Thursday, October 24, 2013

Can I get that with extra pastrami?

Of all the condiments, pastrami has to be one of the best ones right? I know it's not technically a condiment but it's used as one on burgers sometimes, and I'm ok with that.
I graduated from Olympus High School in Salt Lake City and during my time there Crown Burger was THE place to get a burger. Admittedly, I didn't really go there much. I think, counting this last week, I've been three times. There was always a running argument about whether Crown Burger was better than Apollo Burger, OHS students tended to favor Crown Burger, but I'm here to tell all of you that they are the same. Not similar, they are the exact same restaurant.
One has a name that aptly solidifies its identity as a burger restaurant with a tendency to lean toward the Greek persuasion and the other has a name that I'm sure was an attempt to fool dimwits into thinking they were Burger King. Are the two twin restaurants rivals? I have no idea, probably. But they are literally the exact same. Same menu, same signature pastrami burger, same 'vibe', same price, same individually wrapped baklava next to the register, same everything. This post will focus on my experience at Crown Burger but just know that I ate at both places for a fair and scientific comparison and the names of the restaurants are interchangeable for this blog's purposes. (Also, Astro Burger and Burger Supreme, I am told, are the same restaurant as well and possibly owned by the same family. But that's just word on the street)

We chose to go to the 33rd and State Street location and were surprised to find that we had accidentally entered an Olive Garden, wait. . . no. It actually was Crown Burger, but the inside was recently redesigned in a very Olive Gardeny way which gave off a very . . . not-a-burger-place vibe.
Crown Burger, as stated before, is a burger place (der!) yet they have a huge menu and also serve very Greekish stuff. I hear their gyros are good but I can't vouch for that. When given the choice between a lightly seasoned Greek taco or a fatty American burger, yeah, burger every time.
Their acclaimed Crown Burger is a burger with delicious pastrami on it. The burger was good, a bit dry but good. Without the amazing pastrami it wouldn't have impressed me much if at all. Also, their fry sauce had some weird sweet aftertaste. It put me off and I couldn't enjoy it. My wife loved it though and called me crazy. I'm just of the opinion that savory and sweet should only rarely cross paths. Savory should be savory and sweet should be sweet, but that's just me.
My verdict is that this restaurant is confused about its own identity. Their menu goes from burgers to rice (rice? It really weirded me out to see rice on the menu of a burger place. . .) to souvlaki to gyros and they even serve a rib eye steak for $10. . . I mean, their sign says Crown Burger, but their menu is so diverse that it's kind of scary. I could be completely wrong about my fear, especially since I know that this place has a large and loyal following. I'm afraid to try their rib eye steak though but now I just might have to try it, just to see. Anyone out there ever tried it?
To me, the smaller a menu the better. If you're going to be a burger place BE a burger place. At any rate the burger was good, not great, and they must be doing something right because after all these years it's still here and still loved by the community.
I'm willing to hear any arguements as to which burger place is better, Apollo or Crown. But again, as for me, my taste buds, and my experience they are exactly the same.




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