"Cheaper Than Food" is the motto for Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burgers in Ann Arbor, MI - a fitting establishment to name a blog after. Blimpy Burgers has been flipping quads and quints + since 1953 and barely slowed in 2001 when 1/2 the kitchen burned down (the restaurant re-opened in a matter of months after a new grill was purchased). There are numerous other posts around the net about the greasy goodness Blimpy Burgers serves up, most of them full accolades for the food and annoyance at the standard anger filled service (there are a number of comparisons of Blimpy's being the soup nazi equivalent of a burger joint). One of my favorites is that of Monster Munching who nicely describes his experience with Blimpy's. I've happily lifted pictures posted on his blog here.
"If its not grilled its fried" could be another motto of Blimpy's. This is easy to determine when confronted with the menu. Blimpy's claims that "...no two Blimpy Burgers that are the same - ever." Based on estimates that there are more than 1,245,760 possible Blimpy's burger combinations I'd have to agree. Burgers are ordered by the patty (10 to a pound) + grilled toppings + cold toppings. Vegetarians are luck to have a couple of options. There is a deep fried veggie burger on the menu and a sides include fried vegetables of all sorts, mushrooms, potatoes, onions, broccoli, and so on.
The kitchen staff are intentionally obnoxious, but who cares. Nobody goes to a burger joint for the pleasant service. Burgers are made with love and served quickly and usually dripping in grease. Patties are cooked thin, sometimes crispy, and always stacked high on your choice of over a half-dozen bread selections. Toppings vary from the usual standards such as lettuce, tomatoes, grilled mushrooms and onions, to more exotic ones like salami and egg.
The burger and condiments add a wonderful texture to the tasty grease. What more could you want for $4.00 burger.
More info on Blimpy's:
Pictures
Michigan Daily Articles: 1 million ways to dress your burger at Blimpy's. A fantastic article written by friend Patricia Duque. Best Burgers: Blimpy Burgers
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Inspired
A couple of my friends/work colleagues recently moved to Toronto. They left Seattle for the prosperous land of Canada for better jobs and a more cosmopolitan way of life. Both being foodies they quickly set their sights on ferreting out the better places to eat in the city and began a blog cataloging their introduction to food in Toronto. (For those interested in their thoughts, a link to the blog is listed at the right.)
The blog got me thinking about the best meals I've eaten over the last 10 years or so. At the end of the exercise I had a list memorable places all of which most people would hardly classify as "restaurants." But they were all places run by hard working people who were as committed as to providing a memorable eating experience as any critically acclaimed restaurant.
Cheapness is in the eye of the beholder but in my mind escaping from dinner for less than $10 a person is pretty damn good. What follows are memorable places that in my opinion epitomize the provision of great cheap food.
