Hard Rock Cafe burger (follow-up to Panhead John’s chain burgers)

[Mosca]

I ordered a Diablo burger:



I added bacon ($4) and jalapeños, and upgraded the fries to onion rings ($4), and got this:



Not bad. Pretty close, actually. I wouldn’t call it spicy at all, but that’s just me. The patties are fresh beef, and they have that char-grilled taste that Burger King burgers had 50 years ago. I’d give this a solid C+. That’s good, coming from me. Most chain casual burgers are far worse. But every burger I’ve made for the past 30 years has been better, and that’s a hard tier to crack. I enjoyed this burger.

The onion rings were really good! They're real rings, battered and fried, not greasy at all, and very crisp. I’d order those again. B+/A-.

The drink is a Newcastle Brown Ale.

Meal comped by Hard Rock Casino. Which is cool, we don’t play all that often any more, maybe once or twice a year.

[barelfly]

Looks like a decent burger. I also believe a good burger has to have a good bun, or a brioche style bun like the one served to you. I use to love making brioche buns for hamburgers back in the day. Thought it really elevated a burger!

and those onion rings do look good! You can tell they are crispy the way the are stacked on each other. Hope you enjoyed that meal and won a little coin as well while there!

[STEbbq]

Good choice on the burger. I do love the spicy ones.

The bun and onion rings do look legit.

These are fun threads. Essentially chain restaurants’ food reviewed by cooking and BBQ experts.

[Jfrosty27]

But $28 for a burger. Ouch.

Glad it was good eating though!

[STEbbq]

Food was comped and the burger still only got a C+. I think Tom was purely grading on taste but I’d be annoyed to pay $28 for a C+.

[Alan Brice]

Ski resort $$ at the top of the mtn. Food n bev both look yummy!

[Mosca]

If it wasn't comped we wouldn't have gotten it, though!

[GolfGeezer]

Hard Rock cafe burger - a nostalgia moment for me. I used to travel to mainland China quite a bit for business, usually going through Hong Kong before it was taken over by the CCP. We would stay at a hotel on the Golden Mile for a night before traveling to the mainland. After 3 weeks of business that included a range of Chinese regional meals, we were ready for a taste of home. We returned to that same hotel for our return flight home, and we immediately headed to the old Hard Rock cafe on the Golden Mile and have a giant cheeseburger and fries made with fresh Australian beef. Not cheap, but OMG! What a treat!

I guess my point is that time, place and condition or circumstance greatly influences one's taste buds.

[TripleB]

Got me thinking about a burger for lunch today. Might have to go get a chili burger at Tommy's. The original chili burger in the city where burgers were born. And it only costs $6.90.

[GolfGeezer]

Love Tommy's!! In fact, I'm defrosting some of the chili right now to put in some leftover spaghetti. I always buy a tub after scarfing down 1 (or 2!!) 1/4 cheeseburgers. Decent chili fries as well. 👍🍔🍔