Slim's

What did Mr. Mt. Hood say to Mrs. Mt. St. Helens?..... I lava you.....(boooo, no golf clap)..., anyhow they might enjoy a burger together from Slim's:

Who's your daddy? Pattydaddy, that's who.

Forget everything you thought you knew about Slim's. New owners have planned a thoughtful menu and shooed out all the tweakers. I think gentrification did the rest. Here, 98 years after being established, it's been transformed into a pretty nice place to get a meal and a drink.

I comforted myself with a bacon burger ($5.75) and a Maker's manhattan. Very pleased with both. Friend and AWESOME photographer HambahgaStakee went for the basic burger ($4.50) and reported satisfaction. What can I say? Good burgers skillfully prepared by someone who obviously cares about what they do. Stiff drinks poured liberally. Very nice and clean retro atmosphere. Friendly bartender who's easy on the eyes. All in all a good experience and I will go back.

Slim's Restaurant & Lounge
8635 N Lombard St
Portland, OR 97203
(503)286-3854

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Arctic Circle

HambahgaStakee and FrySauce find an Arctic Circle (thought they disappeared along with A&W)....anyway, they have a cool font, goop, and always with the crispy photos:

I was talked into driving way the hell out to Gresham to pick up my good friend Fry Sauce. She was telling me about a place called, Arctic Circle. She rambled on about this special Fry Sauce (hence the name) that was some sort of mixture of ketchup, mayo and maybe mustard. A free meal can take me almost anywhere, so off I went.

It is your typical fast food restaurant, but the Black Angus Beef along with the Fry Sauce does have some panache that sets them apart a bit. I got the Double Cheeseburger combo that came with fries and a drink. Basic cheese, lettuce, pickles and another type of sauce accompanied the burger. Really, not bad... The golden brown fries were nice and crisp and took to the Fry Sauce very well. For a $3.99 meal, I was quite happy with what I had.

We were both asked if we wanted a complimentary ice cream cone, which rounded off our lunch experience very nicely. Whenever I'm way the hell out at 161st and SE Division, I'll be sure to stop by again...

Arctic Circle
16101 SE Division St.
Portland, OR 97236
(503)761-1281

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Sweet Home Bar & Grill

PattyDaddy and HambahfaStakee keep it coming. With over 150 burger spots on this "hobby" site.....when does it end?

We'd been there before, one rainy Thursday a couple years back for their all-you-can-eat ribs, but hadn't returned due to the abundance of second hand smoke. With Oregon's new ban on smoking in bars, a whole world is opening up!

There was a sign outside inviting us in to try the one-pound Monster Burger. Always up for a challenge, and eager try a new burger, we hit the Sweet Home Bar & Grill at noon on a Sunday. Friendly atmosphere and maybe a dozen other people there for the food. All burgers on the menu can be turned into a Monster for an additional $3.00. We both chose the Monster Cheeseburger ($9.50)... California style and cut into what amounted to 4 quarter pound sliders with a mess of fries or tots. I had an eye opening Irish Coffee ($5) and HambahgaStakee drank some sort of bottomless cola. Overall a decent burger in a clean establishment. I'd go back.

The menu is bigger than just burgers, but if you've got burgers on the brain, you can choose from a hamburger, cheeseburger (with or without bacon) mushroom & swiss burger, or the Deluxe with ham, bacon, and egg.

Sweet Home Bar & Grill
2824 N Lombard St
Portland, OR 97217
(503) 283-0274

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Hopworks Urban Brewery

PattyDaddy and HambuhgaStakee always have the crisp photos and isn't shy about putting this one high on the list:

Hopworks Urban Brewery serves up a slice of heaven in their cooked-to-order Brewer's Burger. 1/3 pound Cascade natural beef or garden burger on a cheesy Tillamook cheddar onion bun with the usuals and your choice of cheddar, provolone, or blue for $9.25. Not just another burger and has to rate among the top 5 in the region. Tasty tasty fries done just right and superior IPA with a nice hoppy finish.

Bonus pickle!

Hopworks Urban Brewery
2944 SE Powell Blvd.
Portland, OR 97202
(503)232-4677

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Slow Bar: UPDATED 04.15.08

UPDATE: 04.15.08




Hey, we all know it's time to pay the man, but you really can't stop eating the burger version of architect fish n chips. PattyDaddy and and one of our best photographers HambaghaStakee can't stop:

Bloody Mary with tomato infused vodka was AWESOME! And the burgers... (Slow top, Winter bottom)... just like everyone else says except they forgot to say HOLY FREAKIN' COW these are good. Man. About the best anyone could ever hope for in a hamburger. Really. This is it. This is what it's all about. It's beyond words. Go to Slow Bar and eat and drink. Go there now. Eat and drink. It's so good. So good... t's genius. Honestly. Go there. God it's good.

