Showing posts with label onion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label onion. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Your Mom's Burger Bar, Home of the Stuffed Burger

 Unfortunately, Your Mom's Burger Bar has closed.  I hope Ryan and Gina give it another shot sometime soon.

-J


So, here's a little story.

 Last Saturday, my wife and I were on our way to take me to work.  We decided to get a little lunch on the way, and not feeling like eating at any of our usual spots I suggested we visit "Your Mom's Burger Bar" on Airport Blvd.  It was on the way and I had been wanting to check it out since it opened.  My wife suggested that the only reason I wanted to check it out was because of the "tattoo vibe".  The logo features a woman with a tattoo on her wrist and the building is painted black.  I pointed out that the name is clever as well. 

 When we pulled-up Saturday, it was about 11:15 in the morning.  At the door was a woman who I assumed was a waitress who turns out to be Gina Blackmore, one of the owners.  She informed us that the restaurant did not open until noon, but if we were willing to stick around until 11:50 she could get the chef to start out orders early.  Despite this kind offer, my wife and I both had places to be ( I work at a tattoo studio that opens at noon).  I took a menu and said we would come back.  Feeling bad, I even called the owner on my way to work and told him that my wife and I would be in for our "date night" Monday.  I just wanted to let him know he had not lost a customer.

 True to my word, we pulled up to the restaurant Monday night around 8pm.  It had been a slow Monday for Ryan Blackmore, the owner, and he had just closed the shop and was in the process of turning another diner away we he saw us.  He was excited to see us, and invited the other diner to come back in.  Inside, he told his step-son to fire up the grill and asked us all for our orders. 

 My wife was correct about my being attracted to the vibe.  The interior was decorated with kitchy signs and stencil art work.  Punk rock music played on the stereo.  We sat at the bar and chatted-up Ryan while he cooked.  Ryan is easily the most gracious host I have ever met at a restaurant.  He truly has a passion for making a great hamburger and making the experience a great one. 
Oh!-rings.  Had to pull an image from Your Mom's FB page.

 We ordered the Oh!-rings, Elvis Fried Pickles, the Willie Nelson Burger and the Robert DeNiro Burger.  I love onion-rings, and the Oh!-rings were hands-down the best I ever had.  The 1/2 pound stuffed burgers were incredible, and worth every penny at about $8.00 each.  We were lucky enough to catch Ryan experimenting with a new menu item, which he treated us to.  The Cupcake Shakes sound awesome, but if we are lucky he will add the Cheesecake Cupcake Shake to the menu.

 All-in-all, Your Mom's Burger Bar is a great dining experience.  Ryan and Gina Blackmore have added something special to eclectic mix of venues and eateries that are enhancing the section of Airport Blvd west of I-35.  Swing by and get a burger at Your Mom's... You will not be disappointed.

 5001 Airport Blvd
 Austin, TX, 78751
 512-454-MOMS (6667)

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Fran's Burgers

  Fran's Hamburgers has been an Austin Institution and a part of the South Congress scene since 1973.  It is a purely American Diner, not a sports-bar and not big on kitch.  At Fran's, it is all about the food.  The prices are comparative to other burger-joints (not to be confused with fast-food-joints) as is the menu.  They make a fair milk-shake and offer-up a huge, 100% real beef hamburger.  The locals often rave about Fran's, and the place is always busy.  Service is fast and friendly, and the portions are well-worth the price.

 However, the one thing they are known for, their burgers, did not really impress me.  I don't know if it was the cook that day or what, but my burger was almost over-seasoned, like I wasn't tasting the beef anymore.  The onion-rings are a must, probably some of the best in town.  While I understand that the place is considered a part of the fabric of Austin, nothing struck me as peculiar to Austin in anyway.  Fran's could be any burger-place anywhere; a truck-stop diner that had the good-fortune to be located in close proximity to one of the city's tourist attractions.

 Honestly, with nothing really outstanding going for it, my money is better spent at the McDonald's a few blocks down the road on Oltorf. 

 Fran's is another Austin venue that is out of business.  Missed for the nostalgia, but probably not for the food.

 6214 Cameron Rd
 Austin, TX 78723
 512 458 6007