Huxtaburger and Denise // Melbourne

I’ve done it! I’ve found my favorite cheeseburger in all of Melbourne… well,  for the moment.

I’ve traveled through Melbourne often and far in search of a delicious, mouth watering burger. I’ve taken the tram, then train, the car and never a taxi, but I should have known – all I needed to do was walk. Huxtaburger is on Smith Street and Peel Street on the border of Fitzroy and Collingwood and about a 10 minute walk, 5 minute bike ride from my house. Bad or good? We’ll soon find out.

It’s a very small restaurant, but if you’re going down Smith Street you’ll easily spot it. They’ve got a great name and stand out theme colors. You may say something to yourself like, “Oh wow. That looks real yum. H-U-X-T-A-B-URGER. Can’t wait to go there.” It’s what I did last year before leaving to London* and look at me now!

Okay, okay, I’ll tell you about the actual hamburger. She’s called Denise (the hot one) (those parenthesis are not my own, they’re actually on the menu)(but she IS supppper hot!). She’s a Huxtaburger, meaning a beef pattie, mustard, mayo, tomato cause, cheese, lettuce and pickles, but for a dollar extra, Denise also comes with jalapenos and sriracha mayo. What a babe! The chipotle fries on the side are addictive because the seasoning is spicy as and who doesn’t love setting their mouth on fire. Everything comes so nicely packaged, I wanted to order more to see what other patterns they would used for serving. How adorable is the bucket of chips! That’s beside the point though. The points is: you have to go and tell me if you enjoy it as much as we do.

We went in the late afternoon and easily found a nice wooden table complete with red benches. But Jack told me it gets packed during lunch time, which I chose not to believe since I’m bitter about him going to Huxta and having HER without me. Either way, for the quality and prices (Denise is under 10 bucks!) I would ask a stranger to share a table with me any day.

*If you asked me for advice on planning a trip based solely on the consumption of one burger, I would most likely tell you about London’s El Chapo because 1) read this and 2) Denise tried to steal my boyfriend.  

In-n-Out Burger // San Francisco

Since I’m going back to Australia the 24th and I’m terrified my family will not commit to the 25-ish hour flight to visit me, I’ve been devoting all my free time to them. We’ve been on the road going from BU soccer game to BU soccer game to spend time together. This translates into a lot of on-the-go food which, coincidently, has caused a huge wave of wanting and missing In-n-Out Burger.

In-n-Out Burger was a long time coming for me. Everyone has heard of it, but only the lucky few living in west of the country get to enjoy it. And tourists. And probably some business people during business trips. After my trip to San Francisco, I am one of those lucky tourists.

As many deliciously outstanding restaurants as there are in San Francisco (such as Mama’s), I could not skip a In-n-Out Burger meet and greet. It feels funny; wanting to visit a fast food joint as badly as any other specially recommended restaurants even though I’m not an avid fast food eater.

The feeling of walking up to In-n-Out Burger was one of familiarity and comfort. It was like, what I imagine, finally meeting your life long pen pal in person is like.

When I skipped up to the counter, the clerk recognized my enthusiasm and matched it. They are the happiest fast food employees on earth, some say. I couldn’t help it, I was beaming with excitement! I already knew about the Double Meat Burger (two pure beef patties hand-leafed lettuce, tomato, spread with or without onions, stacked high on a freshly baked bun), and I just wanted it in my hands.

To be honest, I was a little confused during the first few bites. It felt like I had been tricked, like I hadn’t just eaten a burger and fries. I even contemplated  ordering another just to feel like one usually does after having burger. But then I got it. Their belief regarding healthy and quality food isn’t just a ploy, it’s all true and I could taste it.

My hands were not greasy, I was not grossly full, my fries felt dry (in the best way possible), I didn’t even want to nap. I was in awe of the carefully toasted bun and the juiciness of the beef. I would have gone back and back again had we not been on our way to the airport!

In my normal life (the non-traveling-and-being-my-sister’s-biggest-fan-life) I go out of my way to make sure I never give into that inviting yellow M, because when I’m hungry and in a hurry is the only time it’s ever even considered.

Right now, in this rented black Jeep driving from Dartmouth College back to Boston University, I can’t help but wish for an In-n-Out burger to magically appear and save me from the extra crispy chicken of KFC.

Burger or Lobster or Both.

Sometimes you want a burger and sometimes you feel like lobster, but other times you can go to a place called Burger & Lobster and take your time to decide.

I love Burger and Lobster, in SoHo, London, for their no bullshit attitude. If you haven’t put it together by now, they only offer two food options: a burger or  lobster. I still asked for a menu; I’m not very good at math. The waitress laughed, No, no, no you silly, clueless girl, she said while petting my head in a maternal like fashion. Okay, I’m exaggerating. She just laughed a little, then explained.

The deal is that for 20 pounds you can order a lobster, a burger or a lobster roll. All 3 meals are accompanied by a side of french fries, salad and garlic/butter sauce. It’s basically the equivalent of finding out there is a Six Flags in heaven, after you’re accepted in.

Another option if you’re entire party wants lobster is to choose from a variety of lobster sizes sold by pound. That option comes with unlimited french fries and unlimited salad. It felt like I had hit the jackpot, but in reality none of us finished our first round of sides.

I didn’t try the burger, but I do have at least 5 eye witness accounts of me going nuts over the lobster. It’s hard for me to judge lobster, since I was raised in Florida, but I can without a doubt say it wins “Most Fun Food”. I get in deep no matter the costs; I scoop, scrap, suck, hammer, rip and crack. I feel powerful and in control. Our waitress spotted me eating like a 3 year old, came over and said “she knows what she’s going” to my boyfriend. It was one of my proudest moments.

I do have to admit I really liked the lobster roll as well. The grilled and buttered roll it came with was a winning touch. But because I love the appearance of food and a little bang for my buck I’d probably stick with a whole lobster.

I say, don’t just pick one meal. Get two! Share! They will split anything perfectly in half for you. Have a party! I mean, you get a bib for goodness sake.

Burger and Lobster