Hamburger America: One Man's Cross-Country Odyssey to Find the Best Burgers in the Nation [DVD]
by George M. Motz
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Book Summary Information
Author: George M. MotzEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-04-08
ISBN: 0762431024
Number of pages: 312
Publisher: Running Press
Book Reviews of Hamburger America: One Man's Cross-Country Odyssey to Find the Best Burgers in the Nation [DVD]
Book Review: Three reviews in one - Kindle, paperback and DVD versions
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the paperback version of this book several months ago and it included the DVD documentary movie version. Later I purchased the Kindle copy as well (I will explain why later in this review). I will break down my review into three sections, one covering each item.
PAPERBACK VERSION: Although the documentary was produced first it is the book that first attracted me to George Motz's work. The success of his movie inspired him to write a book featuring 100 great hamburger restaurants. It's important to note that he is not claiming that this is the 100 best, only 100 AMONG the best. Motz's research seemed to be pretty thorough, but the cost of traveling to all of the cities that are home to great burger joints would clearly be too expensive to make this book profitable. Choices had to be made and many key cities were not visited at all. For instance, in Missouri he visits Kansas City but ignores it's big brother, St. Louis (home of Karl's Drive-in, certainly as good and unique as many that are included). Austin Texas is also featured but the much larger city of San Antonio (only 70 miles southwest) is excluded. It would be easy for anyone living in a city not listed to feel slighted but I understand that would have been impossible for him to travel to every city that is said to be home to a great hamburger joint.
That being said, let's talk about the ones included. It's almost impossible to classify something as iconic as the hamburger restaurant but I will try. I would divide the restaurants into three groups:
* Classic: These are restaurants that have almost as much historical significance as culinary. They are places that serve a standard molded or flattened patty with the usual toppings but the building or the restaurant's history is significant enough to make it a local legend. Chicago's Billy Goat Tavern and New Hampshire's Gilley's are good examples.
* Gourmet: These are the best examples of what a burger can be. It can be the quality of the meat (such as Kobe or other exotics), spices, seasonings, method of cooking or truly unique (and expensive) toppings.
* Unique: Unusual burgers can be created by either using an unique cooking method (steaming, deep frying, using loose meat, enclosing the cheese into the meat or vertical flame broiling) or by applying distinctive toppings (such as a huge dollop of butter, adding peanut butter, using a "secret sauce", adding pastrami, etc.).
It is true that a hamburger restaurant can embody two or even all three of these attributes (I would say that Santa Fe's Bobcat Bite comes pretty close) but most are famous for one thing or another.
I must mention that although Mr. Motz is very thorough in giving pertinent information I am sometimes surprised by his omissions when profiling a restaurant. In both the book and the movie he doesn't explain the significance of the Billy Goat's Tavern strategic location in-between Chicago's two major newspapers (which is why it has newspaper articles all over the wall), and although he mentions San Antonio New Mexico's Owl Bar and Cafe's role in feeding atomic researchers during WWII he forgets to mention that it's current fame is largely due to being the closest restaurant to the famous Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge which attracts multitudes of birdwatchers every year (the town only has a population of a couple of thousand).
The photography in the print edition (mostly by Motz himself) is very good (4 stars). The photographs of the burgers are not so slick that it looks like a food stylist made it into something that you would never recognize when you see it in person but they are appealing (although they could have been better lit). I would have liked more photos of the people but still, the quality and quantity of the photographs are quite good.
DVD DOCUMENTARY: This is George Motz at his most charming. Others (such and the Travel Channel and the Food Network) have given coverage to many of these restaurants but none with Motz's reverence for both the food and the people that produce it. His profiles of the owners and cooks show a true love and devotion for those that serve us well. Eight restaurants are profiled and they have, for the most part, been well chosen (I didn't think Sedalia Missouri's Wheel Inn Drive Inn is quite in the class of the others). These are unique restaurants with interesting history and great food. My favorites include The Meers Store and Restaurant in Oklahoma and Louis' Lunch in New Haven, CT.
KINDLE EDITION: Having decided to make it my mission to visit as many of these 100 restaurants as possible I wanted to have quick and easy access to the data for each restaurant. Beside the addresses and phone numbers Motz includes some important information that came keep one from looking like a tourist or a fool. Such as: which door to use (or even how to open it); what to say when ordering in order to sound like a regular; what NOT to say in order to avoid the wrath of the staff; what is the best hamburger or side on the menu; etc. I have downloaded it to my hand-held device and always have it ready. I have a Kindle 2 and the photos look pretty good on it, not great but decent.
There is a smattering of additional information in the book, such as "How to Buy Hamburger Meat", "Notable Burger Chains" and "My Favorite Sides". He also gives some recipes including his self-named "Motz Burger". This is an excellent, entertaining book and I highly recommend it to both the burger fanatic and the frequent traveler. Five Stars!
More Hamburger America: One Man's Cross-Country Odyssey to Find the Best Burgers in the Nation [DVD] reviews:
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Summary of Hamburger America: One Man's Cross-Country Odyssey to Find the Best Burgers in the Nation [DVD]
Whether you're an armchair traveler, a serious hamburger connoisseur, or a curious adventurer up for a road trip, Hamburger America will be your guide to reclaiming this precious slice of Americana. No other food says ?America? like the hamburger, and documentary filmmaker George Motz has made it his personal mission to save our nation's unique burger identity. He has traveled across the country in search of the best burger joints - those that have survived outside the fast-food mainstream - and has documented their rich histories and one-of-a-kind taste experiences. This edition of the book includes George Motz's 1 hour documentary ?Hamburger America? that profiles 8 burger joints across the USA.
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