Cooked to order still only $9 each. Bloody $6.50. Plan on a big tip 'cause it's worth it.

UPDATE: 03.23.08






Folks can't get enough of this burger:

Burgermeister and PattyPusher had an awesome Saturday afternoon burgering date.

Burgermeister decided on the never disappointing Slowburger, which is a towering monster hell-bent on intimidation: Onion rings, Gueyure cheese, and cherry tomato relish. Burgermeister isn't afraid (once again, Strawberry Mountain Beef. Delicious.)

Pattypusher opted for the less daunting, yet brilliantly crafted Winter Slowburger: Cheddar, Blue Cheese, Panchetta, and the Tomato Relish. PattyPusher had this to say: "Cherry tomato relish has succeeded in being what ketchup wishes it was".

Please note the bloody mary, it's heavenly.

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UPDATE: 11.20.07




The Slow Bar has become a Portland Hamburgers favorite. WhopperChomper and ToastedBun give us their take:

WhopperChomper & ToastedBun stopped by Slowbar on a slow Sunday night to watch some football and eat red-meat... Like any good American should.

ToastedBun went with the Slowburger, $9...Good to great burger & fixins. Bun got soggy toward the end which made consuming that last 1/8 lb fairly difficult. Sadly, the fries were lukewarm.

WhopperChomper had the Winter Slowburger, $9. 1/2 lb strawberry mountain natural beef, rogue creamery oregon blue cheese, grilled pancetta, cherry tomato relish. The burger rocked as always, and I particularly like the cherry tomato relish which adds a delicate touch to a not-so-delicate burger. My fries were also lukewarm & the ketchup was ICE cold. Cold ketchup is a weird complaint, but I'm very particular and it’s not good when your fries aren’t hot.

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UPDATE: 11.9.07



DJ Izm gives us a taste of his favorite burger in town.

He also has a taste of his trade. From Uffie to Soul II Soul, to some updated version of the Percolator mashed with The Crystals "Then He Kissed Me". Yep, he has a mix you can download: LINK

The Slow Bar burger is my favorite. $9 (extra w bacon), 1/2 pound Strawberry Mountain beef, lettuce, tomato, Gruyere cheese, and two Onion Rings on a perfect sesame seed bun. Served with either fries or salad.

Also available and really good the Slow Bar Winter Burger

1/2 pound Strawberry Mt beef, lettuce, tomato, pancetta, blue cheese, and a tomato relish, on a perfect sesame seed bun. Served with either fries or salad.

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POST: 8.28.07



Everyone told Hamburgler he should go there, and off he went:

Best $9.45 the Hamburgler has spent in a long time (usually a penny pincher when it comes to burger, but I will be handing them my dollars over and over again.) The "Slowburger" was perfect, juicy, and delicious.

This 1/2 lb. slab of ground beef from Strawberry Mountain, gruyere, onion rings, butter lettuce, pickle relish is unstoppable.

Slow Bar
533 SE Grand Ave.
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 230-7767

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McMenamin's St. Johns Pub

PattyDaddy and HambahgaStakee take dinner at the Dome:

Fresh local ingredients and consistency in presentation are the hallmark of McMenamin's establishments. Well, that and a lot of microbrew varieties. The St. Johns Pub offers a nice balcony with wrought iron railing, overstuffed chairs, a traditional bar, outdoor seating, and a dome shaped movie theater. Nice place to hole up on a winter evening.

Featuring 1/3 lb. patties of Country Natural Beef, both burgers came with Tillamook cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, and secret sauce. They're served on flour-dusted kaiser rolls and come with your choice of fries, soup, or salad.

My photographer friend Erio (aka HambahgaStakee) had the Cheeseburger with fries for $6.30 (top). I hit the Wilbur's Jumbo Deluxe ($7.70 with bacon and fried egg). We ordered medium rare but found them cooked to the well side of medium. Other than that, it was a very satisfying experience and one sure to be repeated.

St. Johns Theater and Pub
8203 N. Ivanhoe
Portland, OR 97203
(503) 283-8520

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Jake's Grill

HambahgaStakee joins in to let us know about this Portland staple:

Jake's Grill in the Governor's Hotel has a fantastic Happy Hour, which is from 3 - 6 p.m. and 9:30 till closing. One of the mainstays, which I order about once a week during their later hours is a 1/2 pound cheeseburger, cooked to order with fries for a $1.95.

Crisp lettuce,onions and freshly cut tomatoes are on the side along with fantasticmarinated pickles. My Black and Tan runs me an additional $5. The waiting staff is fantastic and very cute. Gino behind the bar pours fantastic drinks.

Jake's Grill
611 SW 10th Ave.
Portland, OR 97205
(503)220-1850

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