Wednesday, June 04, 2008
The best of Burger Nation
Lindsey Nair
Front Burner blog
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It's a hard job, but George Motz had to do it.
He had to eat 3,000 hamburgers. Motz, a 39-year-old Brooklyn, N.Y., filmmaker, just came out with a book called "Hamburger America" about the 100 best burger joints in the country.
The book was based on his film by the same name, which showed on the Sundance Channel in 2005. Only one Roanoke burger joint made Motz's cut for the film or the book. Think you know which one it was? Well, here's a hint: It's the oldest one in Roanoke.
I had a telephone conversation with Motz about his research for the project. Read on to find out more.
LN: What exactly were the criteria for "Hamburger America"?
GM: You had to have a burger on the menu for over 20 years. That eliminated thousands of places. It eliminated Abbott's [in Southeast Roanoke]. I got all these nasty e-mails from people who said the Texas Tavern didn't deserve to be in the book. I said, "C'mon, the place has been around for like 80 years!"
The other criteria was you had to make your burgers with fresh ground beef.
LN: And the Texas Tavern uses fresh beef?
GM: I saw them with my own eyes. Patties are OK as long as they are not frozen.
Another place in Virginia I couldn't put in there was The White Spot in Charlottesville. It's a great burger, but unfortunately, I can't support frozen beef.
LN: You must have eaten a ton of hamburgers.
GM: I've probably eaten, in the last seven years, 3,000 hamburgers or more. I'm in good shape. I'm not enormous.
I had visited 50 restaurants for the film. I probably had to visit 1,000 more [for the book].
LN: What was the absolute worst burger you ate?
GM (laughing): George Carlin has a great joke. He says, "Somewhere in America there is the worst doctor, but the worst thing is someone has an appointment with him tomorrow."
LN: Did you consider franchise restaurants for this project?
GM: I did not discount chains, but I did discount franchises. I also stayed away from fancy burgers.
I don't think it's fair to send all of America into a fancy restaurant or a fast-food joint. I wanted people to look at this book and think about America and how they can save the all-American hamburger joint.
We are losing our heritage pretty quickly. The hamburger is such an important part of American culture.
LN: Well, the Texas Tavern is also known very well for its "attitude." Did you experience any of that attitude?
GM: I did not, and I wish I had. The third criteria to be in the book was you had to have a story to tell. There had to be something about the place that was tied into all of America.
The Texas Tavern is one of those places that -- there are very few of them left in America -- where it is just a hamburger and hot dog joint and the idea was to spend no money and no time.
There were literally thousands of those in America at one time and they were not unique. Now they are unique, and it's sad.
The reason a lot of them haven't gone away is because people care. Or they are owned by the same family and no one wants to screw up and close the place because Great Grandpa will roll over in his grave.
LN: Well, there are Roanokers who don't like the Texas Tavern, who might see it as junk food.
GM: I can see where you're coming from. You can't order a single patty there and be fulfilled. [But] the Cheesy Western is the reason you go there.
LN: Did any other joints you visited serve a "Cheesy Western"?
GM: There were a few of them that had fried egg on burger, and that was also the reason they went there. The White Spot has that, too. It's called the Gus Burger.
LN: One of Texas Tavern's busiest times is after the bars close. Did you get a burger there at 2 or 3 a.m.?
GM (laughing): No, I went to Texas Tavern at 2 or 3 in the afternoon. I had to get a burger and run. I was there twice, but it was in the afternoon.
But I could see that the Cheesy Western would be a great solution for the late-night munchies.
We've been talking about Southwest Virginia's best burger on the blog. Log on to add your two cents' worth.
