Desert Entertainer - August 18, 2005

A burger for every taste at Grill-A-Burger

By Dale McKinney

When he was a teenager, my big brother Ricky discovered how to deep fry his own French fries. They were so yum; however, I don't blame the fries for making me fat - or Ricky - but they did spoil me. I've never found a French fry to compare with those of my childhood. That is until I discovered Grill-A-Burger on Palm Canyon.

Everything at Grill-A-Burger is made by hand - yep, even the French fries. Unique for a burger restaurant, Grill-A-Burger offers a full bar that includes imported beer, wine and champagne with outdoor seating with generous misters right on Palm Canyon Drive. It's a perfect spot for Village Fest dates.

As the name implies, Grill-A-Burger is all about the burgers. The patties are cooked-to-order and a full half pound of choice beef on a freshly baked, slightly toasted sesame seed bun served with lettuce, red onion and a thick vine-ripe tomato and a generous pile of dill pickle slices. What more could you ask for?

Starting with the Deluxe Hamburger at $4.95, Rick concocts 11 standards - one of them is sure to become your favorite. There's the Squealer (Bacon and real cheddar), the Old Smokey (with BBQ sauce and grilled onions, bacon and cheddar), La Vida Loca (with Ortega chilies and Monterey Jack), My Big Fat Greek Hamburger (with sliced Kalamata olives and feta cheese) and the big favorite Chili Chili Bang Bang! (made with a great homemade meaty chili and topped with grated cheddar cheese) all for only $6.95 each. My favorite; however, is the Blu Job (stop giggling) with its generous slices of bacon and snowy boulders of crumbling bleu cheese. I'm so hooked.

Oh yes, there are chicken burgers (the 1/3 pound ground chicken patty for $5.95) and the Vita-veeta Vegamin BOCA meatless burger. And yes, there's a green leaf salad served with garbanzos, mushrooms and kidney beans for $6.95 or the Hail Caesar ($6.95) with real croutons and a zippy dressing (add grilled chicken breast for $8.95). But I say, bring on the beef!

And the fries. Those golden fingers of heaven, cut from premium potatoes, hand-peeled, washed, blanched and fried in FRESH vegetable oil that have that tasty crust of peel on the end keep me awake at night with desire. Sure it's $2.95 for a side order, but you get a small pile enough to feed a family of four - or just me. Someday, I've got to take my best friend's advice and try the Beer-Battered Onion Rings ($2.95) too - I'm always just too full on fries!

I also got pretty stuffed from the hand-scooped Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream Banana Malt ($4.50) and the My Cherry Amour cheesecake ($5.95), but I dare you to say any of it went to waste! In short, you can't go wrong, and you'll probably never do better than a meal at Grill-A-Burger.