Aug 17, 2006

Burgerville: a feast for the sense of taste

Move over, In-N-Out. There is a new Zeus in the fast food pantheon: Burgerville. One culinary experience tops anything California's fabled chain has to offer. One savory sacrifice of beef, cheese, and pork.

The Pepper Bacon Tillamook Cheeseburger.

In-N-Out prides itself in a simple menu of burgers, fries, and shakes, with toppings even Philip Glass would love. From this pallette of ingredients, customizable complexities emerge. Yet nothing, not even "Animal Style," matches the complexity that blossoms from the hallowed grasses of Tillamook, Oregon, and lies beneath hearty cured pork instilled with real peppercorns. Is there bacon on the In-N-Out menu? No, there is not. Is there Tillamook cheese on the In-N-Out menu? No, there is not.

Sadly, Burgerville suffers from the same weakness that plagues In-N-Out, namely, it isn't available outside of its home region, the Pacific Northwest. It does not, however, suffer from spongy fries, In-N-Out's Achilles heel. (Bonus point: Burgerville recycles its spent oil to make biodiesel.)

I stop at Burgerville every time I travel I-5 south of Olympia, even bookending my recent trip to Mount Adams with two visits, with my wife's gracious permission. I ordered the PBTCB both times, and was deliriously happy.

Would someone open an Olympia franchise? Please?

6 comments:

Unknown said...

Good news on that front. My mom is friends with the chain owners and they do have desires to expand. The problem is that they want to keep their system of using local farmers' produce instead of national-level produce, making it incredibly costly for them to expand outside their farm dense region (i.e. not olympia). However, the fact that Burgerville is unwilling to sacrifice any amount of quality for profit makes my heart glad.

Mark said...

Good stuff and highly underrated. Their seasonal milkshakes (especially Oregon Blackberry) are to die for.

Nearest one is in Centralia isnt it?

Jim Anderson said...

Oly's not that far from farmland. And certainly not too far for shipping purposes, especially since, as Mark points out, the nearest Mecca is Centralia.

Keep hope alive.

Unknown said...

Yeah, but any distance increase = more costs, if not proporionately higher ones. And how many other fast food resturants does Centralia have (presumably Burgerville's direct competetion)? Since fast food chains base resutrant presence on population, fewer than the Oly area. More competition = financial barriers.

Even so, owners want to expand and the product is ridiculously good. Hopefully in a few years...

Jim Anderson said...

I'd jump on that wagon if I had some venture capital at my disposal. Looking around and seeing none, I shall continue in my present employment.

TeacherRefPoet said...

Without Burgerville, I'm not sure I'd ever make it to Portland. It's so very tasty. So very tasty.