Jim and I debated whether one could actually call the Thai Turkey Burger at Hanna’s Gourmet a “burger”.  On the one hand, this burger lacked a lot of traditional ingredients, including (without limitation) beef, lettuce,  tomato, pickles, and onions.  On the other hand, the menu promised a patty of ground turkey, topped with slaw, on a house baked bun sprinkled with sesame seeds.  And it was paired with sweet potato fries.   When it came to the table, it certainly LOOKED like a burger.

Maybe it could best be described as a Burger Imposter.

I, for one, was prepared to be underwhelmed.  First of all, Hanna’s does not look like a burger joint.  It’s decidedly feminine.  All pastel walls and chandeliers – they had a selection of pastries in a glass case, for crissake.  Plus, when it came out of the kitchen the Burger Imposter was kind of …dainty looking.

Don’t worry, though.  Both of the Burger Club members in attendance let out satisfied “MMMMMMMMMs” after the first bite.  (And one of us was Jim!!)  Not convinced?  Well, the Burger Club member who couldn’t make lunch, and had to eat his Burger Imposter (reheated) for dinner later that night, emailed an uncharacteristically enthusiastic, “O.M.G.!”  The Imposter has flavor.  More precisely, it has flavors.  Lots and lots of flavors – and none of them that I recall were curry.  Totally unexpected in a Thai Turkey Burger.  Lest you underestimate how good this burger was, let me assure you that it was the kind of culinary medley that would put a dreamy look on Ruel’s face and cause him to look quizzically at the goodness in his hands (correct Burger Grip not required – the house baked bun held up spectacularly) and softly murmur things like, “Is that coriander….?”  The patty was beautifully seasoned, the slaw a perfectly crunchy counterpoint, and the bun springy rather than doughy.  The fries were crispy and their comparatively bland sweetness balanced out the spiciness of the Imposter nicely.  The ratings were unanimous.  We gave it an A.  (You heard me.)  And then, just as we were about to leave, we both admitted that we had been eyeing the Goat Cheese and Cardamom Crème Brulee in the girly pastry case.  Next time we are totally getting that.

A quick personal review:  I have passed by  Seaside Burgers and Sliders (in Terminal 2 of the San Diego airport)  many times, and this weekend I finally decided to try it.  Now that I have tried it, I will be passing by it many times in the future without eating there.

Seaside gets a C.  I wish I had put the ketchup packet on top of the burger so you could see from the picture just how pathetically small this burger is.  I mean, the bun was barely bigger than what I would have expected from a slider.  I can’t imagine how small their sliders must be.  Maybe the size of a quarter?

Notice that I said the BUN was barely bigger than a slider.  That picture of half a bun is the part of the bun that did not have any burger under it.  That’s right – nearly half the bun had no burger under it.  Where’s the beef, Seaside?

The half of the small burger that I did have?  It was the most well done burger I have ever eaten – crunchy on the outside and thoroughly cooked on the inside.  It wasn’t terrible, but it was VERY well done.

Notice that false advertising sign by the cash register?  That burger came out WAY too fast to be cooked to order and also be well done, even at that tiny size.

Then there were the fries. The top layer of fries wasn’t too bad, especially after I salted them thoroughly. They were a bit potato-ey and not quite as freshly cooked and warm as I would have liked, but they weren’t that bad.  Look at the bottom layer of the fries though!  They are thoroughly and unedibly drenched in grease.

Finally, while I get that airport food is going to be overpriced, $12+ for this tiny burned hamburger and these partially edible fries is pretty much highway (or maybe runway?) robbery.  I’ll be passing by Seaside Burgers and Sliders in the future.  I suggest you do the same.

San Diego Burger Club went to Nicky Rottens today.  We had planned to go to The Corner, but sadly The Corner was closed until 4pm and will be closing permanently in a month.    Needless to say we will try to hit up The Corner one last time before they close.  We had been to Nicky Rottens before and it is a contender for best burger in San Diego.  The consensus today was A-/A.  The restaurant was more crowded than the last time we were there and as a result the service was a bit slow.  Also, their consistency seemed to be a bit off today.  The last time I was there I had the pastrami burger and it was one of the best burgers I had ever eaten.  This time I ordered the pastrami burger again and it was a tad saltier than I would have liked.  Also, while I have to give them props for offering tater tots and even more props for their tater tots being better than most, my particular batch of tater tots was not as hot as it should have been.  Liz got tater tots too though and hers were hotter and fresh out of the fryer.  Everyone really enjoyed their burgers, which seemed really big — so big, in fact, that there were plenty of fries and tots left over and Liz couldn’t even finish her burger (wimp!).  Nicky Rottens is not the cheapest burger in town — my pastrami burger, tater tots ($2 to substitute them for fries), and Coke Zero cost over $21 with tax and tip (if you stick with regular fries and water, you can escape for around $15).  Add in $2.45 for street parking and you are approaching $25.  Speaking of $25, if you are up to it they have “Da Ultimate Burga Challenge!” for $24.95 — finish a 2-1/2 pound burger and fries in an hour and you get your name on the wall and a free t-shirt (finish it in a half hour and it’s free).  One of these days … I might have to try it … .  Bottom line — Nicky Rottens makes a great tasting big burger and has a good selection of sides.  A contender for best burger in San Diego, I definitely recommend Nicky Rottens!