Cherry Cricket (Denver, CO)

Cherry Cricket, 2641 East 2nd Avenue, Denver, CO 80206, T: 303-322-7666

On our last day in Denver we made a lunch stop at the Cherry Cricket, a dark pub-like restaurant somewhat misplaced in the fancy Cherry Creek North area. It was also featured on Man v Food because of its great burgers. The menu is quite extensive, combining American and Mexican fare. It offers three types of burgers - the Cricket (1/2 pound), the Little Cricket (1/4 pound), and the Turkey (1/3 pound) - and a broad range of toppings. It is essentially a do-it-yourself burger. I chose a Cricket burger ($6.50) with spicy seasoned blackening ($0.50) and spicy BBQ sauce ($0.75). Rather than fries or onion rings (or 'frings'), we opted for chips and salsa and guacamole ($6.50). My wife had by this time given up on burgers and went for a Farmers salad ($7.25) with chicken (+$2.50). The salad was good and huge, the chips and salsa good and the guacamole very yummy. The burger had a big patty, which was juicy but had a bit too soft consistency, came on a nice bun and had a nice spicy taste because of the seasoning. The BBQ sauce was extremely tasty and had a nice kick to it.

VERDICT: 90/100

Cherry Cricket is a fun place to go for lunch or dinner. It is stark and noisy, but offers a broad range of tasty foods and a chance to make an excellent burger. Next time I will definitely add some more toppings.

HBurgerCo (Denver, CO)

HBurgerCo, 1555 Blake Street, Denver, CO 80202-1625, T: 720-524-4345

HBurgerCo is another upscale burger joint in Denver, this time in LoDo. It advertises "premium hamburgers and contemporary cocktails". Normally, this is a sign for me to move on, but we were hungry and the other options around seemed less appealing, so I settled for a third day of burgers. The menu was quite diverse, as were the choices of patties (beef, turkey, lamb, veggie).

I ordered the H Burger for a steep $10.95: "Hand-formed, freshly ground 100% Angus beef, Hatch chili pepper, smoked Cheddar, sweet ‘n’ spicy bacon, Bibb lettuce, tomato and onion, served with a red pepper-tomato jam." My wife had the Grilled Ahi Tuna Steak ($12.95), which also came on a bun and with Wasabi ginger sauce, cilantro apple slaw. Both came with very crispy fries, which were not that potato-y though (that said, the spicy mayo that came with it was very tasty). While the 'tuna burger' was good, my H Burger was amazing: thick (quarterpound) burger, crunchy from outside and extremely juicy and tasty, crispy sweet bacon which blends perfectly with the sweet green chili and tangy jam on a nice bun. One of the top-3 burgers I ever had!

VERDICT: 94/100

HBurger is a concept burger joint with quite steep prices, but great quality. The H Burger is an absolute must! Next time I will also go for the milkshakes.

Eco-Burger (Denver, CO)

Eco-Burger, 2817 East 3rd Avenue, Unit E, Denver, CO 80206, T: 303-316-9100

Eco-Burger opened in the trendy Cherry Creek North area in June 2010. Its motto is "morally delicious!" as it intends to make fast food in an organic and 'healthy' way, among others by using 100% grassfed beef. I ordered the Eco Burger ($6.75), my wife the Black Bean Burger ($6.75). My burger was thick and juicy (1/3lb), came on a buttered toasted brioche bun, with lettuce, tomato, fried onion, and a house-made sauce. The Black Bean Burger tasted like Mexican food on a bun; tasty, although the consistency of the 'burger' could have been more solid. I also opted for the thick (rather than thin) hand-cut fries, which were amazing! Really thick cut, they were crispy on the outside, yet cooked throughout, and well-seasoned. Definitely some of the best fries I ever had in the US!

VERDICT: 93/100

Eco-Burger has great burgers, fantastic fries, and a nice atmosphere. It is the perfect place for healthy people to pig out.

Jack-N-Grill (Denver, CO)

Jack-N-Grill, 2524 Federal Boulevard, Denver, CO, T: 303-964-9544

Jack-N-Grill is a Denver institution, made famous nationally in Man v Food. It currently has three locations in the Greater Denver area. We went to the original location on Federal Boulevard, which looks like a kind of alternative Mexican restaurant.

