Bub's Burgers

I have realized hamburgers are such a matter of taste. They vary so much from place to place. They can be grilled on a flat top or a flame grill, fat or thin, and the buns--well, that’s a whole other story.  I have said before, I tend to like a thin burger cooked on a flat top, preferably with some crispy edges. I like a soft bun, and I like to be able to take a bite of the thing without unhinging my jaw.

So Bub’s has been on the list for awhile and it seemed like a good kid friendly place to hit at lunchtime the other day when I was in the mood for simple, but something new.  I ordered a special burger of the day, the “steak and egg.”  I got their smaller sized burger with choice of cheese, bacon and a fried egg.  I also had the potato salad on the side.

So the burger isn’t bad, but it isn’t really my kind of burger.  The smallest burger you can get is ¼ pound after cooking (usually those weights are given to the pre-cooking weight).  It is pretty big.  The beef is nicely seasoned though—whatever they are seasoning with, I like.  The beef is also fresh and “hand-pattied.” The bacon was also tasty and cooked well.  The egg was fried hard (I should have asked), so didn’t really add much to the burger in my opinion. If it had been runny, it would have gone a long ways toward making the burger a bit more tender.  My main complaint was that the burger was a bit too dry—I ordered it medium, which is what they recommended, but I think next time I would go medium rare.  I would say this medium was a little more done than that.

The bun was pretty dense too.  Their website says they are made fresh at a local bakery specially for their burgers, and size-wise they did match up to the burger, but they were a little too bready for me—I tend to prefer a softer bun.  The burgers themselves are big—I cut my small one in half and with all those toppings, could only eat half of it. I can’t imagine getting a bigger one (and they have the “big ugly” which is a full pound of meat! After cooking!)

I really enjoyed the potato salad. It was called “loaded potato salad” and had baked red skin potatoes, scallions and bacon mixed with a tangy mayo type dressing.  It was unique with the bacon and scallions (and since I am not a fan of celery in potato salad, I really liked the scallions).  I ate every bite and would certainly order it again if I were there.  My son had a corn dog and onion rings, and the rings were good.  They were the battered type that I like and the portion they gave my son with his dog was quite generous I thought.  Between the three of us, we ate every one, and my son declared he couldn’t understand why we hadn’t been there before.  They also give kids a drink and a bag with some goldfish and fruit gummies.  Not exactly healthy, but popular among the preschool set.

All in all, I can see how this would be a nice easy place to go with kids for some classic American food made with good quality ingredients. Is it my favorite burger? Not by a long shot, but it wasn’t bad.  The service is really friendly, and it feels like a real neighborhood spot.

Bub’s Burgers

210 West Main Street

Carmel, IN 46032

317/706-2827

www.bubsburgersandicecream.com