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Two-handed temptations

Craving a giant, juicy burger? Take your pick

John Lehndorff, Rocky Mountain News

Published August 11, 2006 at midnight

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Burgers are us.

No matter how gourmet we get, or how many upscale bistros we frequent, the lure of the all-beef patty with melted orange cheese on a soft bun still stirs our sirloins.

That said, many Americans, in particular aging baby boomers, have steadily decreased their burger consumption in the past decade.

However, decreased is not deceased. Despite dire dietary, obesity and environmental warnings and various health scares regarding beef, we still crave the occasional indulgence.

The thinking goes something like this:

"If I'm only going to eat one burger a week or a month, it might as well be a really great burger."

Maybe that explains why a slew of new chains dishing bigger, better hamburgers have proliferated in the Denver area in the past few years.

Some of these burger joints, including Icon, Old School and Good Times are Colorado-born, while Cheeburger Cheeburger, Cheesy Jane's, Fatburger and Culver's are primarily regional favorites, and they're seeding franchises locally in new lifestyle malls.

The epicenter of the burger boom seems to be south metro communities such as Centennial, Lone Tree, Englewood and Highlands Ranch.

Some of these family-friendly chains are drive-up only, some offer table service and others are quick casual where you order at the counter. But they all share some critical characteristics that separate them from the familiar fast food outlets.

First and foremost, they serve much tastier burgers made from higher-quality beef that's fresh, not frozen. The patties, often hand-formed, are usually cooked to order on flat grills and dished in a better bun with sliced, not chopped, tomatoes and onion. The fries are usually fresh and the shakes made from scooped ice cream, not soft serve.

These burgers cost more - sometimes a lot more - and are served quickly, but never fast. And that makes all the difference, as we discovered during a month-long sampling of the burgers at these new-wave establishments.

At each eatery, we ordered one or two of the bigger cheeseburgers available and set to work. We ordered them medium or medium rare where we could (and mostly we couldn't) and with American cheese because, well, this is America.

We tasted the patties to see how good the beef was alone, focusing on aroma, temperature, texture and seasoning. In the final analysis, we doffed our white lab coats and chomped down on said burger to see if it provided complete burger pleasure, including the bun, patties and toppings.

For comparison's sake, we stuck to the basics: lettuce, tomato, pickle and mayo. We usually had fries and a shake, too, but only as palate-cleansers.

When we brushed the final crumbs from our shirts, there was no doubt in our mouths that Cheeburger Cheeburger was No. 1. The company serves great, juicy burgers, not tasteless, gray meat-food pucks.

Our survey included some longtime local favorites such as Grandpa's Burger Haven, but not the great restaurant burgers available in Denver at places like 1515, the Avenue Grill and Trinity Grill. They are a different breed.

In fairness, we felt we should at least taste the burgers at the major chains to provide a baseline for comparison. We did our duty and lived to regret the experience.

It is true that Carl's Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger is the best of the true fast-food burgers with juicier meat, fresh sliced toppings and choice of cheese. The Sonic Drive-In Double Sonic with cheese beats the offerings at the Big Three, but that's not saying much.

Burger King's Quadruple BK Stacker has only size in its favor. Wendy's isn't the juicy burger it once claimed to be, and McDonald's Big and Tasty is neither large nor delicious. None of the fast-food offerings could hold a candle to the burgers at the new establishments.

After our tasting marathon, we have a few suggestions for getting a better burger. At the eateries that offer to cook your burger to order, beg them to leave it on the medium-rare side of medium to retain the all-important juiciness. Offer to sign a release form. Also, many places habitually overdo the salt on burgers. Ask them not too.

We didn't pay much attention to ambience, but we did notice an obsession with '50s and '60s nostalgia at these restaurants. It's a faux-retro yearning for an idyllic burger experience that was rarely available.

Truth be told, the burgers reviewed on these pages are much tastier than the ones that were sold a half century or so ago. These are the good old days, burgerwise, in Denver.

We invite News readers to share their burger thoughts at .

