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Cheap Eats

Hidden Gem: Cruise In Country Diner

These milkshakes (plus the burgers and fries) bring all the boys to the yard. Girls too.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on May 09, 2011 at 10:30AM 12 Comments

About 18 miles from downtown via a combo of US-26, OR-217 S, and a spider’s web of slow-moving town and country roads, sits the Cruise In Country Diner (9785 SW River Rd, Hillsboro). A cheery oasis amid verdant fields and hills, it’s one of those hidden gems that you always dream of stumbling upon when you’re in the middle of nowhere. More often than not, these gems often turn out to be nothing but shiny rocks. But the Cruise In is the real deal. A mix of farmers, families, bikers, and hipsters sit at pristine diner tables and booths surrounded by old-fashioned signs, photographs, and hubcaps circa the ’50s and ’60s, and seriously chow down.

What’s on the menu:

Mains: 19 burgers, including fish, chicken, buffalo, and three veggie varieties, plus a pulled pork sandwich, hot dog, and options for kids. They strive for local and organic whenever possible, but everything is natural and hormone-free. You can get your Hemi Challenger (three patties with Tillamook cheddar and bacon, $13.95) on a white, wheat or gluten-free bun (sourced from NatureBake, Dave’s Killer Bread, and Laurel’s Sweet Treats in Tigard), or crown your locally made Chez Gourmet veggie patty (I recommend the earthy WOW, which mixes chopped mushrooms with mozzarella cheese) with fresh guacamole or an organic egg. The Studebaker Burger, which tops the expertly-cooked and not-overly-thick beef with high-quality natural pastrami and Swiss cheese ($9.95), is especially awesome—for such a meaty sandwich, it manages to avoid feeling like, ahem, overkill.

Sides: All the burgers come with your choice of a green salad, German potato salad, or thick, salty house-made fries that taste of potato and clean fryer oil and are refillable for free! Get the fries. You can eat green salad at home, and the potato salad (essentially just slices of tuber in Italian dressing) was the only let-down in the whole joint.

Sips: They dispense natural fruit smoothies and Longbottom Organic Black Gold coffee, but I highly recommend the killer Alpenrose ice cream milkshakes. For $.25 you can add malt (crushed Whoppers!) for a sweet, salty, rich delight that will conjure visions of Pulp Fiction’s glorious $5 milkshake. For boozers, they have 12 microbrews on tap (you are welcome to try them first), as well as gluten-free RedBridge beer and Spire Mountain Pear Cider.

If you’re thinking of firing up your HOG, Huffy, or hybrid to check it out, I have three pieces of advice:

1. Ignore the picture on the website. The food looks (and subsequently tastes) much better in person.

2. Instead of taking the OR-217 S route that MapQuest and other navigation systems will suggest, I advise staying on US-26 and taking Exit 61 (Helvetia Rd/Brookwood Pkwy). It is infinitely faster to avoid those suburban streets.

3. Schedule your first foray for Saturday, May 21, when all tips will be donated to Mercy Corps to help earthquake victims in Japan, demonstrating that the real jewels here are the staff. Plus, it might just be sunny enough to enjoy your classic eats on the patio out back.

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Tags: Cheap Date, Cheap Eats, Best Burgers, local

Best of PDX

Five Places I Love

Eat Beat’s newest gastrophile, Allison Jones, waxes poetic about her all-time favorite spots in Portland.

Posted by: Allison Jones on Apr 13, 2011 at 12:30PM 12 Comments

I dine out too much. Though once upon a time I was an avid home cook, these days I spend my time in tireless pursuit of the best things coming out of every Portland kitchen but my own. Sure, you’ll find me at whichever new French bistro or offal-in-a-waffle food cart pops onto the scene, but there are also places around town serving crave-worthy dishes that call me back time and time again whenever I think about making my own dinner for once. Here’s my list of the five reliable places that keep my home fridge empty.

1) The Burger: Screen Door 2337 E Burnside St
There are plenty of explanations for that infamous line out the door, but in my book there’s only one that really matters: Screen Door serves the best burger in Portland. Nothing cures food disenchantment caused by too many gourmet tasting menus than 10 bloody ounces of Painted Hills ground sirloin with thick-cut onions and extra pickles. Insider tip: Ask for the burger on the pulled pork bun for the full experience, and if you’re feeling daring, try it with pimento cheese and stuff your face like nobody’s watching.
Eat me: Step one: Backyard Burger with french fries. Step two: Banoffee Pie. Just do it.
Drink me: Porch Swing Lemonade with vodka, fresh lemonade, and muddled sage. Like sipping a liquid version of your summer herb garden right after it’s been watered. With booze.

