Burger Quest 10th Outing

This past Friday we set out to check out a burger at a restaurant that isn't specifically noted for their regular burgers.
It was John's turn to choose but he didn't get to do that and it was his turn to drive and he didn't get to that either.  The choice was a coercion but the no driving was due to his new knee.  Yep, a brand spankin' new knee fresh off the shelf.  (Dance video at a later date!)

Ok, Acqua is a great restaurant and all the Burgerteers have eaten there gobs of times and have always been extremely happy with the food and wonderful service.  Additionally they are known for the burgers on their menu but their burgers are way over on the gourmet side.....not the kind of burgers we "Burgerteers" have been investigating thus far.  We weren't sure how it would work out but hey, when you're on a "Quest" let nothing stand in your way so off we went.

We arrived and in celebration of "The Knee" we pulled up in the valet parking area and dismounted our ride.  Away it went and then it was time for a few pics.

We entered and to be honest I can't remember ever having to open the door to go in.  There is always a friendly face there to greet you.  
In addition none of us have ever had any issues with the wait staff.  They are always very attentive.

We took a table by the front window and settled in.

We got our menus (copies of the menus at the end of the blog) and ordered our beverages and the standard first naked burger medium rare.  We were asked if we were sure we didn't want mayo or lettuce or....and we said yes, we were sure.

The interior was remodeled not that long ago and looks great.  It is spacious, modern and always clean.

The burger arrived.  It was very handsome and it was cut into four pieces.  Spot on so far.

We opened the burger up and there was nothing extra on it, the meat to bun ratio was good and it was cooked to an exact medium rare.

We each took our share a started in.  Very juicy and the bun was very good and toasted!

Our initial tastes revealed a seasoning added to the meat.  It certainly wasn't bad or anything but just nothing that we had experienced to date with the taste of the naked burger.  It just seemed to interfere with getting to the basic flavor of the meat.
But let me say again that they do not serve a standard burger here.....you can see that by looking at the menu.  Barry has had the burgers off the menu here many times and raves about them.

Regardless, I ordered a non menu burger and it came as ordered and it was good.  The other items added to the burger blended with the seasoned meat and it was an fine burger.  However, it will not be replacing any of my top picks to date.

So though this will not be one of the "Burgerteers" regular burger haunts when we are Jonesing for a burger it will continue to stay on our list as one of the best restaurants in Merida.....IOHO!

https://www.facebook.com/AcquaMerida

Until we load our muskets and cross our swords next time we "The Burgerteers" are at your service!

"One for all and all for one!"

Burger Quest 9th Outing

We, "The Burgerteers" get asked questions about where we plan on going, are we limiting the number of places to go to, do we have a cut off date plus we get oh soooooo many suggestions.  In most cases the suggestions are where to go get a good burger and others are just telling us where to go!  LOL!

Well, we talk about places to go on the "Quest" all the time.  Places each of us have been and places friends and people in general tell us about.  There seems to be an endless amount of places that sell burgers.  I was asked the other day if we were going to include Carl's Jr and I replied why yes, of course, why not?

Now if you decide to make a suggestion to any of us please remember that the place has to be open on Friday afternoons around 1:30-2 PM.

We seem to have a following (thanks to all four of you!!!!) and in many cases people just enjoy our adventures.  We realize that you or your friends or even our friends may not agree with our findings and that's ok.  Heck, we don't always agree between ourselves, well, except John, and as I reported previously every new burger is his favorite....or so it seems.  LOL!  At the very least we give you a glimpse into the many varied establishments that sell burgers.  Our information can guide you and help you to decide if one of the places we visit might be worth your time whether for a burger or in most cases the varied different items on their menus.  Which we always try to provide in the blog.

The Burgerteers were back in action this past Friday.  It was Barry's turn to choose and in turn his turn to drive as well.
I got picked up first and then we drove over to Itzimna to pick up Reg.
Now each time we have had everyone in the vehicle the vehicle has been pointed North and off we'd go.  However this time Barry turned in an unusual direction.....South.  Now don't get the wrong idea, there are many burger places in the South part of Merida but it was just not expected.
So we head down or up Montejo depending on your orientation and Reg and I are both puzzled until Barry pulls up on the opposite side of the street from Hennessey's.

So we dismount our ride and mosey across the street.

