Wimpy, the hamburger-snarfing character from Popeye, was well-known for saying, "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today." We thought of this because this year, National Cheeseburger Day falls on a Tuesday -- as in Sept. 18.
Dallas steakhouse The Palm plans to celebrate all week. Through Sept. 21, the Palm will have an $8.37 lunch special, featuring one of five burgers, served on toasted sesame brioche buns with a side of seasoned hand-cut fries. Yes, $8.37 is a little more than you'd pay for a Quarter-Pouinder with Cheese, but these are USDA Prime Steakburgers. And toppings include aged gouda, prosciutto di Parma and Danish bleu cheese. The $8.37 price was inspired by the first location of the Palm, at 837 Second Avenue in New York.
The Palm will also offer $1 burger sliders (with drink purchase) at Palm Bar from 5 to 7 p.m. and from 9 p.m. to closing.
The five burgers: --The "Bozzi Burger" with aged gouda, smoky barbecue sauce and crispy fried onions. --The 837 Club Burger with prosciutto di Parma, roasted red peppers, pesto aioli and fontina cheese --Second Avenue Burger with Danish bleu cheese and smoked bacon -- Bunless Burger with wild mushrooms, asparagus and fontina cheese --Classic Burger with cheddar cheese.
The Palm is at 701 Ross Ave. in downtown Dallas. Lunch hours are 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
If you can't make it to the Palm and you want to celebrate on Tuesday, here are a few other cheeseburgers to help you celebrate:
--It's hard to go wrong with a cheeseburger at Pops Burgers & Grill, which won DFW.com's 2011 Burger Battle largely on the strength of its cheeseburgers. Quote from the wrap-up: "We tried the bacon cheeseburger, with a smear of mustard on both top and bottom buns. The meat was piping hot; the cheese was terrifically creamy; the veggies added color and crunch; the mustard had just the right amount of tang. We tried the jalapeño cheeseburger, which performed equally well, with a splendid heat from those fresh jalapeños. We tried the mushroom Swiss, and loved the meaty, smoky mushrooms." Mouth watering already. 4413 Trail Lake Drive, Fort Worth.
--If you really want to celebrate National Cheeseburger Day, try the Cheeseburger at Chop House Burgers, 1700 Park Row Drive No. 116 in Arlington. The Cheeseburger is pretty cheesy -- it's a cheeseburger that uses two grilled-cheese sandwiches as buns. Crazy, but it works. For a more traditional route, order the Classic Burger, and ask to add cheese. Chop House was the runner-up in the 2011 Burger Battle, and it was close.
--2011 Burger Battle reader's choice winner Charley's Old Fashioned Hamburgers, 4616 Granbury Road in Fort Worth, where the Project X -- a jalapeño cheeseburger with a Tabasco-soaked patty -- and the avocado Swiss are among our faves. Charley's fared well with the DFW.com Burger Battle judges in 2011, making the Final Four, and there were (ahem!) some among us who pushed for it to go further.
--The Fuego Burger at Salsa Fuego, 3520 Alta Mere Drive off the Weatherford Traffic Circle in west Fort Worth. A candidate for best green-chile cheeseburger ever, with fire roasted green chilies, roasted jalapeño mayo, and lots of melted cheddar jack cheese. And when they say lots of cheese -- well, imagine a burger that has a cheese ring that makes you think of the rings around Saturn, and you get the idea.
--The Diablo Burger at Fred's Texas Cafe, 915 Currie Street and 2730 Western Center Blvd. in Fort Worth. Yeah, sometimes the Swiss cheese gets lost amid the spicy chipotles that inspire this burger's name, but it's National Cheeseburger Day. Concentrate. Or just order a Fredburger with cheese.
--The Dirty Love Burger at Tim Love's Love Shack, 110 E. Exchange Ave. in Fort Worth and 115 E. Hickory Street in Denton. A fried quail egg and "Love sauce" give this burger a little extra oomph.
--The H2 Burger at H2 Burger Co., 306 Houston St., inside Red Goose Saloon in downtown Fort Worth. A half-pound of Angus beef is topped with a fat slice of ripe tomato, arugula, tarragon mustard and balsamic caramelized onions, all packed onto a ciabatta bun, it's even better with cheese, and H2 offers plenty of choices: Gorgonzola, smoked cheddar, Swiss, Muenster, chevre and Grana Padano, similar to Parmesan.
--Twisted Root Burger Co. offers several specialty burgers, but the ones that get us going are the Spicy Goat (goat cheese, chipotle and bacon) and the Wing Style (blue cheese and buffalo-wing sauce). Bonus for vegetarians: Twisted Root will do a veggie patty on any of its burgers. For a list of locations, go here.
--The Bronson at Bronson Rock Burgers and Beer, 250 S. Main St. in Keller. Described in a review this year as "a monster with melted cheddar, smoked bacon, grilled onions, jalapeños and secret sauce." This place can get crowded, especially on weekend nights, so try it on off hours or be prepared for a wait.
--The jalapeño patty melt at Beacon Cafe and Country Store, an out-of-the-way but very cool spot at Hicks Airport, which is between Saginaw and Haslet in northern Tarrant County. From our review: "It comes on thick, fresh rye bread, piled high with a half-pound of beef, and American and Swiss cheeses melted so perfectly into the meat that it's hard to tell where the cheese stops and the meat begins. The jalapeños, with a little support from the grilled onions, provide just enough kick to satisfy fire-eaters without chasing away more sensitive palates." 171 Aviator Drive (off Bonds Ranch Road), Fort Worth.
Tastes -- and memory -- being what they are, we're sure we forgot/neglected some good cheeseburgers. And we're always willing to learn about ones we don't know about. Let us know about your favorites (with descriptions) in the comments.