2) The Coffee Shop: Ford Food and Drink SE 11th & SE Division St
This offshoot of SE Division’s Detour Café serves from-scratch pastries, sandwiches, soups, and focaccia pizza in a huge concrete-chic space that was once a Model T factory. Ford’s walls of windows keep the space bright – even when it’s pouring – and with plentiful power outlets and tables, you get the feeling you’re welcome to stay for hours. And I do.
Eat me: Good Morning Panino – Cream cheese, pepper bacon, oven-dried Roma tomatoes, and fresh basil pesto on house-made foccacia.
Drink me: With rotating beers on tap and a well-curated and affordable wine selection, the good people at Ford do their part to fill your cup with more than just Stumptown brew. The’ve got Happy Hour 5-7 weekdays, with $3 pints and glasses of wine.

3) The Food Cart: Los Gorditos Taqueria SE 50th Ave & SE Division St
I’m not going to involve myself in the eternal no-real-Mexican-food-in-PDX debate, but Los Gorditos is easily my favorite food cart in town. With a full covered porch and plenty of seating, this spot is the kind of place where you could throw a dart at their menu board and be completely satisfied ordering anything you hit. Be warned: the cart is closed on Sundays, making it the saddest day of the week, but their brick-and-mortar location on 12th and Division is open every day.
Eat me: The Soyrizo burrito, a lingering favorite from my vegetarian days – a grilled flour tortilla stuffed with Soyrizo, beans, rice, cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, sour cream, onion and cilantro, topped with a lot of their house salsa verde.
Drink me: Mexican Coke cold out of the fridge under the salsa bar. Because it’s the real thing.

4) The Date Spot: Bar Avignon 2138 SE Division St
I supposed you could call Bar Avignon a mom-and-pop joint, but only if your pop is one of the most well-respected wine directors in town and your mom makes a truly wicked sazerac. Randy Goodman and Nancy Hunt have created the quintessential neighborhood bistro, with a knockout wine and cocktail list, a full menu of classic, flavorful dishes, and a vibe that manages to be romantic, Euro-chic, and homey at the same time. They’ve been teasing me with the promise of weekend brunch in the coming months, and when that wish is granted I may never leave.
Eat me: Head in on Fried Chicken Night (check their website for dates) and feast on golden-crisp Draper Valley chickens drizzled with spiced honey, cornbread with maple butter, and spicy braised greens.
Drink me: Nancy’s take on the Vieux Carré – rye whiskey, Dolin sweet vermouth, Benedictine, Angostura and Peychaud bitters, and lemon.

5) The Hole in the Wall: Pho Huy 11342 SE 82nd, (503) 353-6646
Everyone’s got their favorite pho joint, and mine’s in the parking lot of a WinCo in Happy Valley. While Pho Huy’s take on the sinus-clearing Vietnamese noodle soups are standard, the real reason I’m impelled to drive a half hour for lunch is a salad. The Goi Bo (seared beef salad) is an addictive plate of flavorful steak bits, shredded cabbage, carrots, cilantro, and peanuts in a citrusy fish sauce dressing that manages to become far more than the sum of its humble parts.
Eat me: Said Goi Bo.
Drink me: Pho Huy manages to do something magical with their water (yes, as in tap water) involving fresh lime. If it was on the menu I’d order it, but it’s free, which is way better.

There you have it, my everyday cravings in a nutshell. What are your top five?

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Tags: Happy Hour, Food Carts, Coffee and Tea, Southeast Dining, Wine, Best Burgers, Vietnamese Food, The Best, Comfort Food

Eat This Now

Where the Wild Things Are

Southeast Portland’s new Over the Top food cart cooks up a big buck hunter’s dream with elk, bison, venison, and boar.

Posted by: Benjamin Tepler on Mar 08, 2011 at 09:30AM 3 Comments

Somewhere between the glittering copper kitchen at Le Pigeon and the screaming-red takeout counter at Little Big Burger, Portland’s market for all-American beef burgers officially became flooded.

