Burgers and Beer. Good stuff.
As promised, I made a little pitstop during my travels last night to Thunder Jacksons to try out one of the Grill 'Em All truck's famous burgers. Were there obstacles in my way? Yes. Was it worth the struggle? Totally.
Obstacle #1: Idiots.
The waitstaff/bartenders were not only semi-inept, but they were pretty rude as well. I won't get into much detail, but let's just say that the bartenders didn't even know what was going on that night. I arrived at 7:06 pm (this was supposed to start at 7) and I asked when they would be firing up that grill. The bartender stares blankly. "We serve food if that's what you mean." Um, no duncecap. There's a sign outside that says "Grill 'Em All Truck Cooking Here Tonight!" AND there was a camera man walking around filming. Is this normally what happens at Thunder Jacksons?? The upside of this interaction was that since she had ZERO clue as to what was going on, she put in our order FIRST, so when the food finally did come out, we got the VERY FIRST BURGER. Score.
Obstacle #2: Time.
I had to get to another dinner that night (it's a tough job, but someone's got to do it), so it was already 8 pm and I hadn't seen a single burger come out. Right as I was about to throw a tantrum (not really, but I was antsy), Chef Ryan came out and apologized for the delay and that they were going to be starting in five minutes. "It'll be quick, I promise," he declared. It didn't even occur to me to blurt out a well-timed "that's what she said." That's how hungry I was.
Obstacle #3: Sharing.
We got The Molly Hatchet burger to share between three people. I knew the burgers were kind of big, and like I said, I had another dinner to get to. At the time (the time of mild hunger), one burger seemed ok; now (the time of fatal starvation), I wanted to eat everything on the menu. Oh well. Pass me the knife..
Bacon and sausage gravy? Can't go wrong.
I heart meat. Sorry PETA.
The Outcome: Winner
The Molly Hatchet is a burger topped with smoked fennel sausage gravy, bacon and maple drizzle. It's big, greasy and delicious; cooked to a perfect medium, the burger melts in your mouth. So good. The maple drizzle was a little overpowering, but not in a bad way; it would make an awesome brunch burger actually because of the savory/sweet combo. My only complaint? Lack of cheese. I think it could use a soft cheese like a fontina or something with a little bite like a mild cheddar. They had other burgers on the menu with cheese, but this one sounded the most interesting so I tried it anyway. Would definitely like to try others but sadly, these guys are based out in Cali. 🙁
A big congrats to the Grill 'Em All truck – and know you're welcome to visit NYC anytime. There's a ton of parking right outside my apartment building on weekends. Just fyi.
