quest for the best burger

8/4/2019 Quest for the Best Burger

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Autumn Quest For The Best Burger

The One & Only Palmilla Resort in San Jose del Cabo provides theultimate beach getaway for the rich and famous, and unabashedlytouts its Baja Burger as the best in the world. I had been hearing thisbold claim for years, and felt it was important for me to take time awayfrom my vacation in the fall of 2006 to go try it.

If youve never been to The Palmilla, I can assure you that the place isjust over the top, and their burger certainly challenged even themighty SteinBurger of the famous five-diamond Stein Lodge in ParkCitybut once I got back to Utah and the ski season got rolling, I wasitchin for lunch at Steins Troll Hallen Lounge.

There is plenty of hyperbolic talk about Utah. The Greatest Snow OnEarth is no quiet declaration and its true, dammit. Forbes Magazinenamed Utah as the best state for business; in her new showRoseannas Nuts, Roseanne Barr recently said Salt Lake City is moreprogressive than San Francisco; and I know I saved a ski magazinesomewhere that proclaimed Samak Smoke House beef jerky as theabsolute best (if youve had it, you know its true).


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After decades of trying great burgers around the world, eating acheeseburger at The Palmilla and chasing it with a SteinBurger only amonth later, I had to assert the charge that Steins, in fact, has thebest burger in the world.

One summer day in 2008, I took drive up the Mirror Lake Highway andlanded at Samak Smoke House on the way back down. I thought Idstop in for a bag of beef jerky and a beer, but low and behold, theywere serving burgers and I was hungry. I put in my order for acheeseburger and waited at a picnic table outside. I waited. Andwaited. More than 35 minutes later, I was served a big, fat burger on apaper plate, and holy ships ahoy it was good. Wait a minute. It was realdamn good. Okay, Dave makes the best jerky, but who knew he madesuch a good burger.

Cooked to perfection, just like his jerky, Daves burger got better withevery bite. The cherrywood-smoked cheddar was incredible and theflavor of the beef was intense. I truly savored it, but it went down fast. Iheaded inside to ask what the hell was going on. The most I could getwas that Dave grinds his own meat and that everyone agrees he is aperfectionist. I could taste that burger for hours.

Over the next few years, I hastened up to Samak several times to getanother burger, but always arrived too soon or too late. Theconstraints: Daves burgers were only served Memorial Day to LaborDay, and only after 5:00 pm.

So this summer, I told my beautiful wife Melissa that we should time aspecial trip to Samak together for this treat. But sweet summer slipsaway so fast, and Labor Day came and went away like white pants andthe scorching heat of July. We even tried to make it Labor Dayweekend, but failed.

Sweet Melissa knew I was missing that burger, so she took theinitiative and gave them a call without my knowing. With a smile, sheexplained what she discovered. Daves delicious burger was nowavailable at The Notch. They had purchased the gross, old Beaver

Creek Inn about a half-mile up the canyon, renamed it The Notch, andutilized Daves Famous Burger as a staple of their bar menu.

I was really excited, and this required immediate action. However, Ihad been hearing rumors of a challenger burger for over a decade. Anhour and a half north, in the podunk town of Huntsville, Utah feeblystood an ancient bar called The Shooting Star. In biz since 1879, thisold mining saloon was famed for its Star Burger and stuffed dog head


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hanging on the wall. I had seen sky-high reviews of the Star Burger,and one RV website gave The Shooting Star its only four-star rating ofall The Best Burgers of the West, which included multitudes offamous joints from Colorado to Alaska.

Melissa and I decided wed make a day of it. We planned our autumncolor route from Salt Lake to Samak where wed share a burger at TheNotch, then head up north to split a Star Burger to find out if this wildcard was worth its weight. It was going to be an epic cheeseburgerchallenge.

We fired up the Audi and took the 215 to I-80 East. Just into thecanyon, the gamble oaks lit up the mountainsides like Christmas trees.The colors were awesome and we were in very good spirits. We talked

about people and places, dreams and disgusts, and passed the ParkCity exit without flinching.

We dismounted at Wanship, favoring highway 32 as our back road toKamas. The danger level suddenly rose into the red, as roadconstruction collided with some licensed bike race, as well as thetypical Saturday bike traffic of PCs skinny tire loop. Summit Countyhad clearly erred. Highway 32 was barely two lanes wide, but had to


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accomodate two lanes of car and truck traffic, two lanes of bicycles,AND three linear rows of the big, orange construction cones.

Melissa didnt care much for the narrow corridors, incompetentbicyclers and Eastern Summit County rednecks who needed to drive

too fast. It cut into her enjoyment, but 40 minutes later we turned leftup the Mirror Lake Highway and landed at The Notch. Man ! I wasexcited.