What were Montana-based chefs Taylor Rea and Ryan Biglione to do when they arrived in Portland only to discover it had already achieved its ground-round apex? Realizing the market was supersaturated with burgermeisters, the two looked back to their rural Northwest roots for inspiration—to the bison and elk of their childhood for a niche that would put them “over the top.”

Squished into the quiet jumble of food carts at the A La Cart pod on SE 50th Avenue and Division Street, Over the Top’s tin trailer is hard to miss. A giant mural honoring the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest, the original masters of game, towers over the huddled mass of curious carnivores with a soul and style worthy of Banksy. This homage to the Northwest’s wild side lies at the heart of Over the Top’s Oregon game burgers.

The selection is, as promised, over the top, with a rotating menagerie of unfamiliar tastes and textures in patty form. Less adventurous game hunters might opt for their regular—but still superlative—menu of elk, bison, and beef burgers sourced from Nicky USA, Oregon’s go-to-guy for wild meats. Thrill-seekers can look forward to weekly bush meats like rabbit and venison and out of town specialties like emu, kangaroo, and boar.

Exotic game may be kitsch, but holy cow, this meat is good. The elk patty itself is a work of untamed perfection: a velvety texture that hints at gamey venison but melts in the mouth with a surprisingly sweet aftertaste. The whole production comes bedaubed in a tangy-sweet cherry demi-glaze, draped in piquant provolone, and finished with a healthy dose of melted caramelized onions on a Portland French Bakery bun. I’m hooked.

Over the Top Game Plan:
1. Aim your sights at the Elk Burger and do not miss the side of gold-medal coleslaw with a zesty apple crunch and tame blue cheese morsels. ($9)

2. Bypass that side of bone-knuckle soup. Even on the most blustery days, a full mouthful of green onions and salty, flavorless collagen won’t do you any good.

3. For pickle people, the crunchy, cayenne-spiked, tempura-battered pickles are a must from the selection of hit-or-miss fried veggies. ($3)

Over the Top food cart is open Thurs–Tues, 12:30–8 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m.–10 p.m.on weekends. 4926 SE Division St. alacartspdx.com

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Tags: Food Carts, Southeast Dining, Best Burgers

Happy Hour

Happy Hour of the Week: Little Bird

The peeps behind Le Pigeon are now feeding eager beavers with their downtown bistro’s new Early Hour menu.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Jan 21, 2011 at 10:00AM 2 Comments

Rambling around downtown and in need of a decadent weekday nosh sometime between 3 and 5pm, but don’t want a decadent tab? Little Bird is now able to meet that need with a new menu of “Early Hour” specials.

This late afternoon spread includes all the red-hot French bistro’s chalkboard items with around $2-$6 knocked off the price. Snack on a trio of cheeses (raw cow, sheep, and goat) for $10, or a charcuterie plate ($14) piled with three saucissons from Olympic Provisions and house-made pork rillette. The daily dozen oysters will run you $20, but the soupe du jour is only six bucks.

If you’re an LB newbie, your best bet is probably the much coveted, limited-edition at bad-boy big brother restaurant Le Pigeon but available all the time at Little Bird ‘Le Pigeon’ burger, accompanied by your choice of fries or lettuces for $9. A more adventurous choice, however, especially if you have a partner in dining, is the roasted marrow bones with onions and aged balsamic, also $9. “They’re really rich and great for sharing,” says Little Bird co-owner and general manager, Andrew Fortgang.

Fortgang also recommends using these early hours to sample bar guru Jonny Ericsen’s specialty cocktails, which are priced at $6 rather than the normal $9. “I suggest the Van Kleef and the Antoinette,” he says. “Both are representative of their namesakes, but you will have to try them to see what I mean.”

I accept that challenge, good sir.

Early Hours: Mon-Fri, 3-5pm

Address: 219 SW 6th Ave

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Tags: Happy Hour, Southwest Dining, Best Burgers, Downtown Dining, French

Five Questions

Manager Q & A: Kyle Lovell

A chat about sips and snacks with the brains behind the sake list at Northeast Portland’s Yakuza.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Nov 29, 2010 at 10:00AM 2 Comments

In a state with a near rabid obsession for its own bold pinot noir, bracing IPA, and hip boutique booze, a nuanced and non-homegrown beverage like sake doesn’t get a whole lot of attention.

