Albany's Gold Burger Winner 2018

Our final blog in this 3-part series!!!  If you've been following us, you made it! 

I got into a debate with someone recently about our choices here, so I thought I would clarify one thing.  We did not base this experiment on restaurant reviews; this experiment was strictly grading the quality and taste of the burger itself in these establishments.  When we got down to our top burgers, we ordered them take-out style and ate them at home, away from the restaurant atmosphere, whatever that may have been.  We wanted to judge the burger in its own right.  So you may disagree with the restaurant experience you had at any place; the service, the light through the window....but trust us when we say the BURGER itself is judged apart from all of that.  At the end of the day, it's about the food.

Enough defending our choice, let's get this done!

The Golden Burger Statue Winner!  The #1 Burger in Albany, Oregon!  The Gold Medal goes to....

WILHELM'S!!!!

What we love about the Wilhelm's Burger:

The Lock Jaw

Where do we even begin!?  The patties for these burgers are hand formed, fresh every day and when the menu says it's 1/2 lb patty....they're talking about cooked weight, my friends.  That's a meaty burger.  Every time we order their burgers, they are consistently flavorful, juicy and cooked perfectly.  And we've tried nearly all of them, even the Lock Jaw.  Just look at that sexy meat monster!

And during this process, YES, we pulled burger out of the bun and ate it on its own to get the flavor and texture of the actual meat, so....trust us when we say we were thorough!

The Heart Stopper

When we sat down to speak with the owner of Wilhelm's, we were surprised to find out how many people were involved in the creation of this restaurant/bar who we all know and love from The Buzzsaw days.  These are people who have lived here for years and love our town.  Yes, our beloved Kenny has moved away but the food (which is what we're focused on here) has not changed from day #1.  When the menu was being developed, the owner requested one thing and one thing only: Whatever they serve, whatever is on the menu, make it good and make it the same way every time.  And Wilhelm's, WE NOTICED!  Consistency is key to food and they 100% have it mastered.

Wilhelm's Cheddar Burger

If you're a dainty eater, beware.  These juices will run down your wrist, drip from your chin and nestle under your wedding ring.  Your mouth is watering right now, isn't it?  Yes, the pickles are crunchy, the onion is fresh, and the tomato slices are not too thick and not too thin....and that cheddar cheese.....just look at these pictures.

Since this is our #1, we decided to include a menu of the burgers available for you so you can plan your next visit!  It's not a conspiracy, we blanked out the prices because menus change; this blog is forever.

You may argue that this is not a restaurant, it's a BAR!  Well, it's both.  We included bar burgers in our search because...they're local businesses and they deserved a shot at this!  It may be a bar, but it's clean, the kitchen staff knows what they're doing and the food here is more popular than you may imagine.  Like we mentioned, they do take-out orders so...if you really want the family to try these, you can make it work!

Side note:  Order the cajun tots....why these are so beloved is a mystery but .... they're wildly popular and just delicious.

The Blue Ox Burger
(No, the Blue Cheese does not
over-power this burger, it's
juuuuuust right.)

No, this isn't an organic burger.  After our Silver and Bronze burgers, you might have thought we would choose a grass-fed burger.  We did too.  But flavor and consistency count for everything!  Wilhem's makes a bad-ass burger and if you disagree, we think you should go have one to prove us wrong!

The Thing Review:

Our Things rated Wilhelm's as their #3 choice.  Now, they're all far from being old enough to eat in this establishment so .... take it for what it's worth.  Like we said, they flip-flopped our top three in their ranking.  We are still working on their palates; it's a work in progress.  But the kid vote counts for something, so there you have it.

So what does all of these even mean!?  Well, to sum it up as we would recommend a 'good burger place' in Albany .... For families, we definitely recommend First Burger as it was our Things' first choice.  Great people, good food, grass-fed...it's the perfect option.

If you're looking for more of an upscale ambiance with a good burger, head over to Frankie's!

If you are craving the BEST burger in Albany and nothing else will do, if you have friends visiting from out of town who insist you share with them the BEST that our town has to offer, you head to Wilhelm's and sit down for one of these divine beasts.

