This burger stands alone (1 of 2)
I actually prefer the version with motion blur, as it evokes the atmosphere of the place.
This is the long-winded recollection of my visit. The photo has no people out of courtesy to the dining throng.
I love North American Diners. The proper ones, with a hand written sign on the door reading "CASH ONLY". They have a certain intimate ambiance you can't find at a chain. There are those that attempt to recreate it, most notoriously the Cheescake Factory and its artificially long wait times. If you find yourself in a tiny local eatery the dearth of seating drives the crowd to wait at the door for a treasured opening.
The fare need not be critiqued in detail. There are the standard breakfasty items, seemingly constant lunchy choices, and no sidelong glances if you dare to mix the two.
Mother's cupboard (Syracuse, NY) is one of these tiny, out of the way places with an esteemed reputation. Most customers report the humongous breakfasts, the 30cm (12 in) pancakes, and the like. But I am always impressed with an establishment offering an egg on its burger without a special order. Soft center? No problem. McDonalds won't do that.
And establishments of this nature are proud of their cooking. The cooking is a show of itself. The heavily tattooed chefs weave a glorious ballet in their tiny space, as waitresses squeeze past to reach the other end of the counter. There is no microwave needed - everything gets cooked on the grill and stays hot there until it is plated and served. My order was the only burger on the grill and was assembled, all but the veggies, as soon as the over easy egg was done. But the bacon was not ready. So the lofty stack waited at the front, gently toasting the bun further, as the final browning was applied. By the time it arrived I was too hungry to pose the food for a proper profile - thus you see none of the beef in the sandwich above. Rest assured that the ample meat lies beneath the generous helping of bacon, cheese, and egg. The sizable sandwich rests on a standard 30cm (12 in) dinner plate without frivolous padding with fries - but they are available if you are especially voracious.
I like watching the cook because I hope to learn things. I make pancakes regularly but not of the grand size they do. Their batter has consistency similar to mine but the final product is taller than one might expect. I'll have to check if extra leavening makes a difference when embiggening my hotcakes.
I make potatoes frequently as well. But I had not before thought of applying liberal quantities of paprika. It gives nice color and, likely, a distinctive taste.
There is currently a short clip on youtube for stalwarts wishing to take a closer look:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-rLYd192Z0
This burger stands alone (1 of 2)
I actually prefer the version with motion blur, as it evokes the atmosphere of the place.
This is the long-winded recollection of my visit. The photo has no people out of courtesy to the dining throng.
I love North American Diners. The proper ones, with a hand written sign on the door reading "CASH ONLY". They have a certain intimate ambiance you can't find at a chain. There are those that attempt to recreate it, most notoriously the Cheescake Factory and its artificially long wait times. If you find yourself in a tiny local eatery the dearth of seating drives the crowd to wait at the door for a treasured opening.
The fare need not be critiqued in detail. There are the standard breakfasty items, seemingly constant lunchy choices, and no sidelong glances if you dare to mix the two.
Mother's cupboard (Syracuse, NY) is one of these tiny, out of the way places with an esteemed reputation. Most customers report the humongous breakfasts, the 30cm (12 in) pancakes, and the like. But I am always impressed with an establishment offering an egg on its burger without a special order. Soft center? No problem. McDonalds won't do that.
And establishments of this nature are proud of their cooking. The cooking is a show of itself. The heavily tattooed chefs weave a glorious ballet in their tiny space, as waitresses squeeze past to reach the other end of the counter. There is no microwave needed - everything gets cooked on the grill and stays hot there until it is plated and served. My order was the only burger on the grill and was assembled, all but the veggies, as soon as the over easy egg was done. But the bacon was not ready. So the lofty stack waited at the front, gently toasting the bun further, as the final browning was applied. By the time it arrived I was too hungry to pose the food for a proper profile - thus you see none of the beef in the sandwich above. Rest assured that the ample meat lies beneath the generous helping of bacon, cheese, and egg. The sizable sandwich rests on a standard 30cm (12 in) dinner plate without frivolous padding with fries - but they are available if you are especially voracious.
I like watching the cook because I hope to learn things. I make pancakes regularly but not of the grand size they do. Their batter has consistency similar to mine but the final product is taller than one might expect. I'll have to check if extra leavening makes a difference when embiggening my hotcakes.
I make potatoes frequently as well. But I had not before thought of applying liberal quantities of paprika. It gives nice color and, likely, a distinctive taste.
There is currently a short clip on youtube for stalwarts wishing to take a closer look:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-rLYd192Z0