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By MARQUES G. HARPER mharper@leader.net
Wednesday, March 12, 2003 Page: 1E
There’s almost nothing better than a thick, juicy hamburger after a hard
day’s work, especially when your stomach is rumbling for more than a dinner of
grilled chicken, a baked potato and a salad.
When it comes to hamburgers, a squirt of ketchup or mustard and a toasted
bun can do the trick, too. A slice of cheese and a side of fries can make
eating a burger an even more enjoyable experience no matter what time of the
year.
But if you’re going to eat a burger, you want it be good, right? Beyond
good. To some that means fresh ground beef only, while others swear by ground
round. Some like their burgers jazzed up with seasonings or spices or perhaps
a half-packet of onion-soup mix, while others wouldn’t hear of anything but
the basics. Burgers stuffed with cheese or juiced up with steak sauce – tossed
into the raw mixture – are either an outrage or a work of art.
To find the best available “hamburg” (as we affectionately call it here)
in Northeastern Pennsylvania, we asked readers a few weeks ago to nominate
their favorite spots.
No one mentioned fast-food spots such as Wendy’s or McDonald’s. Instead,
submissions included small luncheonettes, diners and chain restaurants, among
others. In many cases, readers noted the burger’s size and cost and, of
course, the rich variety of toppings as stand-out characteristics. (In case
you didn’t know, burgers exceeding $40 have been making headlines in New York
City recently, which makes making a good burger at a good price even more of a
local accomplishment.)
After collecting the reader nominations, we sent a squad of taste-testers
out to try the touted A-listers. On our travels, one spot stuck out, so we
awarded it our “Hotshot Hamburger” title. Congratulations to Austie’s, the
decades-old 24-hour restaurant in Hanover Township, where diners can order
double-decker burgers, chili-topped burgers and California burgers, among
other themed patties.
The reader who suggested Austie’s said, “That is the best cheeseburger I
ever had in my life.” Having eaten a burger topped with grilled onions, the
reader added, “Oh my God, is that delicious. … That is the only place I
go.”
A number of runner-up burger spots also offered a variety of extra goodies,
from bacon to special cheeses, in addition to just good-old-fashioned
hamburgers.
Consider:
“It’s nothing special, but it definitely qualifies as a worthy lunchtime
meal,” one taste-tester said of his experience at the Ranch Wagon, a roadside
stop along the Dallas Highway whose look hearkens back to the `old days.’
“Thicker than what you’ll find in fast-food restaurants, Ranch Wagon’s burger
hinted at a backyard flavor despite featuring soggy top and bottom buns.”
Another diner said of The Country Kitchen at Boscov’s: It “offers a
hearty burger with an impressive list of toppings, from sauteed onions to
mushrooms to Gouda cheese. It’s very filling comfort food, especially on a
cold day.”
Or how about Wilkes-Barre’s Hottle’s, locally famous for its seafood? Our
taste-tester said: “The dinner menu says lobster, crab, steak and all that
good stuff. It doesn’t say burgers. You just have to know. And you really
can’t order one your way – sharp cheddar cheese only – but it’s OK. Hottle’s
offers a jumbo burger and a regular size, and each was smoky and succulent, as
burgers should be. No frills to speak of, but we didn’t want any anyway.”
Also nominated was the diner-style Sweet Treet on Wyoming Avenue in
Kingston. “You build your own here,” a taste-tester said of her experience.
“And the servers are quite cooperative. The burger itself, while not
discernibly homemade, had just the right amount of seasoning and was surely
the next-best thing. But the real treat was the accompanying cottage fries.
Also perfectly seasoned. Yum, yum.”
Another taste-tester was all chain, all the way: “The burger portion of
T.G.I. Friday’s menu reads `has a mouthwatering flavor and unbelievable
tenderness that all but guarantees it’s going to be the best-tasting burger
you’ve ever had.’ Amen. The perfectly toasted buns, crisp lettuce and ripe
tomatoes only added to the evening meal, which also featured a scrumptious
baked potato.”
As for our titleholder, Austie’s, though, freshly made burgers with and
without toppings grabbed the attention of two taste-testers – so much so that
one of them came back the next day with out-of-town friends.
She raved about the Austie Burger – a topping of ham, cheese and onions on
flavorful meat with a very homemade shape and taste served on “a nicely
toasted bun.”
The secret to Austie’s burgers is the beef, owner Alice Reilly Matyas, 44,
said Monday afternoon at her Sans Souci Parkway restaurant as several diners
placed orders for burgers.
“We cook it slow. But I think it really has to do with the fresh ground
beef,” said Reilly Matyas, who took over the family business after her
father, Austin, died in 1983 – the year Austie’s secret burger sauce was
introduced, coincidentally.
Austie’s, she said, doesn’t use seasonings in the ground beef. If you
ordered a deluxe platter, which will cost under $10, you’ll get a burger and a
side of fries and homemade coleslaw, produced from a recipe Reilly Matyas’s
father created.
From time to time, the restaurant takes suggestions from diners for new
burgers or toppings, Reilly Matyas said, adding, “Some of them take off, and
some of them haven’t.”
Her father, she said, taught her two rules decades go when she was 16 and
starting off as a waitress: Always use fresh coffee beans and always use fresh
ground beef, which is replenished every few days for burgers and other dishes.
“These are rules he instilled in me,” she said. “I feel like he’s gonna
haunt me if we don’t.”
Marques G. Harper, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7324.
TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTOS/CLARK VAN ORDEN
Alice Reilly Matyas, owner of Austie’s Restaurant in Hanover Township, says
the secret to her 24-hour eatery’s hamburger comes down to fresh ground beef.
A burger deluxe platter at Austie’s Restaurant in Hanover Township is
served with fries and coleslaw, which is made from a family recipe.
Cook Helen Allabaugh works the grill of hamburgers and buns in the kitchen
of Austie’s Restaurant in Hanover Township.
(FIRST SIDEBAR)
HED: Other good burger bets
Times Leader readers were asked to name some of their favorite spots for
hamburgers. While taste-testers gave Austie’s Restaurant in Hanover Township
the title of “Hotshot Hamburger,” these other spots for a good burger also
scored well with readers and staff taste-testers:
Marty’s Blue Room, Nanticoke
Tony’s Restaurant, Kingston
White Haven Diner, White Haven
Hanna’s Ugly Mug, White Haven
Allied Services John Heinz Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine,
Wilkes-Barre Township (Yep, a reader said they make the best there.)
The Ranch Wagon, Dallas
Cloverleaf Village Stables Restaurant, Danville
Boscov’s Department Store, Wilkes-Barre (the basement restaurant)
T.G.I. Friday’s, Wilkes-Barre
Jerry’s Cafe, Ashley
Sweet Treet, Kingston
Beer Deli, Forty Fort
Linda’s Restaurant, West Nanticoke
Juan Pedro, Hazleton
Hottle’s Restaurant, Wilkes-Barre
Shillelagh’s, Larksville
Lowe’s Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge, Wilkes-Barre
Musial’s Pizza and Subs, Hanover Township