Ironically, as I opened the door for Melissa, Dave was walking out. Onlymy acquaintance, he was polite as always, and let us through with asmile. Instantly, the smell of cleanliness hit me hard to contrast what Ialways expected as a private club member of The Beaver Creek Inn.There was no putrid beer stench, or any other previous smell that I

should not describe here.


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Friendly, empty, clean, and comfortable, I was in anticipatory heaven.Melissa went to the washroom, so I went ahead and ordered DavesFamous Burger from the menu. I walked over to check out the footballgame and the specials board: Shrimp, Oh My Cod, and Squid. Iordered my usual Bud Light, and met Melissa at the table. She orderedone too, then we decided to try the squid which came out about sixminutes. It was pretty yummy.

A good 20 minutes after I had ordered the burger, I saw Dave poke hishead out of the kitchen and set a basket on the bar. I told Melissa Ithought our burger was ready. I knew she wouldnt be interested, so Ihad refrained from telling her that Dave grinds tri-tip for his burger(other places in the country call this cut bottom sirloin or triangleroast); but it was right there on the menu. I did tell her about Davesreputation for doing things right; and the two of us had stopped atSamak for smoked fish & cheese and a couple of beers once before.


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Daves Famous Burger is $10 served with fries. We were smiling ear toear when it landed on our table. Our cheeseburger was fat, lined withcrisp-looking pickle slices, a tomato slice with grilled onions, etc.; and if

the term golden brown was the industry standard for pastries, pizzasand French fries, the crinkle-cut fries at The Notch were on the darkside of golden, which is just the way I like them.

It was magnificent, just the way Dave serves it at Samak in thesummer. Medium rare, but cooked through. Super-juicy, tender,flavorful and delicious. The ambiance is mountain-rustic hospitable,like a good ski lodge, and the service was super-friendly. It waseverything I had been hoping for, and I almost wished we were holingup there for the afternoon. I told Melissa the bar was set really high,and that I doubted Shooting Star could match such excellence.

But we snapped some shots, paid the bill, and left without alarminganyone that we were there on a super-secret quest.

Back in the Audi, Melissa wanted to drive. We took 248 to avoid theconstruction, but it was just more of the same. I guess Summit Countywas trying to get the asphalt down before winter came lashing in. Tenminutes of cones and crazy drivers, and we had to switch back. I


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moved the driver seat back, adjusted the mirror, and brought her up tocruising speed on Northbound 40. We merged onto I-80 East andresumed our color tour.

Where I-84 doglegs northwest from I-80, its visually stimulating.Though Echo Reservoir is NOT the prettiest little lake you ever saw, itsreally neat that the lake t-bones with a red rock canyon and the steeprock walls heading to Henefer. Devils Slide is a precarious scenic

wayside, and one that most dont take the time to see. Morgan alwaysstrikes me as real redneck, although I still want to go to the Browningoutlet store. More construction, and more rednecks behind me areunhappy that I am compelled to drive MERELY the speed LIMIT in theconstruction zone. When I exit at Mountain Green, a Ford Fusionpasses me with impunity.

Trappers Loop is Hwy. 167 & the road up to Snowbasin; its somewhat


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tundra-like, but that part of Utah is just gorgeous. The valleys are lowerthan Park City, so the mountains seem much taller. Swaths of brilliantred scrub oak spray across giant pyramids, and the ride down gives usglimpses of Pineview Reservoir, which is in fact beautiful.

Instead of heading straight to Huntsville, we hang a left on highway 85to check out the lake, Weber Canyon and the boat porn at the PineviewYacht Club. The dam on the west end of the lake is in the narrow andincredibly steep part of Weber Canyon, so the scenery is verydramatic. Melissa had never been to Eden, so I wanted to share thatwith her.

We checked out the grocery store, and got a coffee at the shop nextdoor. Its pretty Mormony up there, but we were pleasantly surprised to

find cool Grateful Dead memorabilia in the coffee shop. They hadunopened bottles of Dead Red wine, and two pairs of the old K2Grateful Dead skis that I used to sell back in Michigan.

Back in the Audi, we took a left to fully circumnavigate Pineview, andgot the full vista of Snowbasin. I love that mountain. The road suddenlycame to a stop sign with no warning, and I almost blew through it. Weturned right, and in another few miles, took the right turn onto the


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Huntsville peninsula of the lake. A left at the sign that facetiously says,downtown, and a quick right landed us in front of a tiny littlestructure labeled, Shooting Star Saloon.

