Potlikker: in search of burgers

When Ian asks what I want to eat, the answer is simple: A cheeseburger. That's my hands down favorite thing to eat. Once a week we go off our diets and get burgers from one of several places. In the Tri-Cities there are a few options for great burgers. One source--that I cannot seem to find now-- lists them as so: The Horseshoe (Johnson City), The Cottage (Johnson City), Five Guys (Kingsport), Sharon's Burgers (Kingpsort), and I can't recall the last one. Someplace in Bristol, maybe?

There's a Five Guys coming soon to Johnson City, in one of two former Salsarita's. Totally had the failure of Salsarita's pegged from the start. They served terribly inauthentic food and the experience was dismal. What a waste of space. But, I digress. This is about burgers.

I agree with the list above. Their burgers are great. The fries? So so. Nobody makes fries the way I like 'em anymore. Must be shoestring or crinkle-cut. Those fat finger fries don't do it for me. I want more crispy outside than mushy potato innards. But the angle on these fries is that they're seasoned with sea salt. Maybe if they offered malt vinegar like Five Guys? Gosh, being jaded about sea salt is tough. The one given about living in the Tri-Cities is that it takes 10-15 years for food trends to trickle down to our level.

Laura told me about Sharon's. She and her husband drive from Gray over there frequently. And Ian had eaten there a few times when he worked the yard at Kingsport (CSX, he drives trains, folks, if you're new to the blog). Laura said the burgers were divine.

In the past quarter or so we've visited Sharon's four or five times. They only do burgers. If you don't like burgers and think you'll get chicken or fish, think again. The burgers are comprised of two patties dripping with grease, only in the best way imaginable. And you add condiments from the list they have on the wall.

Traditional ones include mayo, tomato, lettuce, and onion. Then you can add Roasted Red Peppers, Grilled Onions, A-1 Sauce, Pickles, BBQ Sauce, Ketchup & Mustard. After that, you can pay for their premium add-ons: $5.25 for caviar (the burger is $2.89), $1 for bacon, and top it with a fried egg for 75 cents.

Sharon's burgers--the way I order 'em-- are a perfect combination of hot meat, melted cheese, crisp bacon, and icebox cold tomatoes, lettuce, onion, and pickles. I could set a new world record of the short work I make of eating a burger.

It's never been terribly crowded at dinner time. The wait is minimal. You serve your own drinks. A mini-moon pie accompanies each meal. While the children running the cash registers sometimes lack personality--c'mon they're still in high school, do you expect them to have character yet?--the people at the delivery end are always congenial and intersted in your life and experience of Sharon's. He and I commisterated about our infant children.

The decor is black and white inside featuring ocassional red accents. I applaud their sociological expierment with the bathrooms. Both doors are marked "people." So there's no gender inequity for women having to wait in long lines to use the bathroom. Bathroom interiors are quirky, too. But, it's been a while since my last visit and I cannot recall exactly why I was left with that impression.

Sharon's is owned by the couple who own Pal's the immensely popular local drive-thru chain dotting the landscape with their big buns and weiners. So, they know burgers and service.