Bennigan's at the Berkshire Mall

As you can see by the dates, we haven't rated a burger in eons. Beef Boy and I have decided to get back into the cloak and dagger, but before we can, we need to take care of some unfinished business...


Back on May 9, 2009, Beef Boy and I went with the Nebraskan Nymph to do a review of a burger at Bennigan's. We all hadn't been there, so thought it would be a good place for us to do our first burger together.

You may remember my discussing the Nebraskan Nymph's superior knowledge of meat, so I was really looking forward to a review with her.

Alas, the end result was less than stellar. Hence the lack of enthusiasm and profusion of procrastination in this review. I am going to make it short, but not so sweet...

We asked for the most popular burger, which ended up being the Guinness Glazed Bacon Cheeseburger - "A juicy grilled beef patty brushed with our Guinness Stout Glaze and topped with bacon, cheddar cheese, crispy fried onions, lettuce, tomato, and pickles. Served with a side of Guinness Stout Glaze. $8.99" We were asked how we wanted it cooked. Beef Boy went with the sesame bun, but I asked for a wheat bun. The first is his, the second... mine.


The Nebraskan Nymph decided to go with something different, the American Burger without the cheese on the sesame seed bun. She had decided to really test the meat factor in their creation of a rated burger.


All came with onions sliced thin, tomato slices, 3 pieces of bacon, on a bun that was toasted on the grill. The burgers appeared to have a nice sear and were not hand formed, but were not frozen cookie cutter burgers either. The buns except for mine seemed to fit the burger fine. The wheat one was a bit small.

NN's burger arrived past medium and she felt it was "old beef" that had been stored. It was pretty to look at, but the taste was not that good. "Not fresh meat". She was heartily disappointed, since she had such expectation of the meat from the menu description.

BB and I thought the sauce was tasty, but overpowered the rest of the burger. The patty itself was cooked close to medium. My bun fell apart.

The fries were delicious. They were crispy, properly fried and nicely salty.

We will be dragging the Nebraskan Nymph out again in the very near future to a more swanky place, so we will have a better shot at a better rating... Somewhere in South County... You have no choice NN, you are coming!

Unfortunately, it is not a Coca-Cola establishment.

Bennigan's Grill & Tavern
The Berkshire Mall
655 Cheshire Rd
Lanesboro, MA 01237
(413) 445-5300

The Nebraskan Nymph's rating is:


Our rating is:

Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant

I work with a very smart, very witty, and entertaining individual who will here be known as The Bacon Baron. He loves creating and consuming fabulous food and has an excellent palate, so when he any his lovely wife traveled to Toronto, Canada to Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant and offered up a burger review I was thrilled to include it as an entry. It is reviewed as follows:

Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant


After a day of touring the Hockey Hall of Fame where else does one eat but at "Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant"? The atmosphere is everything you would expect. One side is flashy sports bar, the other sit-down dining, both adorned with ample memorabilia and hockey decor.

My dish of choice was The "Great One" Burger; the house burger and restaurant favorite as denoted by the "99" next to the menu listing.


The 1/2 pound patty almost filled the onion kaiser rolled on which it was served leaving just enough edge to give you some grip without leaving you wanting for meat. Topped with 2 strips of crispy (I prefer mine chewy, but didn't really mind) bacon and a thick slab of Canadian cheddar cheese, this burger is served with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion on the side as well as an ample heap of thick cut fries.

The bun was fresh and the onion subtle. The burger was cooked to well-done, but remained moist. I was not asked how I wanted it cooked and I wonder if either Canadian law or restaurant policy only allows well-done. The lettuce (green leaf) was serviceable, not the best I've ever seen, but good. The tomato was served in two thin-cut (the way I like it) slices and, like the lettuce, was nothing special, but certainly edible. The pickle was one large crisp slice of pickle that fit surprisingly well on the burger. The onion was two very small rings of raw red onion which I opted to leave off, although I doubt I would have even tasted them they were so scant.