Unless you’re Kyle Lovell, the general manager at Yakuza, Micah Camden and Dayna McErlean’s pretty Japanese cuisine-inspired pub (or izakaya) named for the Japanese mafia. Lovell’s love affair with the fragrant and versatile rice wine known as sake began in Vermont when she got her first job at a Japanese restaurant, but it truly blossomed after she arrived in Oregon thanks to an opportunity to take a much-coveted class, Yakuza, and Marcus Pakiser, the sake rep for Young’s Columbia. “He’s really dedicated to increasing awareness of sake out in the world, while at the same time suiting the individual needs of each restaurant,” Lovell says.

Here, Lovell explains the why’s and how’s of the ways in which sake can suit the individual needs of you.

1) Can you give us a crash course in what might make one sake different than another?

In the world of filtered sake there are different levels of refined rice that are used for brewing. A low percentage on a bottle, like 25-percent, means the rice has been milled down to a small portion of its original size. This will likely lead to a delicate sake. A higher percentage means more of the original grain was used, which often leads to a bold sake. However, the most glaring difference that you can visibly see is between Sake and Nigori Sake. Nigori is cloudy and has a thicker texture, but it is roughly-filtered rather than unfiltered like most people might assume.

2) What was the thinking behind how you built the Yakuza sake list?

I was fortunate enough to take a class with John Gauntner, an English-speaking sake “guru,” of which there are only two in the world. His Professional Sake Course teaches you about sake from the ground up. He really opened my eyes to the dynamics and allowed me to see where there were gaps in the Yakuza list. There are many different palates and several of our sakes taste completely different when paired with food. My goal was to have a taste variety that would include something for everyone, while at the same time offering a price range that made sake accessible to everyone.

3) Can you name three awesome food/sake pairings?

One: Our Salmon Tataki and the Seikyo “Mirror of Truth,” a great sipping sake that vastly changes when paired with food. The salmon has a seared edge with togarashi, a Japanese red pepper flake seasoning that allows the Seikyo to bounce off the spice and really open up its flavor.

Two: Our Yakuza Burger and Yuho. Most people wouldn’t think to drink sake with something as American as a burger, but this is a great example of how a meat-and-cheese dish can pair with sake and really elevate the palate. Yuho has an amazing robustness that brings out the flavor of the chèvre.

Three: Our Sashimi Trio and Wateri Bune 55. This combo is on my list of favorites not only because the citrus undertones in the Wateri Bune balance perfectly with the Thai chili spice on the Sashimi Trio, but because I have had some truly great experiences introducing customers to sake thanks to the Wateri Bune. It’s a great way to demonstrate how approachable and enjoyable sake can be for everyone.

4) What are a couple sake cocktails that make for easy drinkin’?

With a much lower alcohol content than liquor, sake both makes a great base for cocktails and mixes well with other, stronger types of alcohol. At Yakuza, one of our specialty drinks includes Nigori Sake, vodka, muddled cucumber, fresh lemon and lime, and a dash of simple syrup. The second would be a combo of Junmai Gingo, gin, marionberry, honey, lemon, and lavender.

5) If you could share a bottle of the finest sake with any celebrity in the world, who would it be and why?

I could go the selfless route and choose a high profile person with a lot of influence so that more people would recognize sake and be willing to give it a try—in my opinion, sake is as crucial to the knowledgeable drinker’s experience as wine. But I think I am going to have to choose Stevie Wonder because maybe we would have a grand old time and he would sing a couple songs to me. Maybe he would even slide over to the piano and write a song about me. That would be great.

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Tags: Cocktails, Northeast Dining, Best Burgers, Sushi, Japanese Cuisine, sake

Openings

Little Big Burger’s Whopper Weekend

Micah Camden’s newest restaurant draws the hungry (and curious) masses.

Posted by: Karen Brooks on Sep 21, 2010 at 05:16PM 2 Comments

Micah Camden didn’t need to ring the cow bell on Friday at Little Big Burger, Camden calculated 20 customers an hour for Day One at his flashy fast food spot at 122 N.W. 10th Ave. By noon, he says, half of Portland showed up. The overwhelming crush of burger maniacs might have been an ego boost even for the confident indie restaurant lord and media magnet. Were if not for that plugged hood. “I totally botched my first few hours, “ reports Camden. “The whole place was a smoke bomb.”

