On this corner we have Teddy's Bigger Burgers. Opened on April 1988, Teddy's goal was to bring back the 50's style burger joint to Hawaii. I remember trying my first burger at Teddy's and I have always maintained that they have the best burgers on the island (at least, so far). On the other corner is the Honolulu Burger Company. Fairly new, I stumbled across this place while driving on a very busy main road in Honolulu. I finally got to try the place just today. Here's a breakdown of my opinion...
- The ground meat...I believe both Teddy's and Honolulu BC uses 80/20 ground chuck. Fatty and full of flavor, it is the perfect ground beef for a hearty burger. No, it's not healthy. But if you are going to have a good burger, you have to do the 80/20. Save the leaner burgers for at home. lol Both Teddy's and Honolulu BC cook their patties well. I order medium and I got medium.
- The bun...A good bun is like using good rice when making sushi. At Honolulu BC, I was pleasantly surprised that you could choose between three kinds of buns...white, whole wheat and taro. I went for the taro bun. It was fresh. However, as fresh as it was, it didn't really have the "bunpower" needed to hold up the fillings. It was toasted on the inside but got pretty soggy and soaked rather quickly. Later, you will see why. Teddy's uses the infamous potato bun. Yes, it is the only choice but it was both fresh and had the bunpower it needed for such a hearty burger.
- Special Sauce...Both places have their own special sauce and both are similar to a Russian-style dressing. However, Honolulu BC's sauce seemed to breakdown a little when the meat hit the sauce. So the grease kinda made it hard to really tell how good it was. Teddy's sauce seems to hold up better. I can't remember though if Teddy's puts their sauce away from the burger. I will have to take notice the next time I go.
- Price and value...Price wise, both Teddy's and Honolulu BC are pretty close. I believe Honolulu BC is little more costly, depending on the type of burger you got. Teddy's definitely has more value because their burgers are bigger in size. The smallest burger Teddy's serves is the 5 oz and they also have the 7 and 9oz! Honolulu burger company's burger was not even 5 oz...at least I think so. I didn't seem all that big in size.
- What I ordered...At Teddy's I usually order the original burger which is simply lettuce, tomato, onions and special sauce. The original is great if you don't like the fancier burgers. I do occasionally get the Hawaiian burger. The burger is topped with teriyaki sauce and has a thick slice of pineapple as well. It's pretty good. The sauce is just right and the pineapple is fresh. Although Teddy's has a variety of burger concoctions to choose from, the Honolulu BC was supposedly known to have some unique combinations. Indeed they did. When I scanned the menu, I was determined to try something different. I decided on the pastele spring roll burger. Google pastele. lol In a nutshell, it was a burger topped with a pastele spring role, chimichurri sauce, grilled onions and their special sauce. If that sounds really unhealthy, let me tell you, it IS unhealthy. lol I should have known. Not only do you have the grease of the 80/20, you have the grease of a deep fried spring roll and the mayo-based special sauce. The chimichurri sauce was good though. And the grilled onions was also oily. The burger definitely was screaming for something light on it...some tomato maybe?
The Fries...Honolulu BC's fries are skinnier and they also have an option for sweet potato fries. It was good. My only complaint is that is was a little over salted. Teddy's fries is a medium cut. I have to say I like Teddy's fries better.
Well, after all of that the winner is pretty obvious don't you think? Now yes, I only tried Honolulu BC only once. But my hubby didn't like what he ordered either and it was the first time I saw him NOT finish a burger! He ordered the teriyaki burger with kimchee. He too said that it was too greasy and that their was very little teriyaki sauce on the burger. He actually put ketchup and mustard on his burger! He never does that. lol! And to make things harder, because the bun didn't have the bunpower it needed, it was too soggy. Burgers like this need a good bun that can hold up to these kinds of ingredients. And please if you are going to have a mayo-based sauce, DO NOT put it on the bottom with the burger. It's best to put it on the top or anywhere away from the burger so the grease from the patty doesn't get into the sauce.
Teddy's is definitely hearty and by no means is it a diet burger. But you do leave feeling a little less heavy. I left Honolulu BC feeling like a ton of bricks. Will I ever try Honolulu BC again? I would say no...not for those prices. But if you decide to give Honolulu BC a try, stick to something simple and try a traditional burger before trying any of those fancy ones. If the traditional burger is not to your liking, then the fancier ones will most likely not work for you either.
Teddy's Bigger Burgers http://teddysbiggerburgers.com/about-us.html
Honolulu Burger Company http://www.honoluluburgerco.com/
Aloha and happy burger hopping!
0 comments:
Post a Comment