I know that many of you have been to Hennessey's and of course there are some that may be reading this blog and have never been and that's all good too. 
Yes, this little shout out has nothing out do with burgers! Regardless I need to say that they are a major player in this community and they relentlessly continue to give of themselves and their resources to many non-profits and the community at large. Big ass kudos to Hennessey's or maybe better said "go raibh maith agat!"

Ok, back to our report!!!  When you enter there is almost always someone there to greet you and the during the week days you don't need a reservation or anything like that.

As you can see Friday early 
afternoons allow for your 
choice of seating.  

They have a very nice bar area which gives you the Irish setting that you'd expect for a place called Hennessey's!

They have an upper deck that was just recently put in but is not usually open during the day time hours unless there is an event.

The upper deck looks down into the courtyard area where there is also seating and where many events take place.

They also have separate rooms for private events and the have a pool table and a dart board.

Ok, the other Burgerteers are already seated and they always have to wait for me since I have to do the photography.  The menus are already on the table.  (Copy of the menu at the end of the post)  The waiter asks if we want something to drink and we all order our beverages of choice.
He delivers those and then we tell him what type of burger we want.  As always, a naked burger...bun and meat only....cut into thirds.  He didn't understand fully the first go round but got it the second time we told him.  And yes, he did ask us how we wanted it cooked and we responded medium.

The burger arrives and it is without any thing on it.  Just burger and bun and it was cut into three pieces.  Oh, the fries are delish!

We separate the pieces for the photo and see that the burger has been cooked way over on the medium rare side and not the medium as ordered.

The burger to bun ratio is good and the buns are tasty!



I thought that I tasted a toasted bun and when I opened my third there was the proof!  I love my burger buns toasted!

We each take our third and start in.  Reg and Barry both comment that it is too rare for their liking and I'm having no issues cause I get excited when I have a sharp pocket knife in my pocket and see a herd of cattle.

FYI: The burgers are preformed and come in from Cancun frozen.  

Everyone thought the burger was good but not at the top of our list.  There was something missing or maybe a little off about the core flavor of the meat.  That extra little flavor component that just takes it over the edge.  It certainly wasn't bad in any way just something not turning our cranks,

We then ordered our meals and my burger came as requested with mayo, ketchup. onions and lettuce.  I was surprised to see caramelized onions and raw onions together but I really like onions so "party on"!

I would not be at all disappointed having a Hennessey's burger again because with all the fixins' I didn't notice the something that we thought was missing with just the naked burger.  But it isn't dislodging any of my top three burgers to date.

Here is the menu:

 

Plus they have a daily special board:

Here's their link for more info! 


So until next time we stand united...."one for all, and all for one" your humble Burgerteers!!!

Burger Quest 8th Outing

Ok, ok, I know!!!!!  Where have we been?  What's the hold up?  Are you Burgerteers on this "Quest" or not?

I was always told that if I asked a question I should have an answer of my own to the question.....and I do!  We're almost old, ok some would consider us old!  We're all retired for sure!  Things like health issues pop up (which are not appreciated) and travel and family stuff pops up which the travel is appreciated!  LOL!  Just kidding....mostly!
Anyway, we have had some of all that stuff happening lately and since we decided at the onset of the "Quest" we would have to have three in attendance, well, we miss a week or two once in a while.

But hey, we're back to the hunt and this past Friday had us setting the bar a wee bit higher in regards to ambiance.  Yes, we understand that ambiance is not a necessity when it comes to chowing down a burger and we agree.  It would never drive our decision to visit a particular restaurant but hey, it was nice.
We had a wait staff that was all over us, linen table cloths, utensils and plates used then removed and new ones brought!  And for a burger....Zowee!  Helped to take the sting out of the 170p price tag of the burger but you did get fries with it!

It was John's day to choose so we headed down Montejo onto the Prolongacion and then we pulled into the valet parking area of La Recova.

As you enter on your right you can see the grill and kitchen area.  (Sorry about the reflection but it couldn't be helped!)

We were greeted by the hostess and a very friendly wait staff and taken directly to a table.  Within a few seconds we were being asked what our beverage of choice was and we were given menus.

La Recova is spacious, spotless, open and very modern.  

