Big As A House Burger - Pizza House, East Lansing, MI

If you have spent any significant amount of time on the southeast side of MSU you know Pizza House. Nestled in Hannah Plaza adjacent to MSU, Pizza house has been a crowd favorite for over 23 years. Known mostly for it AMAZING pizza (duh!), including an awesome version of the Chicago-style deep dish, it also provides a hefty line burgers. Normally Pizza House is not my first thought for a juicy burger, but I figure that everybody deserves their fair shake. I mean they say "We’re committed to using the leanest meats, finest poultry, real Wisconsin cheeses, fresh baked breads and produce delivered daily to create your favorite meals from our expansive menu!" And I can personally say it is true in regards to their pizza. But now...the burger.

Atop their burger page in the menu the have a selection that couldn't be passed up. It is called the "Big As A House Burger"! While I certainly applaud Pizza House attempt at catering to all palates, maybe they should just stick to pizza. The first clue could have been in the description where they state "chargrilled medium-well, unless otherwise specified". Perhaps they meant "will be charred to medium-well or more regardless of your preference". I 'specified', but did not obtain medium-rare. Dry and lacking a lot of taste the burger seemed to go on forever. As it claimed, it was big. However, bigger in this case did not mean better. The bun was so-so and the toppings were to satisfaction. My choice of topping was cheddar, and thankfully cheddar is what I received. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Pizza House. However, my Daddy always said 'you don't get race horses out of shetlands' and I say you don't get great burgers at a pizza joint. (Maybe next time I will try their pizza burger.)

Big As A House Burger - **** 4/10

Other Perks of Pizza House: GREAT PIZZA! You can't go wrong here. I really like the vegetarian pizza, lots of cheap beer, nice atmosphere, and close to MSU

Papa Joe Burger - Peanut Barrel, East Lansing, MI

If you attended Michigan State University since 1983 you will know the Peanut Barrel. Conveniently located on Grand River in downtown East Lansing, The Peanut Barrel is a staple of grub and good times for everybody in Sparta. So sit down, enjoy the beautiful Michigan summer, and have yourself a big beer or the strong Long Island in town!

The Papa Joe Burger at the Peanut Barrel is one of "those". It is not the best burger, but it most certainly not the worst. The kind of burger that you could eat once a week and not get bored for long time! The bun is excellent. More of a home-style roll turned into a bun with just a bit of grease on it to satisfy. The burger is definitely something formed by hand: No manufactured, frozen, cookie cutter burger here. The burger is always cooked on the medium-well side of things, and just a bit dry. However add lettuce, tomato, and American cheese plus some mayo, mustard, and ketchup and you'll have a winner. The fries are definitely more of the home-style, too. Excellent and crispy. Not many things in life go down better than Peanut Barrel fries with mayo and finish it off with a brewskie. Combine the beautiful downtown East Lansing scenery in the summer, some lovely Canadian ale, and the very reasonable price of the Papa Joe burger for a great time. The kind of memory that will always remind you of being at MSU.

Papa Joe Burger - ******* 7/10


Other perks of the Peanut Barrel: THE BEST Long Island in town, daily lunch specials, outdoor seating, daily drink specials, and good times!

Champp's Cheeseburger - Champp's, East Lansing, MI

THE CHAMPP REIGNS SUPREME!!!

Before I ever thought of starting a burger blog I never imagined that a national chain would claim the top spot in a burger blog. Somehow it just seems inherently wrong. Nevertheless, my I manage to avert my bias and judge the burgers for what they are. And when you are at Champp's, you get what you are looking for.

Standing just outside the Eastwood Towncenter in East Lansing, MI, Champp's is a beacon of Americana. Beer, burgers, and sports. That pretty much sums up Champp's. Love or hate it, it is what it is.

Where do I start about Champp's Cheeseburger? Start with "USDA Choice Angus Beef" that boasts a wopping 60 grams of protein per patty. Cook that delicious slab a meat perfectly! Seared quickly to lock in the flavor, but leaving a warm red center so that you don't kill the taste. If there was nothing else, this burger would be creeping into the Top Ten. But they didn't stop there. Put that beautiful slab of meat on a sesame seed bun that is crispy enough to keep everything in and not disintegrate, but sweetly supple to handle the meats beauty. Lettuce, tomato, and REAL cheese. To reiterate - REAL cheese (your choice of cheddar, provolone, or pepper-jack). If you want bacon, you will get 'thick, peppered bacon from heaven'. Combine this with brew that is just a little bit slushy because it is so cold, an always friendly (and usually easy on the eyes) wait staff, and a cool atmosphere (including several big screens with your favorite sports). That is a recipe for Nirvana-like delight. The only downside of the Champp's Cheeseburger is that when you are done you won't have room for another!

Champp's Cheeseburger - ********** 10/10

Other perks of Champp's: Cheap drinks, instead of fries you can get those crisscross things (awesome!) or sweet steak fries, you can watch all the PPV events on their big screens, and the prices aren't bad!

