by George Motz
My EBTs thanklessly entered questionable dumps, long forgotten drive-ins, and sometimes drove for hours to sample burgers and gather information. Their advance work made my research easier and more focused. I no longer blundered into a town eating burgers I thought would be worthy of the book only to find frozen patties and questionable practices. With the help of these EBTs my goal was clear. In the process I also made great new friends and burger allies, most of whom joined me on the road when I showed up at their favorite burger joints.
If it were not for Sef Gonzalez (aka. Burger Beast) in Miami I never would have been able to translate what El Mago in Little Havana was saying, not a chance. EBT Wayne Geyer led me to burger greatness in Dallas and Indianapolis, and the wanderer Jeff Moore set me straight in Tennessee. EBT Jim Ellison in Ohio not only knew where to get great burgers but also the rich histories behind them (he also sent me on my way once with excellent cookies from a local bakery). Joe Price not only knew ALL of the hot burger joints in Tulsa, he also ended up asking all of the questions in the Tulsa interviews. Jay Castaldi confirmed my favorites in Chicago and has joined me for burgers at all of them. Kris Brearton, the first EBT, has logged more miles with me on farout burger journeys than anyone, including an insane 670-mile, 18-hour journey into New England. And my wife Casey left behind 17 years of vegetarianism to join me on the road for this edition of the book (finally, she got to eat some amazing burgers). But one EBT stands out above them all: Todd McIlwee from Waunakee, Wisconsin. His dedication is beyond comprehension and his love of the traditional American hamburger is enormous. He has driven hundreds of miles in pursuit of hamburger knowledge and firmly believes there is much more out there to discover.
There are others that have led me to the burgers of my dreams and I’m indebted to you all. Thank you for reminding me that I’m not alone out there in my passion for greasy goodness.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I’m not really a writer. I’m a filmmaker, a photographer, and a nostalgic American. My quest to find America’s greatest burgers and the people who make them started with a film I made many years ago called Hamburger America. As a result of that project, and the research for this book, I have amassed an absurd amount of hamburger knowledge. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to dedicated food experts in many parts of the country for pointing me in the right direction and filling my brain and belly with unforgettable burger experiences.
Many thanks to Rick Kogan for being the president of the George Motz Fan Club and smelling success in hamburger reportage far before anyone else could. To columnist Doug Moe who has hosted and written about me in Madison, Wisconsin, and food writer Robb Walsh who made sure I was on the right track in Houston, Texas more than once. To Ed Levine from Serious Eats and Jim Fusilli of the Wall Street Journal for giving me tips on writing. To columnist Marshall King, my host in Indiana, and Tom Palmore and Bill Peterson, who introduced me to great burgers in Oklahoma. To friend Greg Ennis, who led me to burger greatness in Montana and protected me from drunken rugby players. And Rick Cohler who will never say no to a Butter Burger (or three) at Solly’s Grille. To Kacy Jahanbini for venturing into Ann’s Snack Bar before I did, and to Mac Premo for flying all the way to Meers, Oklahoma just to be nearly killed by a buffalo. To Vernon Schwarte for organizing motorcycle rallies to various places in Hamburger America (in the name of breast cancer awareness) and to all of the fans that have taken this book on the road to have it signed by my hamburger heroes (this small gesture goes a long way and shows these hamburger icons that their life’s work is meaningful). Also to NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg who is, without a doubt, hamburger obsessed. Thanks also to all of the butchers and meat people in my life, like Joe at United Meat in Brooklyn, Pat LaFrieda, Mark Pastore, SuSu Strassburger, and Jamie Schweid at Burger Maker. To Brett Reichler, Paul Sale, and Steve Hanson at Bill’s Burgers, Scott Smith and Andrew Fischel at RUB, and Randy Garutti at Shake Shack.
Thanks also to Nick Solares, Josh Ozersky, Melena Ryzik, Jeff Ruby, Jason Perlow, Stacy Perman, The Rev, and Adam Kuban, all food and culture writers of the highest order. To Seth Unger for attempting to manage all of this hamburger craziness in my life and to Nancy Meyers, always my host in LA. To Izabella, Kris, Diane, and Mitchell at James Beard and to Dan Appel and Rob Knox from danAppelcreative. Thanks also to Martha Stewart and Gayle King for having me on their shows, and to my amazing in-laws Sally and Jon for watching the kids while the wife and I powered through hamburger country. And of course to all of the tipsters who gave me advice about their favorite hamburger joint, whether they were driving the airport rental car shuttle, at the hotel bar, or sending me endless amounts of e-mail (keep sending that e-mail!). I’d also be quite lost without my core EBTs Kris, Jim, Sef, Joe, Wayne, Jay, and Todd (aka #2). I also need to thank my food photography mentor, Greg Ramsey, who taught me a whole new way to look at food.
This book never would have seen the light of day had it not been for my agent, Laura Dail, and my patient editor, Jennifer Kasius, at Running Press. Thanks also to everyone else at Running Press, especially designer Joshua McDonnell.
The cooperation of the restaurants involved made writing this book a pleasure (with the exception of Ann’s Snack Bar and Dirty Martin’s). Enormous thanks is due as well to my close friends and family who have supported me and my burger mission for the last decade. And most importantly, to my wife, Casey, who ate her first burger in 17 years at the Bobcat Bite last year and to my children, Ruby and Mac who love hot dogs (I’m working on it). After enduring tens of thousands of miles of traveling and writing about everyone else’s family, it’s great to come home to my own.
© 2011 by George Motz
All rights reserved under the Pan-American and
International Copyright Conventions
This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher.
Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing
Library of Congress Control Number: 2010941594
eISBN : 978-0-762-44234-8
All interior photogrphy by George Motz, except
Page 11: Photo by Tom Palmore, Page 29: Photo by Jim Shea
Page 278: Photo by Kristoffer Brearton, Page 365: Photo by Nick Solares
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