Powers Hamburger Shop (Fort Wayne, IN)

1402 South Harrison Street, Fort Wayne, IN 46802, T: 260-422-6620

Powers Hamburger Shop has been in Fort Wayne, Indiana, since 1940. The current owner, who doesn't seem to work there, bought it more then 10 years ago from the original family, the Powers, but seemingly changed nothing. The place has ca. ten seats at the counter and one small booth, all original.

They serve only burgers, coney dogs, and pies... no fries! Their burgers are small, like at White Castle, even though that name is not to be uttered at Powers. The coney dog costs $1.30 and features a soft bun, a tiny wiener, grounded beef (rather than real chili) and fresh chopped onions. Not bad, not remarkable. M. took two single patty cheeseburgers (at $.95 a piece) and I had a single patty hamburger ($.85) and a double patty hamburger ($1.60). Each came with a (too big) portion of fried strong onions. While all little burgers are much better than White Castle, only the double patty burgers taste really well.

VERDICT: 82/100

If you are in Fort Wayne, you should stop at Powers Hamburger Shop, if only for a little snack. Be sure to take a double and ask for "light onion"!

Ritz (Oranjestad, Aruba)

L.G. Smith Boulevard 122, Oranjestad, Aruba, T: 297-592-2009

Kind of tucked away in a strip mall with various types of stores, Ritz is a snackbar that serves ice cream and both Antillean (e.g. pastechi) and Dutch snacks. The clientele is also very mixed and the people behind the counter speak mostly Papiamento and only poorly Dutch or English.

After trying to order several different things, most notably a frikandel speciaal (fried meat with mayo, ketchup and fresh chopped onions) and a friet met mayo (fries with mayonnaise) in the end I settled for the 'frikandel box' that the person behind the counter seemed set on selling to me (costs: 10 AWG or $5.60). The box included a large portion of fries, two frikandellen, and some pasta salad. The fries were soggie and simply gross and even the frikandellen tasted suspicious.

VERDICT: 37/100

This is, without any doubt, the grossest snackbar I have ever eaten at. And, you should not take this statement lightly. I have eaten at a lot of bad places!

't Friet-Uurtje (Palm Beach, Aruba)

@ Paseo Herencia, LG Smith Blvd 382, Palm Beach, Aruba

Located in the pleasant Paseo Herencia mall in Palm Beach, in the high-rise hotel area, is the Dutch-style snackbar 't Friet-Uurtje. Serving most staples of the Dutch snackbar, it is a safe haven for the Dutch expat (either in Aruba or the US). I ordered fries with mayonnaise, a croquette (kroket) with mustard, and a Mexicano with curry ketchup. I forgot how expensive it was, but it wasn't much more than in the Netherlands (ca. $13). The croquette didn't have much taste, but the Mexicano tasted good. The fries were like in the Netherlands, made of potato starch (aardappelzetmeel); unlike the Belgian fries, which are made of real potatoes. They were crispy and tasted quite good, as did the mayo.

VERDICT: 75/100

If it would be in any (small) town in the Netherlands, I would probably ignore it for any alternative, but here on Aruba it is the best Dutch snackbar I visited.