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…)

Photo: Burger on the bar at Eggspectation. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.

REVIEW — Burgers are like eggs: Undercook ‘em and they retain some moisture; overcook ‘em and they’re chewy like rawhide.

That’s how things roll at Eggspectation, the noisy Downtown Silver Spring restaurant that handles omelettes and hamburgers on the same griddle and with the same culinary technique.

On one occassion, the bacon and cheddar cheeseburger ($12) was ordered cooked to medium, thus producing a tender, juicy and somewhat bloody beef patty. The meat’s inherent sweetness trickled down the sides of the toasted kaiser bun, soaking its nooks and crannies with a deep pink juice that mooed.

The beef’s rich flavor was nicely balanced with two salty pieces of bacon and ooey-gooey American (not cheddar) cheese. If one doesn’t mind the sight of blood or the threat of E. coli, this medium burger is good eats. (more…)

Photo: The Rio Grande burger at Parkway Deli. Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.

REVIEW — In the past, I sang praise to the Parkway Deli, that bustling diner tucked away on Grubb Road near Rock Creek Gardens. I may have called it “a sacred shrine to Saint Reuben, patron saint of sandwiches” or something like that. Nothing too dramatic.

But if the Parkway is holy ground to sandwich lovers, then it’s rapture for burger pilgrims. Eliminating all the culinary frou-frou, Parkway’s burgers are big, beefy and freakin’ tasty. Just schedule the angioplasty ahead of time.

The $8 Rio Grande burger (above) is a slightly greasy yet utterly glorious mouthful. The beef patty (ordered medium for this review) is seasoned lightly, which allows the meat’s rich flavor and sweet juices to hit with full impact. The melted Monterrey jack cheese draped over the patty is bland but adds a pleasant velvety texture. (more…)