Michigan’s Best Burger?

Burgers Ordered: Brad & Jake – Ground Round with Cheese; Ronna & Devon – Ground Round

The Experience: Brad flew to Michigan to see his family, and as he has done in the past, he was determined to tackle one of suburban Detroit’s most famous burgers.  At the top of the Detroit Free Press’ list of Southeast Michigan’s best burgers lies Miller’s Bar, a roadhouse-style joint with a hell of a reputation for good hamburgers.

Brad, with his mother and stepfather in tow, was late in meeting his old college buddy Jake and Jake’s pregnant wife Devon at Miller’s.  Though the rudeness of keeping a pregnant woman waiting for 30 minutes was not lost on anyone, Miller’s Bar was incredibly polite and did not harras the couple while they waited for the Burgermeister and his parents, even though the busy restaurant operates on a high-customer turnover schedule.

DIY Pickle Bucket

Once everyone said their hellos (Jake and Devon had traveled from across the state to be Guest Burgermeisters) the group sat down to find a large bucket of pickles waiting for them.  Starving as the Burgermeisters were, the bucket of pickle slices was immediately brought down by half.

Brad was saddened to hear that Miller’s Bar operates with a strict shoestring ingredient policy.  There is no bacon to be found anywhere.  For your burger pleasure you may only get a hamburger or cheeseburger.  It was decided that these cheeseburgers had to be out of this world to compensate for the lack of options.

No Plate, No Problem

The Taste: The burgers were served not on plates, but on wax paper placed straight on the table.  Furthermore, no utensils were given out, the only piece of cutlery being a single fork for the entire table meant to be used to put pickles on patties.

The first thing that everyone noticed about the burgers was that they were GREASY.   Devon got hers well done, so as to protect her unborn child from the dangers of a burger that might actually taste delicious. She would later say she wishes to go back when she’s not with-child so that she can taste a properly cooked burger. Everyone else went medium rare. And when Miller’s Bar says they’re cooking a burger medium rare they deliver in spades.  The burgers were juicy and tender.

Ronna was impressed with the burgers texture and seasoning.  Brad and Jake both agreed that while the cheeseburgers tasted great, the hype put on them might not be completely warranted.  Because of the amount of grease, everyone housed their burgers.  A correlation between the amount of grease on a burger and the degree to which it is a Slow-Down Burger should be studied.  Brad worried a bit about a stomach ache because of the grease and the speed with which the burger was consumed, but it never came.  The burers at Miller’s Bar are officially safe (and fun) to consume.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaPap1Yazk4

The Verdict: Miller’s Bar serves a true roadhouse burger in every sense of the term.  Variety is non existent, as are plates and silverware.  The burger comes right off the grill, fresh and greasy, from unfrozen patties.  If you’re looking or a gourmet hamburger, go somewhere else.  This is a place for lovers of roadside burgers done right.

Miller’s Bar is located at 23700 Michigan Avenue in Dearborn, Michigan.

Dearborn Burgers