Culver's

                Over the past several years there has been a trend to see smaller burger chains opening in areas around the country. Perhaps it is the “mythology” of In-N-Out Burger or the fact that people just see a need for a quality “fast food” burger that is far superior in quality to the traditional McDonald’s or Burger King, but for whatever reason, we’re seeing more and more of these small chains popping up.

                Enter Culver’s, a Wisconsin based chain that was founded in 1984 and has been spreading around the Midwest ever since. Currently in 19 states, there are three in the Tri-State area. To find the one closest to you, check out their web site at http://www.culvers.com/.

Burger

                Recently Mark was out of town on business and had the opportunity to check out a Culver’s.

Culver’s has what they call a Butterburger, what they call the burger that started it all. “It’s a Culver's family specialty and the burger that started it all. We use only fresh, never frozen, Midwest-raised beef, seared on a grill after you order and served on a lightly buttered, toasted bun. Add real Wisconsin cheddar and you’ll know why we wouldn’t change a thing.”

To be honest, I found this burger to be very lacking. The beef may have been seared but it was also charred. Pressed overly flat with crisp around the edge this burger was less than a McDonald’s or Burger King offering. I really didn’t taste beef. And that said, to steal from Wendy’s, “where’s the beef?” If the beef began life as two eighth pound patties then their fat content must be way too high because there was not even close to a quarter pound when it got to the table. The burger was dry and tasteless. And the fresh Wisconsin cheese wasn't even melted. It was still refrigerator cold.

The crinkle cut fries on the side did nothing to enhance the meal. Though they were properly cooked they were also rather bland and needed way more salt than a sane person should consume.

Maybe this was just a bad location, perhaps it wasn’t the best that Culver’s has to offer. I’ll grab Josh at some point in time and we can venture to one in the Tri-State and try the Butterburger and maybe it will be good, better than traditional fast food fair. In any case, I’m not ever going to head back to this location, even if I find myself in the same city. Shame on Culver’s for building up my expectations only to have them crash this badly.