Were you raised in a barn?
When it comes to this burger, the answer is yes!
First, a little sidebar
I’ve been struggling with how to begin to put these delicious meaty mixtures into some sort of order. But how do you compare? How can you contrast one’s light and fluffy bun that melts in your mouth, to another’s thick and hearty burger platform? Or the subtle or not so subtle differences in a basic beef patty or those with a mixture of beef, pork, and bacon or even cheese…
In an effort to begin to corral these tasty items into some version of a list, I’ve instituted the first category breakdown. There likely will be more, but for now the premise is simple - Gourmet vs. Burger Shack. I’ve found that no matter how amazing a Burger Shack burger is, and there are some fine ones my friend, it’s hard to compare to something that is made with ingredients so fine it’s worth an $18 price tag. I’m not saying the ‘overall’ winner isn’t going to be a burger from a place with paper napkins, but rather that I’d like to have two category winners first.
And now back to the regular grind.
I’ll admit, I’m a deal hound. I love to shop for not just things I love, but things I love that are on SALE! I occasionally go way out of my way to save $5-$10. While I am learning to begin to factor in gas and the value of the time I’m spending into the total cost, I still love a good deal. The Itty Bitty Burger Barn has been on the list for awhile so when I saw that one of those ‘daily deal’ websites was running a special $7 for $15 to spend, I jumped on it. Lucky for me, it was about to expire this week so I had enough motivation to break T out of our ‘let’s eat healthy’ binge. We decided to go right after crossfit class. Nothing says ‘healthy’ like working out hard core followed by a greasy dinner.
The location reminds me of the place we used to go to grab burgers after my gymnastics lessons back in elementary school. I used to love gymnastics, all that running and jumping around. The best was when you jumped off the balance beam and got to do the ‘ta DA’ pose. But I digress…
It’s a small little barn like structure (I know, you’re shocked). The sign actually reads “Burgers, Wings and Things” in large font, with ‘Itty Bitty Burger Barn’ much smaller underneath. No matter, we found it just fine. Inside the walls are just covered in various things – metal signs, a giant menu, tons of business cards and photos of burger challenge finishers. Speaking of the burger challenge, T has decided that he could do this one, stay tuned for that story sometime soon. I was in awe of the menu for a bit, so many choices. I decided to go with the one that jumped out at me first, the ‘red hot and blue’ burger. When I asked the helpful counter girl, she told me it was a burger with frank’s red hot and blue cheese. There were some other tasty looking options I would like to try next time such as the sliders, the chicken fried sandwich and the loaded fries. They even have been featured on Food Network, so I’m definitely going to try THAT burger. T went with a more traditional burger so I could maintain some semblance of trying a ‘basic’ burger. Your burger comes with a choice of side (fries, tots, etc) which made me feel like it was a fairly good value. A homemade burger and fries for 6 bucks? Sign me up.
We amused ourselves while we waited by reading all the random business cards that were tacked up on the board. Some were more funny than others. Anyone want to follow ‘firstlady69’ on twitter?
The burgers arrived and perhaps it was because I was famished, but they looked amazing. First let me tell about the fries. These were a dark golden brown. The smaller ones had a really nice crisp to them, and the larger ones were the perfect mix of crunch on the outside and soft fluffy inside.
They were dusted lightly with a red seasoning, perhaps a Cajun blend, which made for the finishing touch. I’m sad I didn’t finish my fries.
The first bite of the burger was pure heaven. (Keep in mind I was starving.) The red hot sauce, mixed with the toasted bun and warm melty blue cheese just put it over the edge for me. I had left off any mayo or mustard so as I continued it did become a little dry but nothing adding more hot sauce didn’t fix. .
I think in this case I was in awe of the toppings. All the veggies were crisp and fresh and added to the red hot sauce and cheese. The buns were firm and toasted perfectly, but the patty itself was thin. It wasn’t dry or under seasoned just nothing special. T’s burger was more dressed (mayo I believe), and was delicious. But even he said it wasn’t up to the level of juiciness he likes. I won’t say I didn’t finish my burger, because I did. But I should have taken the bun off and saved the room to finish those fries! All in all, this is definitely a spot we’ll come back to even if it isn’t one of the top places. The combo of location, variety, price and staff is just too good to pass up. I can see why it’s so many people’s favorite.
