental units, the sister, the niece, and the child
*reading parts of Roberto Bolaño's 2666 & Charles Burns's Black Hole
*Mr. Mario's Secret Circus
*mowing the lawn without an allergic reaction
*Snoqualmie Falls Spring Fever Belgian Grand Cru

The breakfast burger included:
*sesame seed bun
*2/3 pound ground beef patty
*Tillamook medium cheddar cheese slices
*hard fried egg
*two bacon strips
*lettuce
*tomato
*mustard
*ketchup

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Much to my surprise, the child also enjoyed a breakfast burger.

BIG RED & BOURBON BLACK JACK

It's an art house film! It's a wild West duo! No, it's my meal last night at The Ram.

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Big Red IPA, an India Pale Ale by the Ram Restaurant & Brewery, Puyallup South Hill

The eighteen-ounce shaker glass arrived filled with a hazy orange/yellow-orange ale with a thin white head. This thin head left behind copious bands of lacing behind as the glass was drained.

The primary aroma was of citrus, mostly orange. There were no secondary aromas that I could detect.

Big Red tasted of citrus—mostly grapefruit, with a hint of orange for good measure. It was bitter, but not too bitter. In fact, it was less bitter than I expected for an IPA. Background flavors included wheat, a light earthiness, and an ever so faint of cardboard box.

The flavors were clean and crisp and were followed by an average finish. Big Red wasn't spectacular in any particular way, but it was good and solid. I would order it again.

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My Bourbon Black Jack hamburger was good. A sourdough-style hamburger bun held in the goodies, which included the medium grilled patty that was rolled in cracked black pepper, whiskey mustard, a generous slice of pepperjack cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion.

Upon visual inspection, it appears to be way too much cracked black pepper. But it isn't. Even though the burger is smothered in it, it pulls forth an extra added spiciness from the meat. It was the right amount of pepper.

I was also worried that the whiskey and mustard wouldn't work well together, but, surprise, they did. The smooth and mellow flavors of the whiskey complemented the tanginess of the mustard.

And not only did the disparate flavors of the burger work well together, but they also worked very well with Big Red.

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I had Homemade Ram Chips as a side. They were the standout piece of the meal. They arrived warm, crisp, and lightly salted. They were the closest thing to a sublime potato chip experience that I have ever had.

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All in all: a good meal. Recommended.

THE BURGERS of SUMMER

The summer of 2008 was the summer of the hamburger for Troy's Work Table. Here are some of the highlights...

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BOX CAR BURGERS - Ellensburg, Washington - June


This was a planned rest stop on the way home from eastern Washington. I believe that I am ordering the #5 Train Master, which contains a single 1/3 pound beef patty, but instead find myself saying #6. Number six is a Locomotive, which contains two 1/3 pound beef patties, or a total of 2/3 pound of beef. In other words, more than I bargained for.

Box Car Burgers contain 100% beef that is charbroiled, a bed of bib lettuce, vine ripe tomatoes, red onions, and Box Car sauce. My Locomotive also included Swiss cheese and bacon.

Half way through this monstrosity of a burger, I had to remove one of the beef patties or I would have never been able to "finish" it. The burger, however, was excellently executed. The Box Car sauce was the pièce de résistance.

The combo meal included fries and a Coke.

If you are ever in Ellensburg, then I highly recommend a Box Car Burger.

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HAN'S BURGERS - Federal Way, Washington - July


Han's is one of the wife's favorite burger joints, and it is easy to see why. The burgers are well crafted and taste delicious.

The Bacon Cheeseburger consisted of a sesame seed bun, 1/4 pound beef patty, cheddar cheese, bacon, tomato, lettuce. I added ketchup and mustard.

The burger was accompanied by perfectly deep fried crinkle-cut French fries and a Coke.

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COPPER CREEK INN - Ashford, Washington - July


Copper Creek Inn is located a few miles outside of Mount Rainier National Park's Nisqually gate. For me, their Copper Burger was the summer burger par excellence.

My enormous Copper Burger included bun, burger, fried egg, bacon, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayonnaise, and rings of red onion. I removed all but a few of the red onion rings. I even kept the pickles on, which I am not prone to do. The burger was divine.

It was made even better with thick steak cut French fries and Big Sky Summer Honey Seasonal Ale.