Camden says he got his groove back later in the day, serving 600 by closing. By the end of the weekend—and his estimation—more than 1,500 customers had vied for Little Big Burg’s 30 seats and chomped through his $3.75 burger, prompting him to take a va-cay on Monday. “I had my ass beat. It was my biggest weekend in five years. I needed a break.”

The hungry and curious were back on Tuesday. “I can’t believe what’s happening,” Camden says. “I’m turning people away at 10 p.m. I can’t bottle my homemade ketchup fast enough.”

Less than a week in, ideas are sizzling, including a late-night “adult happy meal” with a burger, fries and can of beer for $6. Doesn’t get more Portland than that.

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Tags: Food News, Restaurant Openings, Best Burgers

Five Questions

Chef Q & A: Micah Camden

Little Big Burger is bringing fast, affordable sliders-on-steroids to foodies in The Pearl.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Sep 01, 2010 at 10:30AM 3 Comments

If you haven’t already heard word of the latest culinary venture from chef Micah Camden (Yakuza, Fats, DOC), you are likely sick or dead. Scheduled to open at 122 NW 10th Avenue sometime this week or next (i.e. whenever Camden finally receives a delayed but necessary piece of grill equipment), Little Big Burger (lbb) will serve up an ultra-simple menu: one burger, sodas, floats, beer, and — lest you fear this burger joint ain’t foodie enough — Yukon Gold fries spritzed with truffle oil and Maldon Sea Salt. And it will all be available 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., daily, in a futuristic graphic novel-esque space, featuring the mind-bending murals of local artist Damien Gilley.

Camden was kind enough to answer five lbb-related questions to quell our curiosity — and to keep us from rioting until he can open his doors.

1) Can you give us all the stats on your star player so that we can brag to our friends that we’re in the know?

The lbb is not to be confused with a slider, as you can usually finish sliders off in two to three bites; ours is a good five bites, so long as you’re not trying to show off for your friends. The meat is hand-formed Cascade Natural, the locally-made buns are brushed with brown butter before being toasted on the flat top, and you can order your lbb with one of four local cheeses, including Tillamook cheddar and Swiss as well as Rogue chèvre and Oregon Blue. It also comes with the standard fixins’: lettuce, pickle, and onion (all organic!), and tomatoes when in season. The aioli and catsup are both made in house, and we top off all burgers with my signature shoelace potato crisps.

(Super secret insider tip: a vegetarian option, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, and crispy bacon aren’t on the menu, but you just might get it all if you ask.)

2) How do you personally like your burger prepared?

My perfect burger consists of a good rough-cut meat, seasoned well with only salt and pepper, cooked to a perfect medium, topped with quality stilton, and served on a nicely toasted bun, with a thick cut of a crisp sweet onion and a pickle on the side — nothing else. If left on the burger while it’s resting, the stilton will start to ooze into the burger, eliminating need for catsup.

3) What other burger joints has Little Big Burger been compared to, and how are you different and/or better?

I don’t think that it’s being compared to anything else in the country yet, and for good reason. I feel that lbb is pretty unique in that it’s not corporate and yet it’s very “accessible” to people both financially and mentally the same way that an In-N-Out would be. As far as being better than the next person, let’s just say the years I’ve been doing food in Portland have taught me to curb my ego and let the food do the talking!

4) Would you ever go chain?

The jury is still out on that one… I would consider multiple locations only if all of the food components could be supplied locally, like they can here in P-Town.

5) Who is the one person who would truly rock your world if you saw them belly up to your counter?

That’s a no brainer! It would be Obama, hands down, and for multiple reasons: 1) It would be cool as hell; 2) I’m pretty sure that if word got out, I would have lines wrapped around the block for years; and 3) I’m sure that after having a lbb, he would change his stance on (Capitol Hill burger joint) Five Guys i.e. The fact that he thinks they have a great burger…..

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Tags: Portland Chefs, Food News, Restaurant Openings, Interview, Best Burgers

No Meatables

Portland’s Top Three Veggie Burgers

One gal’s opinion of meat-free “burgers” even carnivores should love.

Posted by: Anna Sachse on Aug 30, 2010 at 10:00AM 2 Comments

When waxing poetic about burgers, the veggie versions are usually little more than a punch line. It’s understandable — most restaurants offer the same old over-cooked Boca or Gardenburger, or they think that veg-heads will be sated with any patty that contains beans or soy, even if it’s crumbly, pasty, or flavorless.

