The Silver Spring Penguin

Photo: Never thought my phone's camera could snap that pic in the darkness! Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.

REVIEW — That crisp, dry air and cool breeze mean only one thing: The Penguin’s quest to find downtown Silver Spring’s tastiest burgers is coming to an end.

It’s been quite the artery-clogging journey, one that’s led me from one end of the central business district to the other. At last, I landed at the one place everyone told me to hit when this trek started almost two months ago: the Quarry House Tavern.

For the uninitiated, here’s a quick rundown of the place: It’s extremely dark and extremely loud, tucked in a cavelike basement beneath Bombay Gaylord on Bonifant Street. It’s the very definition of a dive, one that serves seriously good hamburgers. (more…)

Credit: J. Deseo/SSP

While the newsroom generally reviews McGinty’s Pub around St Patrick’s Day, I thought I’d make it a stop along my 2009 Burger Quest. Here’s how it all went down:

There once was a Penguin from Brooklyn
On a quest (you can say she was lookin’)
For the bestest of grilling,
Something tasty and filling,
A thick burger for her beak to be hookin’.

McGinty’s seemed like a good place
For this Penguin to go stuff her face.
She told her kind waiter,
“Some french fried potaters
And a tall glass of sweet lemonade.

“While you’re at it, please fetch me a burger
With a thick slice of Dubliner cheddar.
Tell the chef to be makin’
It with Irish bacon,
‘Cause nothing could make it taste better.” (more…)

Credit: J. Deseo/SSP

REVIEW — Believe it or not, food has a voice. For example, a thick steak served with a baked potato belts out soaring arias, while a good hamburger with fries unleashes a wicked cover of Led Zep’s “Whole Lotta Love”. One way or another, food can be heard.

But the burgers at Tastee Diner, Silver Spring’s historic greasy spoon, barely whisper. And in the migraine-inducing cacophony of Tastee’s dining room, a mute burger ain’t a good thing. (more…)