We ordered the usual medium rare naked burger and within a few minutes it appeared as ordered.  This time there was no extra nothing just plain burger and bun. Kudos to La Recova.

It arrived as ordered.

The meat to bun ratio was the best we have ever encountered.  This puppy has 270gr of grade A prime beef from the US in it.  Note the toasted bun!

The only disappointing thing was that the burger came out much rarer than ordered.  As you can see it was raw in the middle (no issue for me, growl! LOL!) and the middle was cold.  

Regardless we ate it as it came and the flavor was extremely good.

Of course each time we have a new burger we discuss what we think of it and where we think it sits within the first three places of our liking.

Ok, now I must fulfill a promise........John made me promise to report that he felt that this burger was the very best burger to date.  I told him I would relay that and I just did but what I need to add to that is that out of eight "Quests" he has said that six times!  LOL!

After we finished the naked burger we ordered our burgers the way we wanted them.

Only this time we ordered them one step one more done than the way we like them and they came out perfect.

Also note the toasted bun and the grill mark on the onion. 

The small bowl with the white creamy stuff reminded me of tarter sauce.

Once all put together it made a tasty burger.

The fries were extremely good and I might say that I think they were the best fries to date.

Let me say that their ketchup did not turn my crank.  It seemed weak and way to sweet.  Sure wasn't Heinz.

Be aware that a glass of water with ice will set you back 48p.

Here's a link to give you details about hours, map, etc.

Until next time "burger on"!

Burger Quest 7th Outing

Friday was a very good day for the Burgerteers!
It was John's turn to drive so we headed North on Prolongation Paseo Montejo and he made a 'U' turn at the light at Campestre and pulled up in front of Pamplona Steak House.

We used their valet parking and walked up to the front door and entered.

Upon entering we found ourselves in a small alcove with a set of stairs.  The stairs went up to the restaurant.

From just coming in from the outside our eyes took a minute to adjust.
It had subdued lighting and my first impression, though I have never been in one, was that of a speakeasy.  It was kind of cool!

As we entered the room our eyes started to adjust and we could see that it was about a third full.
There were about five tv's with music videos playing.







We were greeted by a waiter who took us to the table of our choosing. We chose a seat over by the windows which are on the front of the building as we felt it would have more light to see the burgers and for the pictures, etc.

We got seated and the waitress was there to find out what we wanted to drink and to supply us with menus.

 We ordered our drinks and some guac. We further perused the menu and thought that there was a good variety of various dishes.

The waitress brought the guac and the drinks.  We commented to each other that for that much guac there weren't very many chips so we knew we'd need to order more.  
The guac had decent flavor but all of us like our guac a bit more chunky than the finely processes style that we were served.

I feel that I need to add a comment about the orangish colored sausa as it was very tasty with the guac and chips.  It carried some heat with it but it was very nicely balanced and the flavor was super.

We then ordered the burger and bun as we always do.  Just the the meat and the bun so we can check the quality before anything else is added.We're not sure if the waitress would have asked us how we wanted it cooked as it was ordered with that info being specified from the beginning.  

It arrived closer to rare than medium rare but that was fine with me and John and Reg went with the flow.  
We're not sure if the bun was on the dry side as you can see from the pictures because of the way we ordered the burger or what.  However the buns for the other burgers were fine.

The meat was very juicy, not dry at all, and the flavor was at the top of our lists in the first three positions to date.

Reg pointed out that the fries that came with the burger were leaving no grease on the checkered paper.  Their flavor was very good and not over salted.

Each burger comes with you choice of french fries, steak fries, or onion rings.  The onion rings had a great flavor.

There always seems to be some kind of order mistake and this time was no exception.  The meals came out as ordered except that I didn't order cheese on my burger but got it nevertheless.
Yes, I could have sent it back but one of the complaints that we had was the amount of time it took to get the meals as it was outside of a reasonable time frame.
I will say that by two fifteen or so the place was full up.  That leads us to one other minor complaint, and not that we are not used to it, was the amount of noise being generated.

Regardless, we all consider Pamplona Steak House a heavy contender in our "Quest"!

Here's a link you can cut and paste with more information.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pamplona-Steak-House-tel9441413/448712515261765

FYI: A wee bit of added information just to be sure there are no misunderstandings about the "Burger Quest".
We do not get comped any food.  We do not let the restaurants know that we are coming.