I was offered ketchup, yellow mustard, and relish as condiments. I opted for a small amount of ketchup and yellow mustard.

What does one expect of the food at a theme restaurant? I was ready for disappointment. To my surprise, it was love at first bite. I don't know exactly what it was. The patty was probably a different kind of beef than I am used to, maybe even locally Canadian grown, I'm not sure, and it was definitely seasoned with just a hint of something. It tasted like maybe just a touch of salt and pepper, but could have been whatever was stuck to the griddle for all I know or care. Even the ketchup was different, better. I looked at the label and saw that it was sweetened with white sugar instead of corn syrup, and I could definitely taste the difference. The bottom line was that it was delicious, one of the top 2 or 3 burgers I have ever eaten. Truly this burger has the right to call itself the "Great One".

As a side note, being that this is Wayne Gretzky's restaurant and Wayne is of Polish descent, one of the menu items was "Grandma Gretzky's Pierogies". Being one of my wife's favorite foods, she ordered it without hesitation, a decision that earned the approval of our waitress. Stuffed with potato and cheddar cheese, they were deep fried and served on a bed of sauteed onions and bacon. I want to say that again in case anyone missed it the first time. Stuffed with potato and cheddar cheese, they were deep fried and served on a bed of sauteed onions and bacon. Has ever there been a more delicious string of letters in the English language? My only regret is that I could only eat one of these amazing creations.

I regret to inform you that Wayne Gretzky's is a Pepsi establishment.

99 Blue Jays Way, Toronto, Ontario M5V 9G9
Tel: 416 979-PUCK (7825)

Ozzie's Steak & Eggs

As you will see by the time gap, life has interfered with Beef Boy's and my quest to find the best burger in the Berkshires. It has been very frustrating that we haven't had an opportunity for a while to go out on a succulent mission. Hopefully in the Spring, we will be able to consistently get back in the saddle so to speak.

As I was thinking of where our next tasting should be, I remembered how "The Wild Rover" is addicted and obsessed with Ozzie's Steak & Eggs, an eatery in Hinsdale. They serve breakfast all day, lunch, and dinner. Remembering his glow from drinking the Ozzie kool-aid, I suggested to Beef Boy that we end our Black Friday shopping with a burger there. Needless to say, he was in immediate agreement. He too missed hearing the leather creak of the saddle.

It took us a bit to find, since I thought it was in Windsor, but a very helpful cashier at a convenience store gave me excellent directions, even around a bridge being out and a convoluted detour. We finally arrived at the establishment, with it's humble facade. Inside, it felt like a cozy diner.

Beef Boy and I checked out the menu and asked what their signature burger was. The waitress informed us that it would be the 10 oz. Ozzie Burger that was part of the "Jumbo Burger" section, but since it was early in the day "We would probably prefer the 6 oz. version."

Silly girl... We both ordered the 10 oz. version, with mine being served on a boulé roll and his being on Texas toast. According to the menu, the Ozzie Burger is made of Black Angus beef with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise and costs $8.50.

The menu also states that it comes with a side of "Rail Fries", but we were given the option of tater tots, which Beef Boy opted for. I stuck with the fries. We were happy to be asked how we wanted them cooked and went with our usual "medium" and American cheese.

The burgers arrived as you see it above. Both burgers arrived with 3 slices of tomato, 3 slices of bacon, and iceberg lettuce. Three pickle slices were included on the side. The patties were hand formed and griddle cooked. Beef Boy's Texas Toast was buttered and grilled and a great size for the burger. My boulé roll was griddle toasted and seemed a bit too big, but stood up to heartiness of the burger.

Upon biting into my burger, it was medium on the side of rare. His was pretty medium. The tomatoes and lettuce were fresh and the bacon was nicely cooked to a beautiful crisp. These burgers were big suckers! The fries were made in house and were appropriately salted. The tater tots were fabulous. Crisp, crunchy, and not greasy.

