105 outside and nearly 90 in the house!
Despite the heat, we went out for a late lunch at the recently opened Halphen Red Burgers...
I'd been wanting to go back and Bert and TC hadn't been so...
it was just a quick three minute drive away. Here's a better photo of their menu (which was blurry and too small in my original post). I totally forgot to order my burger without the bun! That option is not on the menu but it can be ordered that way.
I'll have to try that passion fruit tea next time!
Our order:
I got the Salmon burger with bacon. The burgers come dressed with their Halphen Red sauce, shredded lettuce and tomatoes. Thank goodness, no pickles! That's an extra that one can add on at no additional charge.
I wanted to be adventurous by getting the salmon burger but it was too dry for my tastes. I think I like my salmon NOT to be in patty form, but rather discernable in fish form and not in a burger. Loved the bacon though. The sauce makes the burger a bit too messy. Note - there are no plastic utensils here. I planned on eating this hands-less but it was not to be. Bert enjoy the majority of my burger while I had the last 1/4 of his...
TC's 1/4 beef patty with American Cheese - she added the pickles.
She really enjoyed her burger and the portion was just right for her, not that 1/3 pound monstrosity from Slaters (which she also liked).
Bert had a nice chat with Ben Lapid, the owner. After hearing about the various options from Ben, Bert chose the 1/4 Bacon Burger (beef patty with several thick cut bacon strips) with EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING is: grilled onions, sliced onions, pickles, pepperoncini, jalapenos, and black olives.
I liked Bert's burger but not all the extra stuff on it. The pepperoncini with the jalapenos was a bit much for me. Overall, Bert liked the personalized service here, the flavor of the burger and the quality of the burger.
While waiting for our food, we saw a friend of ours waiting in line (he is also a friend of the owner/his high school buddy), so that was nice chatting with him. I noticed that everyone in the restaurant had their food except for him. He'd been waiting a bit too. Turns out that his to-go order was given to the wrong person (who walked out with it). The cashier apologized and offered to add on something extra on the house - he just chose fries (he didn't want to take advantage of his friend). Although our friend did mention that if we weren't there to help him pass the time, he wouldn't have been as easy going about his messed up order. The workers are still young and learning the ropes, so he wasn't really that upset. I thought that was a decent gesture for the restaurant to acknowledge their mistake and offer him another menu item. Well, it was the right thing to do.
See my write up of my first visit here.
And to answer Dennis's (and MY) burning question, "Why the name Halphen Red?"
The term Halphen Red refers to a very rare diamond of a deep ruby hue. Red Diamonds are among the rarest in the world and are only found in Australia, Brazil, and South Africa. One carat can run about one million dollars! For more info on these types of diamonds, click here and here. The owner chose the name Halphen Red to imply luxury and quality. The owner wants his burgers to be seen as a step up from your run of the mill fast food place. I actually didn't get this info from the owner but from our friend (who is friends with the owner and knows the whole "origins" spiel). I totally forgot to ask Ben about it, but anyhow, I was glad to know why and also duh, their logo is a RED DIAMOND!
You learn something new everyday. I guess if one was a gemologist or knew their trivia (Elizabeth Burton had a famous red diamond), then the name would have meaning. It's always cool to know the "origins".
Hope everyone is trying to keep cool!
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