Burger joints

CHEEBURGER CHEEBURGER

• Grade: A

• Address: 11290 S. Twenty Mile Road, Parker; opening in Park Meadows in October

• Information: 303-840-3839;

• Price: $6.79 for ½-pound Serious cheeseburger

• Comments: John Belushi's ghost must be arching a thick eyebrow over the name of this chain, copped from his Saturday Night Live routine, but it does serve a righteous burger. Freshly ground Creekstone Farms-certified Angus beef is hand-formed into crumbly edged patties. The flat-grilled burger is cooked to temperature, sort of, because they will only do medium, medium-well and well-done. The resulting burger is a mouth-filling joy exuding tons of juice and great flavor. We needed the roll of paper towels that sat on our table. Kudos also for the eatery's custom-baked, toasted chewy kaiser bun, the finest we encountered in our research.

A choice of 24 free toppings is offered including: two onion rings; guacamole; banana peppers; chopped garlic; artichoke hearts; plus tomato, lettuce, pickle and Tabasco. There are eight cheeses available ranging from American and jalapeño to blue and feta.

We loved the big portions of excellent peanut oil-fried, skin-on fresh fries and 58 hand-scooped ice cream shake and malt flavors.

We could have lived without the pimento-stuffed green olive toothpicked into the top of the bun. Also, serving a burger with a knife and fork is a sacrilege.

Note: For big eaters, the menu is topped by one of the biggest burgers available: The 20-ounce Pounder ($9.99).

CHEESY JANE'S

• Grade: A-

• Address: 7822 Park Meadows Drive, Lone Tree

• Information: 303-858-1144;

• Price: $5.95 for ½ Pounder

• Comments: A gently hand-packed patty of 100 percent ground chuck cooked to order on a flat grill makes this a first-class burger full of fine beef flavor. While the menu claims the kitchen won't cook the burger less than medium-well, if you ask the manager nicely you can get it medium-rare and quite juicy. It's topped with a choice of six types of cheese including Swiss and provolone and slid into a good, toasted bun. Vegetable toppings including lettuce are chopped, not sliced, making it messier and less flavorful than it might be. Extra toppings available include guacamole (75 cents), grilled onions (50 cents), green chiles (55 cents) and bacon (75 cents). We liked the sizzling fries, Spicy Splinters (of onion and jalapeño) and chunky tater tots. Cheesy Jane's also whips up a top-notch espresso shake made with Robinson Dairy ice cream.

One big plus: a small menu of beers, wine and margaritas.

Note: The menu is topped with The Big One Pounder ($8.50)

OLD SCHOOL BURGERS

• Grade: B+

• Address: 18695 E. Stage Run Road, Parker; 901 W. Hampden Ave., Englewood

• Information: 303-805-7945 Parker; 303-789-1174 Englewood;

• Price: $5.79 for Double Old School Cheeseburger meal

• Comments: Old School doesn't do extra-thick burgers, but it still serves an excellent-tasting product. The fresh, certified Angus beef patties are cooked to order, albeit well-done, on a flat grill and we appreciate the extra-thick American cheese slices. Complimentary grilled onions take this surprisingly juicy burger up a significant flavor notch as does the mayo-based "special house spread." Tomato and iceberg lettuce are sliced, not chopped. We're also fans of the fresh, hand-cut, skin-on spuds and classic scooped root beer floats.

CULVER'S FROZEN CUSTARD AND BUTTERBURGERS

• Grade: B+

• Address: 918 S. Lemay Ave., Fort Collins; two stores in Colorado Springs; soon in Thornton and Greeley

• Information: 1-970-493-3639 (Fort Collins);

• Price: $4.19 for Jumbo Deluxe

• Comments: This longtime Midwestern staple is making rapid inroads in Colorado with a superior thin-patty burger. The blend of fresh ground chuck and sirloin is griddled until crisply well-done, adding caramelized notes to the lightly salted, stellar beef flavor. The ButterBurger - cooked to order and delivered to the table - gets its name from its large bun brushed with butter before toasting. The Jumbo Deluxe with American cheese is an ample mouth-filler that layers three nicely fatty patties that stick out half an inch from the bun. No Culver's visit is complete without a taste of the company's first-class frozen custard with a particularly craveable, creamier texture. Culver's offers a much wider menu than most of the other burger places, including fried chicken as well as appealing sides such as fried cheese curds.

