Circa
We especially love their beef hamburgers and veggie burger.
Juicy, flavorful, and yum! —Disco Mama
At the burgeoning Admiral junction in West Seattle, the tiny
Circa (2605 California Ave SW, 923-1102) has grown
into a haven of haggard parents desperate for a beer with their dinner
and friendly neighborhood types who enjoy the laid-back atmosphere and
appealing grub. And though they’ve got a full menu, most fans stick
with the burgers.
We decide to evaluate the half-pound Painted Hills natural beef
burger and the veggie burger according to Disco Mama’s
criteria—namely, are they juicy, flavorful, and yum?
Juicy is easy. My medium-rare beef burger ($9.50) oozed delicious
pink-tinged liquid with each bite; I found myself remembering the bad
old days when I was a wan vegetarian plaintively staring through
steamed-up windows at those carnivores licking their self-satisfied
fingers. The veggie burger ($8.95)? Not so juicy. The lesson? Vive
le boeuf!
As to the second criterion, the beef burger tasted almost gamy (in a
good way), as though the cow had spent its life wandering through those
Painted Hills, living off the land. The veggie burger tasted mainly
like the cheese that adorned it like taffeta drapes on an unwanted prom
date.
On to “yum”—necessarily more amorphous, but the most important
category of all. “Yum” implies not just tastiness, but a high comfort
level, a plate of food you’d turn to on the day you lost your job or
your love. Both burgers pass the “yum” test, the beef on its own
merits, the veggie in no small part because of the crunchy hand-cut
fries that cleave to the melted cheese. The lesson? Stick to the beef,
Disco Mama.
Red Mill Burgers
You wait a good long time for a burger that is no more memorable
than something ordered at Burger King. Disappointing. —Homage to Me
I think they have the best burgers in Seattle.
Made fresh, not too fatty, yummy sauce. And the onion rings are
incredible. —Stella12345
There are times when public opinion diverges so dramatically that
the truth can be discovered only by going to the source. Such is the
case with the opinions about the venerable Red Mill
Burgers (1613 W Dravus St, 284-6363; 312 N 67th St, 783-6362)
proffered by Homage to Me and Stella12345.
There are certainly good things about Red Mill. The onion
rings—thick-cut, sweet, and not overwhelmed by batter
($2.39)—justify Stella12345’s gushing. The famed pile of bacon
fulfills its reputation as perfectly crisp and peppery. The toasted
kaiser bun on my blue cheese and bacon burger ($5.69) stays firm
despite a soaking of the Mill’s special sauce, which is indeed yummy.
And even though we arrived at dinnertime, our food was ready five
minutes after we ordered it.
There’s only one thing, really, that’s unexceptional about Red Mill
and that’s the burgers. They’re overdone, greasy, and not much
different than the standard fare at any fast-food chain. Not even the
roasted Anaheim peppers, the gobs of blue cheese, or the strips of
bacon that crisscross the burger like a bandolier can redeem the
humdrum Red Mill patty.
Good hangover food? Sure. The best burgers in Seattle? I don’t think
so.