It’s about time
Now I say this for two reasons. The important one for today is that this marks the beginning of Dear Burger, a blog which I have been hoping to start since around this time last year. With it being National Burger Day, it only seems right that a blog this long in the making should start with a burger I have had my eye on for years.
So I turn to you, Triple Prime burger from Ruby Tuesday. When you first came out back in 2006 I wasn’t quite ready for you. You seemed too plain, with your lack of cheese and mix of meats, of which I wasn’t sure the difference. I wanted to indulge in those mini brothers of yours, complete with their pickles, crispy onions, and just a bit of mustard that really stood out to a kid that at that time only ever put ketchup on his burgers.
Today, when I was undecided between Ruby Tuesday and Friendly’s, a quick check of the menu told me that you were still there, longing to be devoured. As I went in, fully set on trying you for the first time, I must admit I was almost tempted by the Colossal Burger. Standing tall with a full pound of meat, I was questioning whether I should challenge myself (and most likely regret it later), but my heart was set on you.
You may have taken a bit longer to arrive that I had hoped, but as I cut in to you, revealing a perfectly cooked medium, you redeemed yourself by being one of the juiciest burgers I have seen in quite some time. This didn’t help the bottom bun at all, as it was already soaked through by the time it got to the table, but I was happy you would definitely not be a dry patty.
By yourself, the trifecta of ground filet, ribeye, and sirloin, slightly charred at the edges had great flavor, accentuated by the surprisingly wonderful yet simple slice of American Cheese. While your friends, lettuce, tomato, and pickle came along, one bite decidedly told me they shouldn’t be hanging around you. They were all fresh, and the pickle had a nice tang, but the lettuce and tomato were too overpowering. With a burger touting “prime” in its name, I should have trusted you would have great flavor, without needing any help.
At the end of the meal, I was glad I had waited to try you. Back in 2006, I would have probably thrown all of the fixin’s on top, doused you in ketchup, and been semi-satisfied with a slightly more than mediocre burger. Today, I got to try you as you were meant to be tasted. You shined in the areas I expected, and the only area I can really say you fell flat was with your size. I enjoyed my time with you, and would gladly spend another day with you, but alas, you were out of my life way too quickly to really appreciate everything you did well.
While you may not be remembered as one of my best, you will always be remembered as the burger that finally got this blog started.
For that, I thank you.