Itty Bitty Burger Barn
Category – Burger Shack
Stars: 3.9
5503 PINEMONT DRIVE
HOUSTON, TX 77092
713-683-6700
First, a little sidebar
I’ve been struggling with how to begin to put these delicious meaty mixtures into some sort of order. But how do you compare? How can you contrast one’s light and fluffy bun that melts in your mouth, to another’s thick and hearty burger platform? Or the subtle or not so subtle differences in a basic beef patty or those with a mixture of beef, pork, and bacon or even cheese…
In an effort to begin to corral these tasty items into some version of a list, I’ve instituted the first category breakdown. There likely will be more, but for now the premise is simple - Gourmet vs. Burger Shack. I’ve found that no matter how amazing a Burger Shack burger is, and there are some fine ones my friend, it’s hard to compare to something that is made with ingredients so fine it’s worth an $18 price tag. I’m not saying the ‘overall’ winner isn’t going to be a burger from a place with paper napkins, but rather that I’d like to have two category winners first.
And now back to the regular grind.
I’ll admit, I’m a deal hound. I love to shop for not just things I love, but things I love that are on SALE! I occasionally go way out of my way to save $5-$10. While I am learning to begin to factor in gas and the value of the time I’m spending into the total cost, I still love a good deal. The Itty Bitty Burger Barn has been on the list for awhile so when I saw that one of those ‘daily deal’ websites was running a special $7 for $15 to spend, I jumped on it. Lucky for me, it was about to expire this week so I had enough motivation to break T out of our ‘let’s eat healthy’ binge. We decided to go right after crossfit class. Nothing says ‘healthy’ like working out hard core followed by a greasy dinner.
The location reminds me of the place we used to go to grab burgers after my gymnastics lessons back in elementary school. I used to love gymnastics, all that running and jumping around. The best was when you jumped off the balance beam and got to do the ‘ta DA’ pose. But I digress…
It’s a small little barn like structure (I know, you’re shocked). The sign actually reads “Burgers, Wings and Things” in large font, with ‘Itty Bitty Burger Barn’ much smaller underneath. No matter, we found it just fine. Inside the walls are just covered in various things – metal signs, a giant menu, tons of business cards and photos of burger challenge finishers. Speaking of the burger challenge, T has decided that he could do this one, stay tuned for that story sometime soon. I was in awe of the menu for a bit, so many choices. I decided to go with the one that jumped out at me first, the ‘red hot and blue’ burger. When I asked the helpful counter girl, she told me it was a burger with frank’s red hot and blue cheese. There were some other tasty looking options I would like to try next time such as the sliders, the chicken fried sandwich and the loaded fries. They even have been featured on Food Network, so I’m definitely going to try THAT burger. T went with a more traditional burger so I could maintain some semblance of trying a ‘basic’ burger. Your burger comes with a choice of side (fries, tots, etc) which made me feel like it was a fairly good value. A homemade burger and fries for 6 bucks? Sign me up.
We amused ourselves while we waited by reading all the random business cards that were tacked up on the board. Some were more funny than others. Anyone want to follow ‘firstlady69’ on twitter?
The burgers arrived and perhaps it was because I was famished, but they looked amazing. First let me tell about the fries. These were a dark golden brown. The smaller ones had a really nice crisp to them, and the larger ones were the perfect mix of crunch on the outside and soft fluffy inside.
They were dusted lightly with a red seasoning, perhaps a Cajun blend, which made for the finishing touch. I’m sad I didn’t finish my fries.
The first bite of the burger was pure heaven. (Keep in mind I was starving.) The red hot sauce, mixed with the toasted bun and warm melty blue cheese just put it over the edge for me. I had left off any mayo or mustard so as I continued it did become a little dry but nothing adding more hot sauce didn’t fix. .
I think in this case I was in awe of the toppings. All the veggies were crisp and fresh and added to the red hot sauce and cheese. The buns were firm and toasted perfectly, but the patty itself was thin. It wasn’t dry or under seasoned just nothing special. T’s burger was more dressed (mayo I believe), and was delicious. But even he said it wasn’t up to the level of juiciness he likes. I won’t say I didn’t finish my burger, because I did. But I should have taken the bun off and saved the room to finish those fries! All in all, this is definitely a spot we’ll come back to even if it isn’t one of the top places. The combo of location, variety, price and staff is just too good to pass up. I can see why it’s so many people’s favorite.
Itty Bitty Burger Barn
Category – Burger Shack
Stars: 3.9
5503 PINEMONT DRIVE
HOUSTON, TX 77092
713-683-6700