Jack-N-Grill is essentially a Mexican restaurant. It's most (in)famous dish is the 7lb burrito! At the same time, it is famous for its huge burgers. They have a list of originally named burgers, all based on a 10oz patty of "fresh ground chuck". I chose The Juarez ("The South of the Border Monster Burger ") for $9, which came with ham, a hot dog, fresh green chili, guacamole, lettuce, tomato, and mayo on a huge bun. My wife chose The Jaxx ("The King of Burgers") for $8, which came with guacamole, sour cream, bacon, fresh green chili, and cheese. Both came with "frings", i.e. a combination of fries and onion rings.

We started with chips and salsa, however, which was very good (thick, crunchy chips and an original, fresh salsa). The burgers are HUGE and very tasty. They are almost impossible to eat, but the combination of tastes is amazing. I particularly liked the hot dog, while the bacon (seemingly dipped in maple syrup) on the Jaxx was divine. The fries are thick, but a bit undercoooked, while the onion rings are also thick, but very tasty. The only thing missing was a spicy dip.

VERDICT: 95/100

I love Jack-N-Grill! First of all, it is a great alternative place with a relaxed atmosphere. Second, it combines great Mexican food with fantastic, huge, and very tasty burgers. Third, it is really affordable!

SP Burger (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

At Section B of Terminal 1 of Guarulhos International Airport, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

SP Burger looks like an American-style fast food chain, but the only one I found was at the international airport. It has the usual choice of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, and shakes.

I got the Combo Cheddar Bacon (without cheddar) for a measly R$21.90 ($13.15)-beat that Geneva! The burger comes on a brown bun and has a thick but very salty patty (not pure beef) and a sad piece of bacon. There is no sauce on it, but you can get ketchup, mayo or mustard. The McDonalds-type fries were undercooked.

VERDICT: 44/100

I would say that SP Burger is better than Bob's Burger, but that is as far as I would go. Next time I want fast food in Brazil, I will probably go to McDonalds. Nuff Said!

Hamburguinho (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Avenida Brigadeiro Faria Lima, 2883 - São Paulo, 01452-000, Brazil, T: +55 11 3078-9461

Hamburguinho (little hamburger) is a new chain of hamburger restaurants that is situated between a fast food and 'real' restaurant. They currently have some 5-10 places in Sao Paulo. I went to the one in the expensive area of Faria Lima, which looks like a hole-in-the-hole with a kind of American setting.

I ordered the Super Two, i.e. a double burger with fries, for R$29 ($17.40). It included two patties, a fried egg, several pieces of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and fries. The fries were well fried, but a bit dry (and they have no acceptable mayo). The patties were a bit dry, but the whole burger was quite tasty (it could have used a nice sauce though).

VERDICT: 71/100

Acceptable burger and fries, particularly if you prefer ketchup over mayo. Very expensive, but probably affordable for the area.

Milk & Mellow Burgers (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Avenida Cidade Jardim 1085 - Itaim Bibi, Sao Paulo, 01453-000, Brazil, T: 11-3168-4516

I arrived in Sao Paulo during a tropical rain storm, so I didn't want to walk to far. Milk & Mellow Burgers was close to my hotel, so I went there. It was my first introduction to the essence of Sao Paulo: overpriced! As none of the six waiters in the fancy restaurant spoke English, I had a hard time navigating myself through the Portuguese menu. Despite the name, Milk & Mellow Burgers has an extensive menu with various burgers, sandwiches, salads, meats, shakes, and sucos (juices).

I went for a double burger special (= onion and pickles), mayo, and a warm tomato sauce (the waiter said it was ketchup) -- everything cost extra! I also got a portion of fries and a mixed juice. This came to a grand total of... R$48.40 (ca. $29)!!! The fries were not really potatoes and grossly undercooked (I barely touched them), while the mayo tasted like herbal butter. The burger tasted good, but there is simply too much on it (tomato, onion, gross mayo). The patties are juicy and the warm tomato sauce give a nice flavor. The juice is fresh but a it watery.

VERDICT: 62/100

A pretty good burger, but the rest is poor, and everything is simply way too exensive... even for Sao Paulo.