Da' Burger - Beggar's Banquet, East Lansing, MI

If you love fine food and wine then you will love Beggar's Banquet. Located in downtown East Lansing across from the storied buildings of Michigan State University, Beggar's Banquet has been providing the "gimme eat" style of service since 1973. Famous for it's casual atmosphere, high class food, extensive wine selection, the best baked brie in Mid-Michigan, and half-off bottles of wind and appetizers on wednesdays, it is a favorite haunt of cultured citizens.

As it can be gathered from the introduction, Beggar's Banquet is not your typical burger joint. However, everything else I have ever had there is excellent, so why not the burger. Their signature (and only) burger, Da' Burger is half-pound, Black Angus burger served with lettuce, tomatoes and onions on a kaiser roll. That sound good, right? Well, there is a lesson to be learned from the next option accompanying Da' Burger. In addition to the aforementioned ingredients, Da' Burger also comes with your choice of any 2 of the following:......... I did not include the options, because it really doesn't matter. When you see this sort of phrase, it is best to stay away. I have never had a burger that would be worthy of the TOP TEN that included a option such as this. Now don't get me wrong, the burger was okay. But, definitely not the best. I ordered medium-rare, I got medium-well (maybe the guy in the picture was cooking that night). I ordered cajun seasoning (one of my two options), and I got salt (I am assuming, because I didn't taste any cajun's!). The meat was average at best. A little dry, adequately large, and pretty bland. The kaiser roll was indeed a kaiser roll. However, a burger is only as good as what is between the buns (that's what she said!!). Overall, I have to recommend Beggar's sticks to large chunks of baked cheese (again, it is SOOOOO good) and fermented grapes.



Da' Burger - **** 4/10

Perks of Beggar's Banquet: HALF-OFF WINE AND APPETIZERS ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT (get a reservation.), BAKED-BRIE (soooo good), and really cool laid back staff and atmosphere.

Smokehouse Burger - Smokey Bones, East Lansing, MI

Sitting in the corner of lovely Eastwood Towne Centre in East Lansing is a wonderful place called Smokey Bones. In writing this blog I found out that Smokey Bones is actually a chain restaurant, but from my end I couldn't tell (maybe I should get out more!). The very name gives you everything you need to know about the food at Smokey Bones. They smoke stuff that used to have, or still contains in some instances, bones. Ribs, pulled pork, and burger. All the good things in life, eh?

The delight at hand from Smokey Bones is dubbed the Smokehouse Burger. This hearty mound of meat comes with a host of tasty goodness. Start with a thick, yet supple, bun. Add on top a thick burger, perfectly cooked to medium-rare, that is juicy enough (but could be better). A subtle, yet oh so important, addition are red onions cooked and smothered in the Smokey Bones signature savory BBQ sauce. On top of all this cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, and more red onions. You may say to yourself "that is a lot of onions!", which ends up being true. When beginning this burger you can taste onions in addition to the ever subtle, but smokey, flavor of the BBQ sauce. It is truly heavenly.
But admittedly by the end of the burger the power of the red onions can not be denied. Even with the pitfall of the onion parade, the Smokehouse Burger is a site to behold. This is a burger I would recommend to anybody due to both it's heartiness (I was stuffed) as well as the balance of flavor (forgetting the onions).

Smokehouse Burger - ******** 8/10

Other Perks of Smokey Bones: Lots of TV's with your own listening station, lots of Happy Hours, AWESOME Pulled Pork and Ribs, cool atmosphere.

Crunchy Burger - Crunchy's, East Lansing, MI

Everybody who loves karoke and beer in East Lansing knows Crunchy's.  Just down the street from Michigan State University, this local favorite offers good times to many students.  As it turns out, though, they do a decent job with a hand crafted burger.  

The "Crunchy Burger" is a handcrafted sort of beast.  It  reminds me of a burger you would have at a backyard BBQ.   Large enough to stick out off the side of the bun (a definite positive).

Cooked to perfection (I ordered it Medium this day), it was both juicy and flavorful.  You can tell these burgers are either put together just before grilling, or they have some sort of freshness formula.  The burger comes with lettuce, onion, tomato, and cheese.  Downsides - the lettuce was a bit too big and the onion was a bit too strong.  The cheese was not 'real'.  Most of the time this is not necessarily a good thing.  However, on a Crunchy Burger it was perfect.  Not too fake tasting and melted just enough to not slide off.  All-in-all the Crunchy Burger served to satisfy. At the affordable price of $4.75, the Crunchy Burger rightfully lands itself a spot in the Top Ten.

Additional Perks of Crunchy's:  Karoke, Lots of Beer (at reasonable prices), a cool atmosphere, and awesome Cajun Fries that are great when you are drunk.

Crunchy's Burger -  *********  9/10