Blog #2

Owen's Burger Mission - First Four Reviews

Read the inspiration behind my BLOG here... http://limitedgourmet.blogspot.com/2009/11/who-is-limited-palate-gourmet.html

Owen: Dad, let's tell everyone where to get the best burgers in Austin!

Dad: What do you say we pace ourselves and tease everyone a little bit? That way, we'll build some excitement around your new found status as a Global Food Critic.

Owen: Yeah, yeah, yeah - take your time and all that. Next you'll be telling everyone to chew with their mouth closed.

Dad: How about you start by telling everyone about what types of restaurants qualified to be reviewed for your Burger Mission.

Owen: Can do. We only went to hamburger stands or restaurants that are known for their hamburgers more than anything else. We are not trying to find the best hamburger in Austin, we are trying to find the best hamburger STAND in Austin. Burgers, fries and shakes are the centerpiece of a burger stand.

Dad: Well done Owen. And how do we rate each place that we visit?

Owen: You bet. Thirteen categories - burger taste, size, bun, cheese, toppings, sides, atmosphere, cleanliness, drinks, milkshakes, service, wait time, and value. Each restaurant is rated from 1 to 10 on each category and then we give each an average.

Malachi: Zzzzzz... Zzzzzz... Bor---ing, let's get on with it.

Owen: I was still talking Malachi. Mom hates grease so she wimped out at most places and got turkey burgers and salads and stuff. But she still had a vote on the non hamburger categories.

Owen: This week, we'll tell you about the first four places that we went to - Top Notch, Huts, Phil's Ice House, and Mooyah.



Top Notch

Owen: OK, I guess. The little old lady behind the counter is what I remember most. She was as short as an Ewok and very cute but not very nice. The burgers and fries were ok.

Mom: This is the kind of neighborhood joint that many Austinites undoubtedly grew up with and are probably very fond of. Very old building with small 50's style booths. Lots of character in its own way but not someplace that I would frequent. When our cheeseburger did not come with cheese, I went to the counter to ask for it. She charged me for the cheese on the spot so I guessed we paid for it twice. Too funny. Not a way to win a new customer though.

Dad: Fries and onion rings were quite bad. Charbroiled burger is a positive. Overall experience was ok to good.

Top Notch: 7.0 out of 10



Huts http://www.hutsfrankandangies.com/

Owen: This place was awesome. Chewbacca gives it 10 "rrrraarayayaya!"

Yoda: Our first set of reviews and already two Star Wars references young Owen has, yes.

Mom: I was really impressed with the customer service here. It was exactly what it should be. Casual, friendly and attentive. We actually gave them a ten for service. Only one other stand has received a ten so far.

Dad: Huts deserves the accolades that it receives. They do just about everything very well. Great burgers with great toppings, great sides, unique atmosphere, decent value, etc.

Huts: 8.6 out of 10


Phil's Ice House http://www.philsicehouse.com/

Owen: I kind of liked the idea of two mini burgers but the bun was a little hard. I also like BIG burgers.

Dad: It's a shame that Owen's bun was a little stale because Mom and I were raving about the buns - a sourdough bun and a jalapeno cheese bun - they were awesome and really helped to complete a very nice burger. Great variety on toppings. The service was not engaged at all (and it has been the same or subsequent visits) and the entire place was pretty dirty.

Owen: Complain much, Dad?

Dad: Mom and I also dug the sweet potato fries. Good stuff.

Malachi: Awesome shakes, you can't go wrong if your shakes are from Amy's.

Phil's Ice House: 8.2 out of 10


Mooyah http://www.mooyah.com/ (now closed)

Owen: My kind of place. It's all about the burgers and fries and they were really good. The burgers came out really fast which I like!

Dad: Mooyah has since closed. They are a little Texas based chain that pulled out of Austin for whatever reason. Excellent fries and a really great price but not a lot of personality.

Owen: The milkshakes were just ok.

Mooyah: 8.1 out of 10


Owen: Next week, I will review Mighty Fine, Ski Shores, Moonies and P Terrys. Until then, keep it real, yo.

WHO is The Limited Palate Gourmet???

Owen: Hi, I'm Owen and I just turned eleven.

Dad: And I'm Dad.

Owen: My family and I moved to Austin from Dallas last year. I was not very happy.

Dad: Like any kid, Owen struggled with the move. He missed his friends, his house, his school, his soccer team, etc. At the end of the day he missed familiarity. And he missed his favorite restaurants.

Owen: Yeah, no Scotty Ps, no Fifth Street Pizza, no Italian Villa. What is up with Austin?

Dad: Austin is a unique town and you have to be able to embrace the independent spirit and time-honored traditions of mom and pop restaurants with character (and often, attitude).

Owen: I like hamburgers, pizza, chicken, french fries, and milkshakes.

Dad: Unlike the rest of the family including Owen's older brother Malachi, Owen is NOT adventurous when it comes to food. In fact, he's downright picky. Owen is, The Limited Palate Gourmet.

Owen: Yeah, so????

Dad: To help Owen find ways of embracing his new home we decided that we would eat our way through Austin. We'd start with a specific food and find the best, non-chain establishments for those foods. We decided to start with...

Owen: Did I mention I like burgers? And did I mention that I am hungry... ALL THE TIME.

Dad: Burgers it is. We thought that we would make this a family endeavor. Each week for the past few months, we have chosen a traditional burger stand throughout the Austin area to visit. We rate the restaurant on a number of factors including burger taste, customer service, side items, burger toppings...

Owen: and Burger SIZE!

Dad: Yes Owen, burger size. Plus restaurant vibe, cleanliness, etc.

Owen: Wow, we've eaten a lot of burgers. I am ready for another one. Where are we going this week? How about that new mini-burger place Moo Moos?

Dad: The idea here is demonstrate to Owen that "new" doesn't mean good or bad. "Old" doesn't mean good or bad. Just because a restaurant is part of a chain doesn't mean it is perfect nor does it mean it is awful. Owen has learned that good food and bad service do not mix well. And that great vibe and bad food don't mix well. Owen has helped us all decide what makes a great burger joint and he has learned that you have to be open minded to the entire experience if you want to be a respected food critic.

Owen: I don't like dirty restaurants and employees who act like they don't want to serve us.

Dad: We also took this opportunity to work with Owen to embrace his new home town. And he has. If nothing else, he has found a few great burgers restaurants that he can call his new favorites. He also knows the streets of Austin pretty well; better than his mom at least.

Mom: That's not funny. True, but not funny.

Owen: Mom gets lost backing out of the driveway.

Malachi: Mom uses the GPS to get from the kitchen to the bedroom.

Dad: That's Malachi, Owen's 14 year old brother. Malachi has an adventurous appetite and a witty demeanor. I am sure that we will hear plenty from him as we go through this exercise.

Owen: Doesn't he have anything better to do?

Dad: Lastly, this has been a statistics math lesson for Owen. We rate all of the individual elements and then create averages and compare. Over the next couple of weeks, Owen will share those results with you and tell you all about his favorites.

Owen: And I will tell you all about the bad ones too.

Malachi: Can we do sushi next?? I am REALLY tired of burgers.