We enjoyed the meal greatly. Of course, as usual, Beef Boy did get the better burger, with the incredible Texas toast. We recommend going with that for the bread choice. It was incredibly decadent and easily sliced about 6 months off of his life. Yummy!!!

Beef Boy and I agreed on a rating of 4 1/2 burgers, after calculating an average from his 4 3/4 and my 4 1/4 rating.

We are thrilled to report it is a Coca-Cola establishment. We will be going back for breakfast. It is their specialty and they make homemade hash. Yowza!

Ozzie's Steak and Eggs
26 Maple Street
Hinsdale, MA 01040
(413) 655-8309

The Shack

On another day during our sojourn in Alabama, the Major Promotable Troubadour took us to a local burger joint in Marion, AL, the town where we were staying and the place where MPT grew up. It was The Shack.

This place was all about the atmosphere. Beef Boy and I walked in with MPT and you would have thought we walked in with Elvis. Everybody and their brother seems to want to greet our Julie McCoy and it was really nice to see community in action.

After much approbation, the three of us decided to have a seat on the deck. The two natives that I was with love the heat... well actually, I don't even know if they noticed the heat! We ordered a nice cold beverage and obligatory burger. MPT and I ordered onion rings and Beef Boy had his fries. No choice was given to us in the cooking of the burger. The burgers were $3.50.

The burgers arrived as you see above. The were blanketed in a standard hamburg bun, that was a good size for the burger and it was nicely toasted. The patty, which had a nice sear and seemed to be cooked on a griddle, was hand formed and rested on yellow American cheese, a tomato slice, a slice of onion, 3 leaves of iceberg lettuce, and a pickle. I wonder if it is a Southern thing that the burger is on top of the extras and condiments? I have never seen this done and in both Alabama establishments this was the burger construction.

Upon delving into the burger, we noted that it was cooked just past medium. It seemed moist, but we actually couldn't tell if the moistness came from the beef patty or the condiments and tomato.

The star of the show for me were the vidalia onion rings, which were crispy, delicious, and huge. I love onion rings, but rarely indulge in them, so this was quite a treat! Beef Boys fries were krinkle cut, good, and typical joe fries.

I do have to say that the plates were scary, but I decided to consider this part of The Shack's charm.

Our initial rating was going to be 3 burgers, but upon seeing the sign below, we couldn't help but give it an extra 1/4 burger for the sentiment.

Unfortunately, as you can see by The Shack's sign, it is not a Coca-Cola establishment.

The Shack
Route 3
Marion, AL 36756
(334) 683-8966

Pearson's Diner - Fatman's Smokehouse BBQ

I am not sure if I mentioned that Beef Boy is not originally from the Berks. He is actually a native of Aliceville, Alabama and moved here due to his red hot lusty desire to marry and grow old with moi. For some strange, demented reason, he thinks I am smokin'! Of course I think he is ever so dreamy, so the feeling I guess is mutual.

We recently went down to visit his family and had an outstanding time. We stayed with his warm, witty, and thoroughly charming, sister and handsome and stoically funny brother-in-law in Marion. They will be hence forth referred to as the Dame of Dixie and the Handsome Huntsman. We were also lucky to visit with his niece and nephew, who are just a few years younger than us and they will be henceforth referred to as the Magnificent Lady M and the Major Promotable Troubadour.

We were there for a little over a week and a week in the South seems to go by slower than that in the North. I think everything is slower in the South. Pleasantly so!

One day Beef Boy, the Major Promotable Troubadour, and I had decided to trek north to meet some of their friends that they hadn't seen in eons. MPT was gracious enough to do the driving in his GORGEOUS Lexus with cool GPS. We eventually met them in Tuscaloosa after doing some site seeing, which I can't divulge here, else the Major Promotable Troubadour will hunt me down like a dog and roast me on a spit! I have promised to put it in the lock box... Don't ask!

