Month: October 2022

Burger Crew meeting called to order on Saturday, October 14, 2022 at 12:30pm (Angela’s pick).

Members in attendance: Angela d. Trev Y., Wayne T., Innie C., and-a-me, DK
Sliders in attendance: Marty
Special guest: Marissa G.

I. Ordering

Nice Burger lives up to its name – 75% of its menu is served between buns! They’ve got a little something for everyone: a breakfast burger, a BBQ burger, one with a pineapple on it, even a Big Mac clone. All appetites are welcome.

Here’s what we ordered:
– Trev and Wayne got the Big Guy (cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles, thousand island)
– Innie got the Jalapeno Burger (lettuce, cheese, jalapeno)
– Angela got the Nice Burger (cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mayo, ketchup) w/ a gluten-free bun and no mayo
– Marty got the Jr. Cheeseburger (cheese, onions, pickle, ketchup, mustard)
– And I got the Mexicali (Nice Burger w/ bacon, guacamole, jalapeno, chipotle sauce)

II. Burgers

The buns were excellent. If you’ll excuse the football analogy, they were like an offensive line. Something about not noticing them when they’re doing well, blah blah sports stuff. Angela in particular, with her temporary dietary restrictions, said this was one of the better gluten-free buns she’s had. Nice praise! The fellas that ordered the Big Guy (the Big Mac clone) both expressed their dissatisfaction that the middle bun was in fact a bottom bun! Their disappointment was immeasurable and their days ruined.

The Beyond patties received mostly great reviews. Again, the Big Guy dudes expressed their disdain for the mostly mushy texture, however the rest of us though the patties tasted great and had a nice sear, especially the crispy bits on the outer edges. The “cheese” was impressively good, much better than the vegan cheeses we’ve had in the past. God bless all of you cheese technologists out there!

The overall composition of each burger was great. Each appeared to be well designed and balanced, offering a different style in addition to their flavor profiles. The Big Guy was soft and tender, the Spicy Burger and Mexicali had pockets of crunchy bits (both with fantastic distribution of jalapenos), and I forgot to write down what Angela and Marty said about theirs. Guess I didn’t think it was important enough to capture in my notes! But Angela was overall impressed and Marty’s a child whose opinions don’t really matter.

III. Sides

The sides were fried in soy bean oil and they came out great. The tots were crunchy and remained crunchy throughout the meal. The fries were nice and crispy. Each side comes with a sauce and those were fantastic, the ranch and chipotle especially. Don’t skip the sides!

IV. Miscellaneous

Nice Burger has multiple locations. The Long Beach spot is the latest and it’s located conveniently by a Metro station, so you have no excuse not to go unless you’re homeless and don’t have the funds. The seating is limited (indoor only) and even though it’s not mentioned on their Yelp page, there was a doggy sitting next to us so they appear to be dog-friendly. There’s plenty of parking, just don’t mind the dude living next to the dumpster.

V. Value

The members were asked how much they would pay for their burgers. Our answers ranged from $9 to $12.50, a little less than their actual prices.

VI. Verdict

Pretty good for vegan burgers! This kind of food gets me pumped. I’m hopeful that in our lifetime, we’ll have great tasting and super affordable vegan burgers. The ratings ranged from 3.7 to 4.1.

Next Burger Crew meeting will be held at TBD on November 12, 2022.

Burger Crew Meeting called to order on Saturday, September 24, 2022 at 6pm (Wayne’s Pick – but really my pick 😎)

Members in attendance: Angela d. (that’s me!), Sumana S., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis K., and Innie C.

Slider members in attendance: Marty d.-Y. and Ellis d.-Y.

I. Ordering
So here’s the menu:

I am currently dealing with breastfeeding a babe with some sensitivities. Therefore, I had to get my burger sans cheese and supply my own gluten free bun. So I ordered a double hamburger (usually $12).

Trev ordered two doubles (one cheeseburger [usually $12] and one Oklahoma fried-onion cheeseburger [usually $14]).

Innie ordered an Oklahoma fried-onion cheeseburger single (usually $10).

DK ordered a single cheeseburger (usually $8) and a double cheeseburger (usually $12).

Sumana ordered a double Oklahoma fried-onion cheeseburger (usually $14) and a triple cheeseburger (usually $16).

Wayne in pure Wayne fashion ordered a single Oklahoma fried-onion cheeseburger (usually $10), a double cheeseburger (usually $12), a triple cheeseburger (usually $16), and a quad cheeseburger (usually $20).

II. The Burgers
The overwhelming consensus was that the regular cheeseburgers were WAY better than the Oklahoma fried-onion cheeseburgers. The onions on the Oklahoma burgers were thin and not cooked particularly well. They were stringy and not caramelized. There was also an observation that the onion burgers were kept on the grill the same amount of time as the regular cheeseburgers, which doesn’t help it get charred enough.

The cheeseburgers were pretty good smash patties. The doubles had the best meat-to-bun ratio and also won’t kill you with an excess of meat (*cough cough* Wayne *cough cough*). Mark Tripp is a real burger purest and loves his meat blend. As such, you have to dress the burger yourself. He puts out pickles, onions, ketchup, and mustard. I didn’t know that there were pickles!! I’m kicking myself for that mistake!

They used Martin’s potato buns. The burgers were great right off the grill. The cheese was gooey and had a nice sear. DK and I both thought the patties could have used a bit more seasoning, but the meaty flavor was there.

I will have to qualify my opinions by saying that I did not have a representative experience of the burger. Mine sat out for a while because I was preoccupied with my tiny human. I also didn’t know about the pickles. AND I had a gluten free bun, which we all know is NOT the same. In addition, I asked for a hamburger, but I guess I should have been more explicit and asked for no cheese. I failed to notice said cheese and ate it. Cue fussy baby and green 💩

III. The Sides
These were Lay’s potato chips. Nothing to write home about.

IV. Miscellaneous
So we have been trying to try Tripp Burgers for a long time, but because it’s a pop up, it’s hard to find them! So for Trev’s 40th birthday, I decided to throw a big party. And the obvious choice for food was burgers!

I contacted them about 6 months prior to our party date. Exchanged a few emails with Mark and then sent him the money! At that time, there was a $850 minimum and a 20% gratuity and sales tax. They serve for 2 hours. They keep track of how many burgers are ordered and then bill the balance if you go over the minimum.

The arrived with a cute little cart and griddle. Burgers took about 20 to 30 minutes to come out. It was a little confusing where to get your burger once your name was called. Mark is all about the meat and is definitely more a “back of house” guy rather than a “front of house” guy. He was a bit short with everyone and we all kind of felt like we were inconveniencing him with our presence. I didn’t take it personally. I figured that’s just how he is.

Chris and Innie have been to one of their pop ups and service was faster when they went. But as previously mentioned, they’re hard to track down!

V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for a double cheeseburger. We would pay anywhere from $8 to $10.50. So we thought they were a bit overpriced.

VI. The Verdict
Fun times at the party! Get the cheeseburger instead of the Oklahoma fried-onion cheeseburger. The ratings: 2.0, 2.9, 3.1, 3.4, 4.2, and 4.3.

Next burger crew meeting: Saturday, October 15th at 12:30pm – Nice Burger 100% Vegan – Long Beach.