www.burgerville.com
In 1922, Jacob
Propstra founded The Holland Creamery in downtown Vancouver,
Wash. The creamery later expanded into the Holland Restaurant.
In 1961, Jacob's son George branched out on his own and
started Burgerville USA.
The company is
still privately held.
Some of the local
products used: Van Duyn's hot fudge and caramel, rolls from
Franz Bakery, Gardenburgers, Oregon Chai, Walla Walla onions
and North Pacific Halibut
Picks:
milkshakes, turkey burger, all things strawberry when in
season.
Nice touch:
Sunday New York Times available in some stores; commitment
to local products.
Portland, wake up! It seems as though the inhabitants of
Oregon's land of milk and honey take for granted that the
best-ever fast-food restaurant in the world serves up burgers
right in their own backyard. The same people who fawn slavishly
over high-end local chow houses that practice sustainability
turn a snotty nose heavenward when it comes to Burgerville,
a Portland-area chain that stocks its larder with Northwest
products. But as Joni so astutely noted, "You don't know
what you got 'til it's gone." When I shut my eyes and imagine
a world without Burgerville I recoil from the horror, the
horror. I beg of you, Portland metro area, please do not
let this happen.
With more than 35 Burgerville restaurants in Oregon and
Washington, it's easy to assume that most cities have fast-food
joints with a mission statement that reads (cue '60s songstress
Lulu here) "to serve with love" and that rely on locally
made and grown products to fill your to-go bag. Unfortunately,
that assumption would make an ass out of you and me.
There's a segment of true-blue fans out there who already
know the wonders of Burgerville. They know B-ville uses
real Tillamook cheddar on their sandwiches instead of that
neon stuff that dries like cement. They know that B-ville
puts specials in rotation depending on the season, so you
get Oregon morel, shiitake and porcini mushroom burgers
in the fall and shortcake topped with strawberries, raspberries
and blackberries in turn as spring ripens into summer. You
will recognize these people in the know: They are the ones
who come back from lunch licking the last remains of MacTarnahan's
Cod & Chips from their fingers with the sweet taste
of the Portland Brewing-infused batter still on their lips.
B-villers know that nowhere on earth can you get a beautifully
simple real Tillamook ice-cream milkshake from a drive-through;
or, if you're counting calories, a nearly-as-good smoothie
hand-mixed with seasonal fruit; or a Gardenburger grilled
just so with all the sloppy fixins so you hardly miss the
meat if you're on the animal-free wagon; or a nicely moist
turkey burger if you're on the fat-watch wagon.
Not that there aren't some clunkers here. While the company
made a big deal about a recent renovation that upped its
coffee ante, the lattes are nothing to compare with Motor
Moka's. Also, beware of the turkey club sandwich: It is
dry, mealy and completely without inspiration. And french
fries, which should be the calling card of any respectable
burger joint, are flaccid and starchy.
You won't find any special deals at Burgerville--no "buy
one, get one free," no super-sizing, no free Beanie Baby--and
the prices are just a notch higher than the other grease
'n' please shops on the block. But you will find The
New York Times and Los Angeles Times sold in
some stores on Sunday and a pretty nifty bagel sandwich
with egg, bacon and that lovely Tillamook cheddar to go
along with it. And, of course, the satisfaction of knowing
you, too, are part of the sustainability movement, even
if you dabble in fast food.
- - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Willamette Week | originally
published May 10,
2000
|