On our way, we stopped in Aliceville to see what changes the town had undergone, since Beef Boy had been there. While driving down the main street, we saw that there was an eatery that was new to us. Previously it had been occupied by Barry's Diner, which served superb burgers, but had closed years ago when Barry decided to explore other business opportunities. Anyhoo... the establishment seemed to be a combination of a diner and a barbeque joint. We checked the window and they advertised a Cheeseburger Combo for $3.49. We were excited to be able to do a spur of the moment burger rating in Aliceville.

The three of us sat down and ordered the combo which came with fries and a drink. No choice was given to us in the cooking of the burger.

The burgers arrived as you see above. As you can see, the burger arrived blanketed between a piece of yellow American cheese and a slice of tomato, iceberg lettuce, 2 pickles, a slice of onion and ketchup and mayonnaise. I was enchanted with the layering of the items. Typically, everything is usually layered on top of the burger, but this just seemed, I don't know, more friendly. Like the vegetables were happy to be with the burger and declared that they were just as important as the beef. A nice change.

The bun was slightly toasted and was a typical hamburger bun. Upon biting into the burger, it was cooked well done, but was still a bit juicy. There were barely pink patches in mine and Beef Boy's was more done than mine.

The fries were "joe" krinkle cut fries and were fine.

The meal wasn't earth shattering, but for $3.49, it was a nice deal and worth it. After much discussion, we agreed on a rating. of 2 3/4. Next time I want to try some of that BBQ!

I do think the Major Promotable Troubadour was amused by how we went about rating the burger. Always happy to entertain MPT!

Unfortunately, it is not a Coca-Cola establishment.

Pearson's Diner - Fatman's Smokehouse BBQ
116 Broad Street
Aliceville, AL 35442
(205) 373-1003

Red Robin

Years ago, Beef Boy and I were with the Maples in Latham, NY furniture shopping. We were looking for a place to eat lunch and we came upon this place called Red Robin. We had no idea what kind of eatery it was, but it looked like a respectable chain where we could get some artery clogging, heart stopping grub. They also had a liquor license, so everyone was happy! As we sat down, viewed the menu, we realized this was a Burger crack house, which also served up endless fries... and I mean, endless fries. We really enjoyed that meal and from that visit on, Beef Boy was "When are we going back?", "You know there's a Red Robin in Millbury... we should go!", to which my response would be "Millbury is about 2 hours away.... simmer down!" When it comes to the beef, he, and I say this will all the love in my heart, is a tunnel focused nag.

Much to my chagrin, recently Mr. Maples happened to be traveling on Interstate 91 and saw that the highway sign now said Red Robin was just opened near the Ingleside Mall in Holyoke. Holyoke is approximately 50 minutes away. Needless to say... I was sunk.

We happen to be going Boston, so the Maples and I were going to surprise him by taking him to the new location. Just before the sign came up, he actually brought up Red Robin. Cripes, could he smell the burgers? Does he have that certain burger sixth sense. Anyhoo... he then saw the sign and was thrilled to be having lunch there.

We were greeted warmly and sat at a nicely located table. After ordering up some adult beverages and not so adult beverages, Beef Boy and I ordered their signature burger, the "Red Robin Gourmet Cheeseburger". We were asked how we wanted it and we both ordered it our traditional medium with American cheese. The waitress replied to our medium request "Some pink?" and we replied yes.

On the menu, the description is as follows: "Red Robin Gourmet Cheeseburger - The original... and also the one upon which we have built our fame! Garnished with crisp lettuce, fresh tomatoes, pickles, onions, mayo & Red’s pickle relish. You choose your favorite cheese: Cheddar, American, Swiss, Monterey Jack, Bleu, Provolone or Pepper-Jack. $8.49"

The burgers arrived as you see it above. The burger was snugly encased in some wrapping to make eating easier. As we deconstructed the burger, we saw that it came with 2 pieces of American cheese, 2 thin tomato slices, and shredded lettuce. The sesame seed bun was lightly grilled. The onions and pickles were on the bottom portion of the bun, so the burger was surrounded by fresh veggies. Upon noshing into the burger, it appeared a nice medium pink and was juicy. It had a healthy sear on both sides with a crispy edge and both our burgers were cooked consistently. The bun was the perfect size for the patty.

