Johnny Rockets Hamburger
Tuesday, August 17th, 2010I suppose some regular readers who are accustomed to me writing about heady, expensive four-star, over-the-top tasting menus will be surprised at a Johnny Rockets review. Admittedly, part of its appeal is its close proximity to me – just up the hill on Fillmore in San Francisco. I don’t mind how bright it is inside because it is a place where I can comfortably ensconce myself at the bar with a book. I don’t mind the background tunes, usually circa 1950.
Everybody has the occasional burger craving. That cannot be denied. When I get the craving, I also want onion rings to accompany my artery-clogging demise. But I do try and minimize the damage I know that I am causing to my body and this is why I like Johnny Rockets for they have these children’s sizes which work perfectly for me.
Instead of the monstrous, gut-wrenching burger that will be felt long into the night, I can order a smaller version of their classic burger. Decent meat, seasoned on the fryer (pity it isn’t grilled), fixed the way I like it, with fresh lettuce, pickles, catsup and mustard. No mayonnaise or onions for me, thank you. And then there are the onion rings.
They will fry up five or six for me so give me that hint of badness without over-indulging in a fry frenzy of oil and cholesterol. Their onions are real inside – not onion mash re-shaped into deceiving rounds. The exterior is a classic crumble batter which I prefer over the thicker, more doughy beer batter onion rings which I know some prefer. And they automatically serve them with a dish of ranch dressing.
And why is all this a good thing? Because said burger, onion rings, and a small lemonade can be had for under $10, that’s why. No, it is not healthy but for the price, it satisfies when I can’t get to an In-N-Out Burger (which doesn’t have onion rings anyway).