ICON BURGER

• Grade: B+

• Address: 2755 Dagny Way, Lafayette

• Information: 303-926-9700;

• Price: $7.99 for Double Icon with cheese and fries

• Comments: Although Icon Burger only operates one store, its reputation is spreading rapidly. The 1/3-pound patties of fresh, certified natural, ground chuck are griddle-cooked to order. They are tucked in a better-than-average bun with addictive mustardy mayo "goop" and quality sliced iceberg lettuce, tomato and red onion. Although thin and cooked medium to medium-well, they have a great beef taste and are juicy enough to need the roll of paper towels set on each table. We're a tad miffed that cheese is 50 cents extra, but we're glad that bacon (80 cents) and fried egg ($1) are available for making the burgers extra-iconic. Sides include fine onion rings; good, scratch-made shakes; and apple pie a la mode. It's a very satisfying, sit-down burger experience enhanced by beer, wine and liquor selections including Guinness Stout.

FATBURGER

• Grade: B

• Address: 14221 E. Cedar Ave., Aurora; 8255 S. Chester St., Centennial; 9344 Dorchester St., Highlands Ranch; also in Colorado Springs

• Information: 303-363-6996 Aurora; 303-790-9501 Centennial; 303-683-3280 Highlands Ranch;

• Price: $7.19 for Double Kingburger with cheese

• Comments: Fatburger is one of the few places that offers burgers flat-grilled or charbroiled. For our money, flat-grilled is infinitely superior flavorwise especially with patties this thin because it retains the juice. These formed patties made from fresh beef do have an appealing flavor but are so lean they don't yield a lot of juice. Again, cheese is 80 cents extra and the burgers improve with the addition of a fried egg (80 cents), bacon (90 cents) and mayo. We do love the great, hot, slightly sweet onion rings. The menu liner notes: "Restaurant critics keep naming us the best burger in town, but you don't care about those guys." This critic won't be doing that. The "fresh-baked" buns didn't taste appreciably better than the standard item. The patties are not particularly juicy, and the lettuce and tomato are chopped, not sliced. Calling itself "The Last Great Hamburger Stand" is a boast Fatburger's food does not support.

GOOD TIMES BURGERS & FROZEN CUSTARD

• Grade: B-

• Address: Various metro and Front Range locations

• Information:

• Price: $3.29 for Double Good Times Cheeseburger

• Comments: For a fast-food chain, Colorado-based Good Times serves a surprisingly tasty burger made with fresh, natural Coleman beef. The patties are reasonably moist but always cooked very well-done. The bun is fairly standard, but we appreciate the leaf lettuce and tomato and red onion slices. We've become big fans of the chain's excellent silky frozen custard, especially in the form of the add-in-packed Spoonbender. Good Times is drive-up or takeout only, so plan on eating behind the wheel.

GRANDPA'S BURGER HAVEN

• Grade: C+

• Address: 23 S. Federal Blvd., Denver

• Information: 303-936-4463

• Price: $6.97 for Double steak burger with cheese

• Comments: A genuine artifact of an earlier Denver burger era, Grandpa's offers no drive-up window or inside seating, just 6-inch-wide thin patties on huge squishy buns. The large or small flat-grilled burgers come in single, double and triple versions. The singles are so thin they're almost just a condiment. The double steak burger is the best tasting of the bunch with a pretty good flavor for the price and oodles of taste bud-satiating fat, juice and American cheese. The fries are blah and frozen, but this is the kind of unpretentious, old-fashioned burger encounter that leaves you smiling even as you forget what you just ate.

John Lehndorff is the dining critic; or 303-954-5103.