Old McDonald

Eat it slowly.

Savor it.

It's meant to be loved!!!

Congratulations, Wilhelm's!  You made this journey worth while for us!  After a really bad burger on this adventure, we would head to Wilhelm's to renew our faith in beef patties!!!  We will be back again and again and again....and we promise to try those ribs soon! ;-)

Albany's Silver Burger Winner 2018

Welcome back to our 3-part blog series on our Top 3 Burgers of Albany and our 130th blog post!!!  Last week we announced our Bronze Trophy Winner:  First Burger!  I hope you got out last week to show them some love and try their burgers for yourself.

This week we are introducing our Silver Trophy Winner!!!!  As of the publication of this blog, we had not heard back from our #2 restaurant.  If and when we do, we will update our post to include quotes and info from them directly. 

Please keep in mind that this is merely our opinion after tasting burgers for over a year and comparing several aspects.  We did not allow ourselves to include fast food or chain restaurants; we focused on local businesses because we love supporting our community. 

This has been a fun adventure, so we're glad you're sharing in this series with us.  Be sure to come back next week to see who was crowned the #1, Gold Medal Trophy Winner of our Best Burger of Albany!!!!!

So let’s get down to it with our #2 - The Silver Burger of Albany:

FRANKIE’S RESTAURANT!!

What we love about the Frankie’s Burger:

As with our BronzeWinner, grass-fed beef has a special place in our heart.  Frankie’s makes a juicy, pink burger cooked perfectly and they use a Bodhi Bakery bun, baked right here in Albany.  The freshness comes through without a doubt!  And those buns…
definitely our favorite of all the restaurants we visited. While we know that Frankie's is known for their fresh local cuisine, we would guess that most of you have probably not tried their burger!  We're here to tell you:  You should!

The Oregon Royal Burger

Frankie’s also has that hometown family vibe (family owned) along with incredible Albany memorabilia on the walls in the restaurant that you should definitely see. Frankie’s chose North Albany as their home and it’s the perfect location; convenient for North Albany residents who rarely get to go out on their own side of the river. 

The Bistro Burger w/onion

Frankie’s sources their ingredients locally and organically whenever possible and this is one restaurant in town that we trust impeccably when it comes to the quality of their food.  Seasonal means it’s grown fresh and locally…we can respect that!  They support our community both in sports, youth and activities and our local growers and farmers.  We love this chance to send them some love right back!

The Bistro Burger, Assembled

The Oregon Royal, Assembled

Note:  While Jen usually orders a salad with her burger, not fries, it has to be said that Brownifer always includes an order of Pork Belly fries when we get burgers at Frankie’s!  Truffle salt, pork belly, blue cheese….you won’t regret it.

Pork Belly Fries

The Thing Review:

The Brownifer Things chose Frankie’s as their 2nd choice as well!  Yes, our Things essentially flip-flopped our scores.  But they had a blast and their opinion counts!  As we said before, ALL of these burgers are amazing so they may have just been overwhelmed with the deliciousness on their plates!

Thing #5 Did what she does best with her Bistro burger - ordered it plain and added ketchup only.  A true children's burger!!!

We award Frankie’sRestaurant our Silver Burger Statue!  So this week, while you anxiously await the announcement of our #1 Burger in Albany, head into North Albany and try a Frankie’s Burger!!!  Take the family out, or pick up your order (they are surprisingly fast with to-go orders), but don’t forget the pork belly fries!!!!  Grass-fed.  Juicy.  Bodhi Bun.  Hungry yet?

Congratulations, Frankie’s!  We’ll see you soon!

Albany's Bronze Burger Winner 2018

Welcome to our 3-part blog series on our Top 3 Burgers of Albany!!!  This has been a fun, interesting and long journey!  You can’t just eat burgers every day and slap out a declaration of ‘Best Burger in Albany’.  We respect our arteries.  As of the publication of this blog, we had not heard back from our top 3, but if and when we do, we will update our posts to include quotes and info from them directly.

We took our time with this project, carefully rated the burgers, in some cases went back more than once to be sure and, of course, had Things 2, 3, 4, & 5 do a blind taste test of our final three for you.  So yes, you will get the kid’s perspective as well.  This was definitely a family effort!!!! 