If you head up to Mount Rainier to hike or camp, make sure you stop in at Copper Creek Inn.

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DOME BURGERS - Seattle, Washington - August


The child and I were wandering around Pioneer Square and environs in Seattle and decided to get burgers for lunch. Dome Burger provided me with a simple classic burger that was perfectly charbroiled. The Bacon Cheeseburger consisted of a sesame seed bun, 1/4 beef patty, lettuce, tomato, bacon, cheddar cheese, ketchup, and mustard.

It was accompanied by thin cut French fries that were okay. I also ordered a root beer float, which meant I received a cup with a scoop of ice cream in it to which I then had to add fountain root beer. Fortunately, the burger was the standout of the combo.

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MOUNT VERNON FOOD COURT PAVILION - Mount Vernon, Virginia - August


Now, you may think that a place that honors the life of our first President would take greater care with its cuisine, even in its food court. Such was not the case, however.

The burger wasn't bad. It just wasn't spectacular. And, I imagine that George Washington, if he wanted a hamburger, wanted a spectacular burger. I also imagine he wouldn't tolerate crabby slaves, er, food court workers. Well, TWT did. (If you really dislike your job that much, then quit!)

The burger was a bun, patty, lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese, overcooked bacon, mustard, and ketchup.

The thick steak cut fries were very good. I also had a Coke.

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WALLY'S DRIVE-IN - Buckley, Washington - September


Wally's served up a good solid burger in its Bacon Cheeseburger. It was 1/4 pound 100% beef patty on a bun, with mayo, onions, pickles, lettuce, mustard, ketchup, cheddar cheese, and bacon. I removed most of the onions, allowing a few for flavor, but otherwise ate the entire thing.

Thick, perfectly prepared French fries and a Coke made a meal.

The child enjoyed a corn dog, another "staple" food of the summer for the wanderings of Troy's Work Table.

FATBURGER

The child and I wandered into Fatburger to check out their menu. The home grilled beer burgers seemed to not sate Troy's Work Table's hamburger cravings on their own. More burgers were necessary.


Fatburger makes a great hamburger. I typically like my hamburgers with few condiments. Mustard, ketchup, lettuce, and tomato usually suffice. I will add cheese if it is available. For me, that is a "classic" burger.

On this occasion, I left my "hamburger comfort zone" and had "the works" minus the mayo. I believe that mayonnaise does not belong on bread, with the exception of tuna fish sandwiches.

My Fatburger consisted of
*a top and bottom bun
*1/3 pound all-beef patty
*mustard
*ketchup
*relish
*onions
*pickles
*lettuce
*tomatoes
*pepperjack cheese
*bacon
and was grilled to perfection.

It was accompanied by fat fries (steak cut) and a Coca-Cola. It was a great "fast food" meal and a much better burger than is served at any of the national franchises—McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Jack in the Box.

The child had a Baby Fatburger, prepared and served in simplicity—bun and burger with mustard, ketchup, and tomato. The child's hamburger was accompanied by skinny fries (regular) and a fruit punch. The child was also impressed that we each received a hard chocolate mint candy with our meals.

Fatburger bills itself as "The Last Great Hamburger Stand." Although I cannot confirm their statement, I can say that they do make a great burger. We will see if the burger cravings are diminished...

BEER BURGERS

I really wanted a good hamburger. I craved one all of Memorial Day weekend, but then circumstances changed so that it just didn't happen. The following week was filled with meetings and planned dinners, with little room for hamburgers grilled in the backyard over charcoal briquettes.

Therefore I planned for the next weekend. The wait made the burgers that much better.

The basic recipe came from The Best of American Beer & Food: Pairing & Cooking with Craft Beer by Lucy Saunders. With a little tweaking, the resulting beer burgers were near perfect, if just slightly overcooked.


The patties were made from a pound of ground sirloin that was mixed with bread crumbs; minced garlic, onions, and rosemary; salt and pepper; and stout. I substituted a sweet stout for the recommended dry stout. This was partly due to personal preference and partly due to using on-hand ale.

The child had a mini burger with cheddar cheese. The wife and I had burgers with pepperjack cheese. Mine also had bacon that was prepared on the grill. Dijon mustard gave an extra little kick to the burger without being overpowering.

The best part, though, was the play between the burger and Young's Double Chocolate Stout. Hamburger and ale complemented one another well.