Quest for the Perfect Hamburger

By The Phantom Diner

Last week I mentioned the practice of the Mongols of putting slabs of beef under their saddles.  By the end of the day the meat had been properly tenderized.  In 1238 AD when the Mongols invaded Moscow they brought the eating habits with them.  The Russians adopted the tenderizing the beef and named it “Steak Tartare” (Tartar being the Russian name for the Mongols).  Next week we will trace the migration of the Hamburger Steak from Moscow to Germany.

Sancho and the Phantom this week again traveled to Black Hawk.  Our destination was The Red Dolly Casino and Restaurant.  The Red Dolly sits on Gregory Street at the junction of Black Hawk and Central City.  The restaurant section is upstairs while the casino and bar are on the first floor.

The meat patty - 3 ¾  Folded Napkins.

The meat patty was of good size (one-half pound) and cooked exactly as ordered, medium-rare.  However it did not have the moistness that you get with a high fat (15 to 17%) ground round.  Definitely not chin dripping.

The bun/roll - 4 Folded Napkins

The bun was very good, fresh and not so huge that it overpowered the meat patty.

The garnish - 3 Folded Napkins

The garnish was poor, a small piece of nondescript lettuce, a piece of sliced onion (not red onion) and some pickles.

The price - 4 ½ Folded Napkins

At a price of $5.49 the basic price is quite good, but if you add cheese and bacon the price goes to $7.74.  One quirk that Sancho pointed out was that a complete Prime Rib dinner was cheaper ($4.99) than the hamburger.

Overall rating - 3 ¾ Folded Napkins

With the pricing variation between hamburgers and Prime Rib, since the Red Dolly features its $4.99 Prime Rib, I doubt that a great number of hamburgers are served.  The dining area is plain but pleasant and the service excellent.

If you have a favorite hamburger place in the mountains, E-mail Phantomdiner@aol.com and maybe the phantom will try it.