My old partner told me ten years ago that walking into the ShootingStar is like walking back in time. When I held the door open for Melissa,

she took two steps in and decided to let me lead. The place is tiny, andthe bar is right through the door; so claustrophobia hits you instantly.Were not much into mingling, so we picked a booth about four fromthe door (one booth past the stuffed dog head).

Evidently, The Shooting Star has been in continuous operation for 130years. They didnt even stop selling their own whiskey duringprohibition because no authority ever drove up to BFE to check on


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them. All they do is burgers and beer, and they make it quite clear thatthey are not a restaurant. No order may be modified in any way. Theservice is prickly with chilly side order of indignation. Nice.

We ordered a pitcher of Budweiser and two Star Burgers (I dont knowwhy). A Star Burger is real special. Its $7.25 and served with chips. Its

two patties with cheese and a Polish knockwurst sandwiched betweenthem. The grilled onions are very good, and if it werent for theknockwurst, this burger would have been acceptable for having beenfrozen. Melissa likes a thinner, smaller, more charred burger, so thiswas good for her. For me, it was preposterous to call it the best, or tocompare it to The Notch or Steins or The Palmilla-- or to even say aStar Burger is great. In Elmira, Michigan, they serve a Potato Burgerthat is dipped in potato batter and deep-fried; that crazy thing beats


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the Star Burger hands down.

Some older ladies on Harleys had landed there, and were asking thelocal drunks for directions. When the one drunk vehemently suggestedthey go through Ogden, I was crawling out of my skin. When the

drunks looked the other way, I said, dont go through Ogden if youdont have to. Recognizing that we might hold just a bit moresobriety, they came over to us. We gave the ladies proper directions,then quickly shuffled out the door. Shooting Star was interesting, andcertainly a place to stop for novelty if one were in the area.

We pulled out of Huntsville and headed toward home with the sunwaning. Perhaps sensing my disappointment in the burger challenge,Melissa piped up,Maybe we should go to Steins and compare that one too. What agreat idea. What a great friend and a great wife. Yeah, lets do that.


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We zipped back down from whence we came, and back down highway40. We cruised through Park City to the roundabout, and took MarsacAvenue up the hill toward upper Deer Valley. There were copseverywhere, seemingly cracking down on Marsac speeders. Weclimbed the final lengths up to Silver Lake, and turned right into Steins.

With the Audi gleaming in the golden sunlight, we were ushered to astop in front of the building. When I asked if I could self-park, the valetssaid that concept had been gone for years. Oops, I guess the last time Iwas up there I drove right past the waving valets with my do-it-yourselfattitude.

Its also a pretty long walk from the front entry to Troll Hallen andSteins famous Glitretind restaurant. But its five diamonds all the way.They needed the correct spelling of my name just to sit in the lounge.We were seated in the corner with an excellent view of the ski runs.Every waitress Ive ever had at Steins treated me like a family

member, but not that night. We got a snooty one. I especially hatesnootality when it comes to whether you want bottled or tap water.Maybe she was new.


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I ordered the SteinBurger and a Stiegel, which is a real treat. Melissawas tired of burgers and ordered a steak. Our waitress seemedunhappy with Melissas wine choice, and tried to upsell her with someGerman wine that paired better. Ugh.

The SteinBurger was awesome as expected, and at $14 served withamazing garlic (& light cheese) fries, its a bargain. I think thats thesummer price. Steins burger is served with on a real plate with sealed,

individual-sized jars of ketchup, Grey Poupon mustard andmayonnaise. Its topped with aged white cheddar and delicious Frenchfried onions, and served with lettuce, tomato and a kosher spear. ZaneHolmquist is a master chef who also grinds his own meat to achieve acertain fat percentage. And the SteinBurger is sheerly awesome.

But Dave still wins. Compared back to back, I found the SteinBurger alittle greasy. Gosh, I cant believe how embarrassed it makes me to say


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that. Both have awesome cheese, and of course, Steins has a betterbun and better accoutrements; but when comparing championshipburgers, the burger is the key. Daves burger tasted better.

Whoever is writing reviews claiming Shooting Stars burger is the best

is out of their mind. Sorry, but frozen patties in any quantity cannotclaim superiority. Another place that gets rave reviews but has aterrible burger is the Hi Mountain Drugstore in Kamas. Look, if youwant frozen patties carbonized like charcoal, I think you can go justabout anywhere like Arctic Circle, Five Guys or what have you. Id sayBurger King makes a better burger than most of those places. Iunderstand In-N-Out Burger uses fresh patties, not frozen.

Make the drive up to Samak for one of Daves Famous Burgers. Its wellworth it.

quest for the best burger

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