Austin Burgers: Casino El Camino and Roaring Fork
Posted by texasmoose on April 6, 2007
Got a comment (Whoo-ho! First Comment!) pointing out the Roaring Fork and Casino El Camino, as, I would assume, the best burgers in Austin (this detail was left out of the comment). It just so happens that I have been to both of these places, and they represent two extremes on the burger goodness experience.
Casino El Camino: This is a dark, hole-in-the-wall bar/restaurant on 6th Street near Red River. Usually playing eclectic movies or songs, with pool tables upstairs and a patio out back. There is an open window in the back to the kitchen where you order your burger. My burger of choice is the Chicago Burger: bacon, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and that’s all you need. The cook is a little surly, has tattoos and piercings everywhere, and is usually listening to Metallica, but I think that’s an act as part of the whole Casino experience. I mean, he even said “thank you” after I gave him a tip last time I was there, although he did still say it in a surly voice. Now the wait begins…
Grab a beer (the selection is OK) and keep yourself busy for the next 30 minutes. The movies, as I’ve said, are eclectic. I’ve seen Three Stooges, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and, last time I was there, Brick. Or play pool; my bar game of choice. But prepare yourself…The burgers are thick and juicy, about 3/4 of a pound, rare to medium rare. My word of advice: do not distract yourself with the fries! Eat the burger first. This is just about the best burger I’ve had in Austin, or anywhere else, for that matter. Getting through the burger can seem like a monumental task, especially if you ate a big lunch that day, but when (if) you finish the burger, you can reward yourself with the fries. My only complaint is that I prefer the burgers cooked just a little bit longer. I’ll see how the surly cook reacts when I ask for medium next time.
Overall score: 9 out of 10
Roaring Fork: I was looking forward to the “Big Ass” burger, as it is described on the menu. The Roaring Fork is located in the Stephen F. Austin Inter-Continental Hotel at the corner of 7th and Congress. The setting is nice, just about a far from Casino El Camino as you can get. We ordered our burgers, everything seemed fine, but…
It is said that when Henry Ford began selling the Model T, he said the customer can have any color he want, as long as it’s black. Well, at the Roaring Fork, you can get the burger any way you want, as long as it’s well-done and charred on the outside. Of the five people that ordered burgers, every one came out this way. Only one person actually ordered it this way; the rest of us were not happy. One person sent his back…and it came back the same way, but this time without any of the condiments (lettuce, tomato, etc…) . We jokingly referred to this as the “FU” burger. The burger was dry and tasted, well, burned, because it was. So much for the Big Ass burger, and so much for the Roaring Fork. I will not go back there.
Overall score: 3 out fo 10
BTW, the comment also pointed out Austin’s Best Burger, a blog with a group of folks that are looking for, um, Austin’s best burger.
