Yes, I broke down and visited a chain restaurant. At the suggestion and pushy urging of my New York, Jewish Attorney friend and burger connoisseur , I entered the Claim Jumper on 2nd and PCH in search of the perfect flesh patty. Some may ask, can a Jew be a burger connoisseur given their aversion to mixing the meat and cheeses? Well, that's for another blog... see hasidic-hamburger-helper.com. Now for all you burger purists who believe a chain restaurant simply can't offer a burger that can compete with the dingy bars, dives and diners of Long Beach, I have some words for you...
I walked into the bustling business at about 6:00 PM on a Sunday night. I quickly skirted the host wearing the silly Sheriff's star and began to make my way through the large bovine like clientele. Wow, can this place pull in the porkers! My senses were somewhat heightened when I observed these sloven creatures waiting patiently to put down the "Mother Lode". Surely, the obese and substantially rotund know where to find good burgers, a high cholesterol count and a diminished life span.
I entered the bar and bellied up, ordering a cold beer to wet my pallet. I pulled the menu, turned the page and identified my prey. I waited for the bartender and ordered the Classic Cheeseburger medium rare. Is there any other way to order it? Double Thick Tillamook Cheddar, Mayo, Red Relish, Pickles, Tomato and Green Leaf Lettuce all for $9.95.
The meat had a great backyard BBQ taste and was cooked to an excellent crimson hue. The Tillamook was perfectly molten and tasted great. However, the bun lacked the crisp warm crust that is signature to a great burger. The sauce (red relish??) was average. The fresh veggies served on top were crisp and cold which went well with the warm cow cake. The burger was served with a large pickle and crisp fries.
In quick summary, the search is still on. While the burger had all the arithmetic that could have added up to success, the math was a little off.
Clearly, the Claim Jumper has struck gold catering to Richard Simmon's disillusioned and hungry. However, they have not laid claim to the best burger in Long Beach.
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