Sherman's Food Adventures: Red Mill Burgers

Red Mill Burgers

Our original plan was to visit the Woodland Zoo on our second day in Seattle; but cold and wet weather put that on hold. According to weather reports, our best bet was to try on the Saturday, which also happened to be the day we head home. Yah, that would make things slightly hectic. Alas, we did the good parent thing and sucked it up, for the kiddies. Hey, someday they're gonna thank us right? LOL... Despite being sunny, it was still quite chilly, so we bundled up the family for an outdoor day at the zoo. After 3 hours of looking at snakes, goats, ducks, kangaroos, emus and the sort, I was getting quite hungry. Maybe because I've eaten most of the aforementioned animals before...

Whatever the case, I wasn't going to be subjected to the cafeteria-type food offered at the zoo. When we finished, I was outta there and punching our next destination into the GPS. Ah yes, just up the road is Red Mill Burgers. Yes, burgers again. After my non-event at Dick's, I really needed a good burger. Well, that and the fact they have grilled cheese on the menu. Guess who I'm catering to? Now as we were rolling up to the place, to our horror, there was a lineup out the door extending into the parking lot. I'm not joking. At first, I would've gladly left and ate somewhere else; but Viv convinced me to stay since we were there already. Fine, although I really hate lineups. The food better be good!

So we were reserved to the fact we'd be eating in the car again, such was the case with Ezell's. Ugh. Greasy food in the car again... Reluctantly, I made my way into the lineup. OMG, I must've waited for over 40 minutes to get my food. As I was waiting, I was able to snap a photo of the food prep area and you have to be impressed with the mound of cooked bacon. Look at it! If that is not heaven, I'm not sure what is. Now to what we ordered. For Viv, I knew she was not really in the mood for burgers after Dick's (that sounds plain wrong...). Thus, I got her a Chicken Verde Burger. If you look at the picture, it is one fine looking chicken burger, don't you think? The chicken breast was grilled to perfection with nice charring while still be moist and tender. Underneath, there are freshly roasted green peppers, onion, tomato and lettuce. Completing the package was the "Mill" sauce. As stated on the menu board, it is not Thousand Islands dressing. Rather, it is a house-made mayo with a hints of smoke and spice. It's not overwhelming; but it really gives the burgers an extra kick of flavour. With everything packaged in a kaiser bun, Viv really enjoyed her burger.

For myself, I went for the Bleu Cheese 'n Bacon Burger. It consisted of a 1/4 pound fresh beef patty with pepper bacon, crumbled blue cheese, tomato, lettuce and mill sauce. Although the patty itself was not particularly juicy, the rest of the ingredients really made the burger. The peppery, crispy bacon combined with the pungent blue cheese kicked up the flavour quotient. Not the best burger I've ever had; but pretty darn good nonetheless. The freshness and quality of the ingredients really make a difference. While in line, I noticed that their Onion Rings looked pretty good and of course I got an order. The breading on these large suckers was fantastic. Crunchy and a bit spicy (looks like they added cayenne to the batter), these rings didn't even need condiments. However, I don't have much to say about their Fries. Although not bad, they were just like any other French fry you can get at a concession stand.

Dick's For our daughter, we got her a Cheeseburger. For some odd reason, I found the beef patty in this burger to be more moist than mine. I found that the sesame bun was softer than the kaiser bun used for my burger. And behold! The Grilled Cheese made with Tillamook cheddar on whole wheat bread. What can I say? A solid grilled cheese that my son was willing to eat! The question is: was it worth the wait? Well, not exactly. We did enjoy our burgers very much and the onion rings were really good. Yet, all of this comes at a price. Although I took a swipe at earlier, there is no comparison. While the deluxe burger at Dick's comes out to $2.40, our gourmet burgers were a whopping $6.50 each. Of course we're talking about apples and oranges here. Ulitmately, Red Mill is not exactly cheap. A comparable place would be Fatburger; however, I much prefer Red Mill. Bottom line is if you're willing to lineup and fork over the cash, the burgers at Red Mill are pretty darn good.

The Good:
- Fresh ingredients
- Meats executed well
- Unique specialty burgers

The Bad:
- With gourmet burgers comes a gourmet price tag
- There could be lineups
- Small dining area

9 comments:

shokutsu said...

OMG. Now that is Bacon Heaven!

Sherman Chan said...

Yah, if there was a bacon heaven, that would be it.

EnbM said...

"our gourmet burgers were a whopping $6.50 each."

When was the last time you ate at your local MacDonalds :D
A MacBurger is now $6.29, and that is before the HST. LOL

Seattle, here I come.

Sherman Chan said...

Well you see, I try to avoid McD's if I can. Not good for the waistline... LOL... Although I do enjoy eating there. Funny that you mention that since my uncle today was complaining that he paid almost $8 for 2 Filet-o-Fish. Yah, the gourmet burgers at McD's, especially the grilled chicken are $$$. That's probably why I don't eat there too! So many better options. I suggest you pay Burger Burger in New West a visit. For $5, you get a complete homemade burger, fries and drink. Take that McD's!

holly said...

Hey, I was originally planning to try Red Mill Burgers next week. You beat me to the punch,

Now that my travel plans have been cut back, at least I know what a Red Mill burger experience is all about.

For fresh ingredients, I would nave no problem paying those prices.

EnbM said...

I snacked at McD's only when traveling abroad to use their washrooms.
RMB's burgers are good-lookers. Wish they have a branch here in the LML.

Sherman Chan said...

EnbM, I wish too! But unlikely... :(

Holly, yah that is true, the ingredients are good. Worth the money.

Natasha Reed said...

I have that same exact photo of that bacon pile after visiting. Pretty obscene, wasn't it?

Sherman Chan said...

Natasha... it was heaven, not obscene! LOL...

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