We will be sharing one blog with you each week until we reach #1!!!  Take the journey with us each week; visit and enjoy these burgers and the quality put into them!  Please keep in mind that we love ALL of these burgers and we will repeatedly enjoy them all! BUT…  they had to be ranked, so we got down and did it.

So let’s get started with our #3 - The Bronze Burger of Albany:

FIRST BURGER!!!!!

What we love about the First Burger:

The Iron Woman with a 50/50 patty

We just can’t get enough of a burger restaurant that uses grass-fed beef.  The flavor of grass-fed beef is just…amazing.  We love knowing our family is eating healthy meat, that is probably our #1 goal with every meal we make and order while dining out (ideally). There is also nowhere else in town that offers the option for a 50% Beef / 50% Bacon patty or a 100% Buffalo patty!

The Smoke Stack

The local factor is huge for us, we love supporting local businesses!  This restaurant is locally owned, and located in our beloved growing downtown district that is quickly becoming a foodie paradise.  (no complaints here, Albany!)  They also use local ingredients whenever possible.  The produce on the burgers is always so fresh; it’s like eating a burger made at home.  (and we make some mean burgers)  Local growers, bakers…..this restaurant supports our valley, our state, and we support them!

Since First Burger is (obviously) a burger-centric restaurant, their variety is to die for.  Thing #5 loves their milkshakes, I love their fry sauce (dreamy - try it with the onion rings!) and their specials are incredible.  So many burgers to try, so little time!!!!  They know burgers and they know how to play with food…a perfect pair!

The Thing Review:

The Iron Woman, Assembled

The overall consensus among our Things was that First Burger was their FIRST choice!  Yes, friends, these burgers are not only kid-approved, they are kid-preferred!  Keep in mind, they tasted them blindly and went on flavor alone.  So be sure to take the kids with you, because they are going to LOVE these burgers!  Bonus:  we mentioned the grass-fed beef, right?

We award First Burger our Bronze Burger Statue!  So this week, while you wait for the announcement of our #2-rated burger, head downtown and try a First Burger!!!  Take the family, order take-out…whatever works for you,  but throw them some love because they are doing grass-fed burgers RIGHT!

The Fatty Melt - 50/50 patty between
2 grilled cheese sandwiches!

Congratulations, First Burger!  We’ll be back!









The Silver Burger winner has been announced as well, check it out HERE!

Casamigos - Keizer, OR (Review)

Thing #3 had a football game tonight that we rushed to after work so afterward, we were hungry!  Even the smell of a cheap boiled game hot dog was starting to smell delicious.  We decided to check our maps app to see if anything close was open and whattaya know!?  Casamigos was open until 10:00!

For a restaurant smack in the middle of a strip mall on the main drag, we didn't know what to expect.  Keizer isn't our hometown and this place is pretty new.  When we walked in, the art immediately caught my eye.  It's beautiful!  The walls are filled with this gorgeous art and photos, the details of the restaurant are just gorgeous to look at.

Once we were seated and began looking at the menu. we were pleasantly surprised to discover that this was not the normal Mexican food menu.  The photos of the food were spectacular and looked nothing like your average convection oven re-heats smothered in melted cheddar.  We had plowed through our salsa already and we were brought more - two different kinds and both were so flavorful and delicious!

We ordered and our guacamole arrived soon after.  Fresh, flavorful and perfect.

While we were waiting for our food and snacking, we looked around and let me tell you, this restaurant is visually stimulating at every angle.  The bar area is gorgeous with a table by a fire ... we would move in if we could.

Guatelajara Tour

Brownie ordered the Guatelajara Tour - a combination of chile verde & chile colorado with one authentic chile relleno.  Served with rice and beans, of course and he chose corn tortillas.  The pork chile verde was his favorite and the corn tortillas were fresh, handmade and .... drumroll .... didn't tear one bit!

