Gastrolust

Recall that we’ve been up and down Queen Anne in search of a good burger. A snowstorm apparently extinguished Flame the night we originally wanted to go, so we wandered into Hilltop Ale House that night, and Dick’s the following day. Another time, we gave Peso’s a try. Still not satisfied, Seattlest finally made it back to Flame.

The place is unpretentious enough. (How can a restaurant with children’s crayon drawings on the wall take itself too seriously?) And the burgers are big: 1/3-pound each, with lots of fixings, coming in cheaper than at Hilltop – and that includes fries. We went for one with Monterey Jack cheese and jalapenos, ready to feel the heat.

But it wasn’t to be. Not a bad burger, by any means, but nothing noteworthy. And the jalapenos seemed to have been stripped of their sizzle. That was disappointing.

Lesson learned from the burger quest: We’ll make them at home. As with Seattlest Paul’s roast chicken recipe, we think a cast-iron pan is key. Following Cook’s Illustrated’s advice, we buy chuck shoulder and grind the meat in a food processor, gently form patties, and then cook for 4-5 minutes per side in the pan. And we also make real fries, hand-cut from Russets, using a double-fried method. Best of all, we can always have it “my way,” as special orders don’t upset us.

Cross-posted at Seattlest, where “we” = me.