Tasty and Sons, October 5th

J-Dog aka John Denver fearlessly led us to Tasty and Sons for Ockto-burger-fest. Boy can that place draw in a crowd. Thirteen of us rolled in. Yes, thirteen. A new Burger Club attendance record.

Here's the verdict:
Pro's: Juicy patty, well seasoned patty. ("Good size.") Overall "doneness" consistency was the best we've seen yet. Perhaps it's because they come out as they're ready? We split between the Tasty and the Toro burger. The Toro had more character. The various cheeses got praise through out. Crispy bacon (depending on your preference).

Con: The bun! ("Microwaved." "Bready" "I taste butter.") A little unwieldy as sauce and lettuce slide the patty around. ("Messy." "A lot going on here.") Crispy bacon (depending on your preference).

Atmosphere: Good ("Not great") fries. Draft beer selection was, shall we say, lacking with only one option. ("I like the fact that they give me a classy glass with my can of Old German.) Great service.

Overall Rating: An solid 7.17/10 on our magical scale.

Bonus points: They hooked us up with some delicious appetizers on the house. That did not go unnoticed.

It was awesome to see such a solid turnout with some new faces. MVP was "Chevy" Chase, Burger Club founder fresh back from a month-long research outing studying the surfing habits of Hawaiians.

Foster Burger, September 23rd.

Its amazing how even in damage control mode, Burger Club can still shine.
Since we were only rolling three deep, we started out at the Nightlight with every intention of heading to the Country Cat for some Southern burger-ness. However after thinking and talking it over, we decided to head back to Foster Burger. Much as we remember from past trips, it was a little over rated ($8?!?), but still sufficed. Chuckles aka The CW loved the pickled beet. Derek Smalls couldn't believe the amazing selection of band posters.
Satiated, we hit an art opening featuring Burger Club's favorite artist, which made feel pretty intellectual.

Toro Bravo, September 23rd

J-Dog backed out. Can he redeem himself? UPDATE: YES.
On the FOURTH Thursday of September J-Dog is taking the fight to the famous Spanish bull: Toro Bravo. Let's see if this matador has picked a winner.

Grüner, September 7th

Well, we did it again. Mr. Goods will fearlessly led us into Grüner for the first burger of September. We got to kick it at the big back table, down some delicious doppelbock and destroy some of the juiciest, most bad-ass burgers any of us had chowed in sometime.

Here's the verdict:
Pro's: One word: "Speechless." Super juicy patty. ("Well proportioned.") Crispy, golden potato bun. ("Good tooth.") The bacon fans were jumping for joy. ("Phenomenal") Intriguingly stimulating condiments.

Con: Couldn't taste the cheese. ("Fontina, Chedda? Doesn't madda.") Perhaps a tad over seasoned. ("Better to go to over than under.")

Atmosphere: Awesome smashed potato fries, satisfying beer list. Great staff that accommodated our burger demanding crew. (You can't get the burger in the main dinning room.)

Overall Rating: An astronomical - gastronomical 8.5/10 on our scale.

Overall Consensus: The bar has been set...and set high by Grüner.

Blue Hour, August 19th **6PM**

Seven and a half of us rolled into the Blue Hour to see if their burger was as snappy as Mr. Tee's vintage threads. Suspiciously, Mr. Tee was know where to be found....

Here's the verdict:
Pro's: Perfectly seasoned meat. Delicious garnishes ("Best thing on the plate.") The bacon fans were excited to see that as a standard and not an option.

Con: The bun, the bun, and even more bun. ("I only taste bread." "My burger got lost.") Cheese? ("I see it, but I can't taste it.") We had to pay full price $12.

Atmosphere: Awesome fries, stuffy interior, lacking beer list ("No low cost option"). They did manage to accommodate our somewhat wieldy crowd, but at a $7 premium on the price of the burger.

Overall Rating: A weak 5/10 on our scale.

Overall Consensus: Blue Hour is NOT a burger place.

Screen Door, August 3rd

The first burger of August was Hawk Eye's "favorite" burger Screen Door. His taste in burgers turned out to be as good as his Xray vision. Seven of us rolled in and destroyed some bovine....

Here's the verdict:
Pro's: Light, flaky, fluffy bun. Crisp veggies ("They keep the cold-side cold and the hot-side hot."). Pert pickles. Pimento cheese! Juicy, seasoned meat.

Con: Consistency in doneness. Is it too big? ("Giant." "Five-eighths of a pounder.") Standard PDX, too-cool-for-school host ("Smile dude.")

Atmosphere: Great fries, long wait, "perfect" beer list.

Overall Rating: A strong 7.75/10 on our new scale.

Awesome Bonus: $2 Tuesday Pints Post-Meeting Meeting at East Burn. Props to the Music Man for this amazing lead.

Bar Bar Burger

Well, we hit up Bar Bar just a couple days after opening. It seemed they were still working out the kinks, but we all, five strong, left with our bellies full.

Pro: American Cheese (we'd forgotten how great it is). Delicious Bun. Decent Fries and Barley Pop List.
Con: Mysterious system for ordering requiring multiple trips inside, mass confusion.

Perfect for: Right after a show at Mississippi Studios or an emergency mid-day burger craving.