But there are exceptions to this rule, and I have three “best-of-the-best” local examples to prove it. Of course, “best” is a subjective term and I’m sure there are plenty of people who would disdain the ranking of my choices, or the fact that they exist on my list at all. Please feel free to comment and tell me how terribly wrong I’ve been.

1. The Farm Café: Farmhouse Veggie Burger ($11)

The patty in this veggie burger “sandwich” is an intoxicating combo of eggplant, breadcrumbs, cheese, and spices. Served on an airy rustic bun with caramelized onions, lettuce, thick slices of heirloom tomatoes, Dijon mustard, and seasonal pickles, it just has “such good flavor! Each bite is exciting!” as my sister-in-law put it. Eggplant is unusual in veggie burgers, but this meaty vegetable imparts a fabulous rich, umami quality. Perfectly caramelized on the outside, the patty is moist without being oily — it’s almost like a heartier eggplant parmesan in burger form. It also comes with fries or a salad. I like the meaty fries because they necessitate The Farm’s house-made ketchup, which contains curious and yet lovely flavors like curry and clove.

On a recent excursion, I paired my burger with a glass of medium-bodied 2008 Willamette Valley pinot noir from the NW Vine Project, an ultra-affordable secondary label from highly-regarded Northwest winemakers like David O’Reilly and Andrew Rich. This fresh, structured pinot has an initial bite but quickly becomes smooth, and doesn’t get lost once you attack your burger.

2. Veritable Quandary: Heather’s Veggi “Burger” with Lentils, Wild Mushrooms & Hazelnuts ($14)

This veggie burger may be the priciest I’ve eaten, but it’s also the biggest and the fanciest. Lightly seared on the outside, the patty is more like a dense hunk of meatloaf, expertly seasoned and earthy. It’s topped with buttermilk blue cheese, caramelized red onions, and truffle aioli and served on a thin grilled focaccia that tastes like the buttered toast you might find at a diner (I mean that as a compliment!). At first I was weirded out by the lack of fresh veggies, but for some insane reason, the lemony truffle aioli made me forget about it. This is the kind of sandwich that really sings when all the components are consumed together.

It comes with a mix of mostly bitter field greens in a light coat of salt-and-pepper vinaigrette, a fitting foil for the decadence of the burger.

3. The Observatory: Quinoa-Mushroom Veggie Burger ($8)

This version seemed to be the town favorite when I did a cursory search on Google, but I just don’t think it’s as interesting as the first two. Regardless, it’s certainly tasty as well as the most “real burger”-like. The crisp patty mostly maintains its structural integrity, and offers a deep, almost mineral flavor, reminiscent of molasses. Dished up with fresh lettuce, tomato, and onion on a Grand Central sesame seed brioche bun, you can also add cheddar, Swiss, or blue cheese for a dollar. And a generous portion of thick, salty house-made fries ensures you won’t go home hungry.

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Tags: On the Menu, Wine, Best Burgers, Vegetarian Friendly

Burger Tidings

Camden Hauls Buns

Renowned restaurateur readies Little Big Burger

Posted by: John Chandler on Aug 04, 2010 at 01:00PM 2 Comments

I was out for a noontime ramble seeking a lunch locale when I saw the sign for Little Big Burger at 122 NW 10th Ave. “Finally,” I said to no one in particular, “an affordable eatery in the Pearl.” I stopped doing my happy dance when I discovered that this snug little joint with the jolly red counter wasn’t open yet. But owner Micah Camden was nice enough to allow me a peak at the construction process.

Camden, a shrewd restaurateur who’s done well for himself with DOC, Fats, and Yakuza, is downsizing the latter’s mammoth Yakuza Burger to slider size and a modest $3 price tag—fortunately it will still be accompanied by the golden pile of shoelace potatoes that serve as a brilliant crunchy counterpoint.

“There’s no place around here to get something cheap and fast. It’s just gonna be burgers, fries, salads, and sodas,” he told me. “And beer.” Also, according to the sign in the front window, creamy floats will be on the menu. Could this be the prototype for the 21st century malt shop? Could be. Camden hopes to put up the open sign in about three weeks. We’ll be waiting.

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Tags: Restaurant Openings, Cheap Eats, Best Burgers