We determined that it was the best drive-in style burger we have yet to consume with its traditional medium thickness that you would find in that type of establishment. It was what that genre of burger should be.

The endless fries were crisp, light, lightly salted, and were cut as a traditional steak fry. A delightful trip was had by all! Beef Boy and I agreed on a rating of 4 1/2 burgers.

We are happy to report it is a Coca-Cola establishment.

Red Robin
27 Holyoke Street
Holyoke, MA 01040
(413) 315-4350

Gala Restaurant & Bar at The Orchards Hotel

You might recall that I said in the criteria posting that our ratings were up to five burgers. A five burger burger is one where we would hear the angels sing and be catapulted into an apoplexy of burger ecstasy. We never expect to find that holy grail. Well.... at Gala, we actually heard the angels warming up. WOW!

Gala Restaurant & Bar is relatively new at the Orchards Hotel in Williamstown, MA. I am not sure what was the restaurant in the hotel previous to Gala. The only time I have ever been to the Orchards was for a Christmas party that the firm I used to work for held. Besides that, it is a very pricey trip and staying at the Orchards in high season, i.e. the Summer, would run you about 40 quality burgers!

Gala Restaurant & Bar has been advertising the bar as casual location where one can just relax and come as you are. This is pretty much to attract the locals and bring them in all year round. I checked out their bar menu on-line when I heard about their opening and was excited to see that they offered a burger. We were looking to go for a burger run, but I didn't want to drive too far, so we decided on this establishment.

We approached the hostess filled with trepidation, thinking that maybe we wouldn't be allowed in due to our casual attire. The other patrons going into the restaurant and bar were dressed to the nines. This is quite the fancy schmancy place you see and we are just the yokels from down the road. We were warmly greeted and seated as we requested in the bar.

The atmosphere is lovely and the server, while being a little flaky, was friendly. During the course of our stay, the bartender, and another server assisted in the serving of our table. The service was technically superb.

We perused the menu and saw that the burger was listed as "Angus Burger - 8oz. grilled certified Angus burger with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and Belgian style fries." The price was $9. So Beef Boy and I happily ordered the burger our traditional medium.

The burgers arrived as you see it above. The burger was hand formed in an imperfect square shape (our first)... no this is not a Wendy's Burger! The kaiser roll was beautifully toasted and lovingly hugged 2 fresh leaves of romaine lettuce, 1 slice of tomato (BB did get two slices), and a slice of red onion. The burger showed gorgeous evidence of grill marks and had a fabulous sear. Upon biting into this made to order burger, we experienced an excellent juicy pink. Absolutely delicious. Both burgers were cooked consistently. We always switch to taste so as to be fair and scientific in our tasting.

This burger had the freshest veggies we have had so far and the best looking, best tasting, and biggest ole kosher dill pickle to date. The fries were made in-house, skin on and were crispy and lightly salted. Fabulous for a non-seasoned fry.

As an aside, we did order the hummus plate, which came with pita chips, imported olives and artichokes. The plating was lovely and the drizzle of balsamic vinegar was a fine finish. This was THE best hummus we have ever had... Beef Boy was served his Earl Grey in a lovely, traditional English way. It was only after we got into the car to leave that we realized we didn't request American cheese nor were we offered. As you know, in the past, this would have ticked me off, but man, this certainly didn't need it!

As of today, this is easily the best burger we have found in the Berkshires. We still have faith, though, that it can be topped. We unanimously award it 4 3/4 burgers.

We are happy to report it is a Coca-Cola establishment.

Gala Restaurant & Bar
at The Orchards Hotel
222 Adams Road
Williamstown, MA 01267
(413) 458-9611