We went out to lunch yesterday on my final day in Texas. My daughter and son-in-law took me to a place on South Padre Island called “Padre Island Burger Company.”
Now let me first say it was delicious and the atmosphere was great. Picture a Texas burger joint with some good country music playing and plenty of televisions with every sporting event you can imagine. It was really great. Outdoor picnic tables because it’s right there near the Gulf of Mexico.
However, when did burgers get so huge? I know they say “Everything’s bigger in Texas,” but I’ve noticed this at home too.
Now let me say I knew what I was getting into because right on the menu it said their burgers were a 1/2 pound of beef! I remember when MacDonald’s released the quarter pounder and we were all impressed.
Sidenote: Did you ever hear the story about A&W? In the 80’s they wanted to compete against McDonald’s 1/4 pounder so they introduced a burger that was 1/3 pound of beef thinking that people would want the bigger burger. Evidently Americans struggle with fractions because they thought they were getting a SMALLER burger so it never sold well.
Anyway….
I ordered “The Famous Dr. Padre.”
It was 1/2lb of Angus Beef served on a sweet sour dough bun with cheddar cheese, Made-in-house Dr. Padre Sauce (like a barbecue) and smoked bacon. OH YEAH!
My daughter, Sarah, ordered the “Mr. Beckham” (and no, I do not know who Mr. Beckham was).
It was another 1/2 pound burger with American cheese, smoked bacon, sauteed mushrooms, caramelized onions and guacamole. The waitress asked if she wanted anything else on it and Sarah thought, “No. I think we’re good.” Her first words when it was ready were, “I wish I could unhinge my jaw.”
I’ve been to a few places in Fairhaven and New Bedford where I’ve had to cut the burger in half so I could pick it up or I’ve actually used a fork and knife at times. One of my kids told me the first thing you have to do is push it down and try to smush everything. And I hardly ever finish it. It’s too much! If I do finish, I walk out of the restaurant so stuffed that it ruins the night. If you do bring leftovers home, does anyone enjoy a cheeseburger warmed up the next day? How do you reheat it? Doesn’t a microwaved burger come out soggy?
Restaurant friends: Is this a relatively new trend? What prompted it? Are we in a race to see who can build the biggest burger? I’ve been called a big mouth but I don’t think it’s THAT big!
I remember going to a French restaurant once and I was still hungry when I left. That’s a distant memory now.
I guess we Americans love to eat.
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