El Patron

I ordered the El Patron - a combination of carne asada and shrimp cooked a los cabos style (sauteed with mushrooms in a creamy rich flavor green sauce topped with melted cheese) also served with rice and beans and I chose flour tortillas.  The shrimp were cooked perfectly and the carne asada .... real meat, rich flavor to say the least .... dios mio.  Those handmade flour tortillas .... I will dream about them tonight.

You will have leftovers, trust us.

We didn't try the drinks tonight, but we will be going  back again for sure!  The staff was friendly and helpful, our food was gorgeous and whoever is in that kitchen ... does magical things with Mexican Cuisine!

Although this was only our first visit, for now we are going to put up 5 stars because .... blown away is an understatement.  The food is outstanding and if you haven't tried it yet, you really must.  We'll be trying it again and again and again and ....

For now, we stand by our 5 stars and we can't wait to go back!

French Toast Experiment!

We had lots of banana bread and blueberry/zucchini bread this weekend since our Littles are on a baking binge.  Thing #5 has now been informed of the 'secret ingredient' of the blueberry bread.  She is less-than-thrilled but she can't fight her love of the bread enough for it to make a difference.  Thank goodness!

As parents, we spend a lot of time staring into the pantry and the refrigerator/freezer thinking, "What do we have and what can we DO with it?" Especially with picky kids with very different tastes. 

We decided to use up our quick breads and make french toast with them!  We thought we'd share this idea with you.  I'm sure most of us don't need a lesson or a recipe for french toast, so we'll just leave you with a picture of our finished product to inspire you!

Well, maybe a quick reminder to add cinnamon and nutmeg with maaaaaaaaybe a little sugar to your whipped eggs.

Thing #5 insisted on making her own french toast - she chose blueberry zucchini bread only and she had a blast with the spray whipped cream this weekend!  Yes, they make an organic version!

So if you have have an abundance of quick breads piling up in the house - try this out!  You'll be a hero, I promise!

Simply Ramen - Albany, OR (Review)

Never heard of this restaurant?  We hadn't either! Simply Ramen seems to have opened their doors quietly and sneaked onto the restaurant scene in our town!

Of course the minute we heard about it, we had to try it!

Just South of the Queen & Geary intersection at 1800 Geary Street SE, there it is!  It's quaint and unassuming, but don't let its size fool you:  this little noodle restaurant packs a punch!

They are open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:00 to 3:00 for lunch, then again from 4:30 to 8:30 for dinner.

We arrived during the dinner rush and were surprised that it was so busy.  It's been open less than a month and we had only just heard of it.  We couldn't find a website or a Facebook page, just a few Yelp! reviews.

We were seated promptly, brought our menus and drinks.  While the menu is a single laminated card, the plethora of choices you'll find there will amaze you.  Don't assume you'll be making a decision about what to order quickly.  Yes, Ramen seems to be their specialty, but other Asian favorites are available as well.  Things you probably consider to be favorites, such as Chow Mein, Potstickers, Pad Thai, Fried Rice, Chicken Teriyaki.  But mix in some things Albanyites don't see in our town often, like Seaweed Salad, Korean Short Ribs, KimChi Fried Rice, Singaporean Noodles....Miso Soup!  There hasn't been a decent Miso Soup in Albany for .... has there ever?

Miso Soup

Which brings me to the food we ordered.  Yes, we started with Miso Soup!  Miso Soup is something I've always loved and outside of Portland and Eugene....I haven't experienced a great one.  Until now. Ladies and Gentleman!  Albany has finally brought us Miso Soup! Luscious seaweed pieces, abundant tofu, savory broth....Alright, I'll shut up about it but if I can go on and on about my appetizer choice ... imagine the Entrees....

Brownie ordered the House Signature Pad Thai with chicken.  The color was beautiful and for the rest of the meal I wished I could enjoy peanuts with pasta.  The noodles were light and silky and the peanuts were crushed, which gives this dish a nice

Pad Thai w/Chicken

balance in texture.

I chose to try the Singaporean Noodles with beef.  These are stir-fried, curry-flavored rice noodles with just enough heat to tickle your senses. They did get a bit sticky as they sat and cooled, but I hardly cared as flavor is always my priority and that was on point.

Singaporean Noodles w/Beef

We had to try the Ramen as well since the restaurant's name suggests this is their specialty.  And that assumption would be correct!  I tried the Signature Ramen with Chashu Pork (as in:  Pork Belly.  as in:  BACON!)  The noodles were perfect ramen, the pork was flavorful, my egg was
delicious and the broth....oh dear sweet baby whoever-your-chosen-savior-is!  There could not have been more umami flooding my mouth; rich, succulent, buttery... my taste buds were dancing like fools.  If you can't decide on what to order, this would be my suggestion.

Signature Ramen w/Chashu Pork

Brownie's ramen choice was the Blend Chili Spicy Ramen with Chashu Pork and Shrimp Tempura.  Do I have to choose which one I liked better? Because in a spicy mood, this is utter perfection.  Not spicy enough to burn your mouth or make you sweat, but the perfect amount to keep you excited while the underlying richness of the broth soothes your palate.  I would have left the pork out and just got the shrimp with this, it was a perfect pairing.  But ... choose your proteins as you wish!

Blend Chili Spicy Ramen w/Shrimp
Tempura & Chashu Pork

The service in the restaurant is efficient, the staff is very friendly and helpful with the menu, clearing your table...as we watched other patrons leave, the staff was right behind them, cleaning the tables and ready to seat the next customer.

The portions here are large, so be ready to take home leftovers!  But in our opinion, there is no such portion as 'too much.'  Come hungry!  They boxed up our leftover food for us and even let us take home our extra broth and soup; we were thankful, because that stuff is liquid gold!

The space has obviously been remodeled and is clean and fresh, including the bathrooms.  What!?  We have to check those for you too!  The kitchen is open, so you can see them cooking the food and there is nothing to hide. The atmosphere is that of a bustling noodle joint designed to efficiently serve delectable food to as many people in a day as possible.  I appreciate the focus on the food and the casual atmosphere.  I leaned over to my neighbor's tables more than once to ogle their food and ask what it was they were trying.

Overall, we think this restaurant is a breath of fresh air for Albany!  It's been so long since we got any new flavor in this town and we're so happy it's authentic and good quality Asian-inspired!  We need to branch out and bring more food culture!  We love the path this is leading us down, bring us more!

Okay, now the rating.  The part we dislike the most.  We think this restaurant is exactly what it's trying to be and nothing more or less.  Clean, efficient, customer-oriented, excellent food, terrible parking....it has everything a good restaurant should have!  We give Simply Ramen 5 stars on the Brownifer Scale.  You saw that right.  Five.  Nothing wins us over like umami.

If you haven't tried our new favorite Albany dinner stop, then you will soon because everyone will be raving about this little place in no time.  Go enjoy some noodles done right and be sure to tell us how much you loved it.  Because you will!

Welcome to Albany, Simply Ramen!

Grandma's Banana Bread

This is the banana bread recipe my grandmother made my entire life.  There is no better way of using up over-ripe bananas in my opinion.  We so often have brown bananas since none of us like them once they start to brown.

Up to bat:  Thing #5!  She was excited to make this with me but once we started, she wouldn't let me help.  Our little baker.  She's getting pretty good at this stuff!

So here it is, the family Banana Bread recipe that came from who-knows-where and everyone loves!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 Cups Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Butter, softened
• 2 Eggs
• 1 1/2 Cps Mashed VERY ripe bananas (3-4 medium)
• 1/2 Cup Buttermilk
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 1/2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
• 1 Teaspoon Salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 Degrees
• Grease bottom of pan(s) - use (2) 8x4-inch loaf pans or (1) 9x5-inch loaf pan
• In a large bowl, beat together butter & sugar.
• Add to bowl:  eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. (also a great time to pick out any banana peels that children may have missed when peeling the bananas!  Yes, it happened.)
• Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened.
• Pour batter in to pan(s)
• Bake 8-inch loaves 1 hour, 9-inch loaf 1 1/4 hours or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Cool 10 minutes
• Loosen sides of loaves from pans, remove and place on a cooling rack for about an hour before slicing.

Since we have so many over-ripe bananas in the freezer.... we may experiment with other things to do with this bread!  Stay tuned!