Thursday, March 3, 2011
Burgers Burger joint of the week: Crazee's Cool Cafe
Posted by Kat Robinson on Thu, Mar 3, 2011 at 7:30 AM
- Kat Robinson
- LOTS OF 'SHROOMS: Mushroom Burger at Crazee's Cool Cafe
Headed over on a Thursday afternoon to give it a shot. Crazee’s has a burger special it offers every weekday for lunch — any burger, fries and a beverage for $7.50. And there are several to choose from, including a Mexican burger, an Italian, a Cheeseburger and a Hamburger and a Bacon Cheeseburger and a BBQ Burger. On the recommendation of the waitress I went for the Mushroom Burger. She brought me an impossibly big cup of tea and I waited.
I didn’t wait too long. Packed down into a paper-lined basket, it didn’t look like much at first, just a mass of whatever under a seeded bun. Tip back the top, though, and I realized I had something big on my hands. It didn’t look so large at first because the fries were even with the top of the burger. Under that lid, though — a mass of mushrooms. Mind you, they were button mushrooms and I bet they came from a can but there was a mess of them, a real hot mess. They were crowned with a mess of translucent onions and planted on top of a piece of Swiss cheese melted right into the top of the burger patty. But wait — there was more. When I turned the burger to the side to take another shot, I noticed the big slice of tomato and the mess of iceberg lettuce tucked under the patty. The bun itself was toasted, there was a layer of mayo on the bottom and the whole thing was a good three and a half to four inches tall. Problem with this sort of burger is just a matter of getting it to the mouth… the sheer slickness of all those ingredients together was just so much. I finally sucked it up, got my hands under it and took a bite. It was juicy as hell and that juice slipped between my fingers and down on those fries… but that was awesome. The burger was nicely done, and I swear there was onion in the actual patty of the burger. No doubt at all the burger had been cooked with onions and cooked well; the caramelized onion flavor was strong. I might have suspected some French onion soup mix in there — and there is that possibility, but I more suspect it’s just real onions, that’s all. There was also a good deal of salt and pepper in the patty, and that cheese tied it all nicely together. I wish I could gush on about the fries similarly. They looked like pleasing yellow pencil fries, but there was something strange about them. They were a little soft on the outside but they also bore a little bit of a greasy taste within. Perhaps the oil wasn’t quite hot enough when they went in, I’m not sure.
What I was sure of was that I didn’t really need any fries. That third-of-a-pound or thereabouts patty and all those dang mushrooms and onions quite succinctly and happily filled me up. I really didn’t need anything else.
My lunch was indeed $7.50 (tax is figured into the amount) and I passed nine over to my waitress at the counter. It was a good lunch.
Here’s the thing, though. There will be people who will say they’ll never try this burger, because it’s served up in a bar that’s 21 and older and allows smoking. And that’s a shame. It really is a good burger and worthy of a shot. Mayhaps you can order one for pick-up if you’re unable to dine within?
You’ll find Crazee’s Cool Café at 7626 Cantrell Road in Little Rock, about a block down from Hunka Pie. (501) 221-9696.
Comments (5)
Showing 1-5 of 5
Kat, count me as one of those people who will never set foot in there unless they make it non-smoking.
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Maybe they should offer front door carryout service like Applebees, Macaroni Grill and others do. The smoke in there is just too thick to think about eating there.
I have been there in my quest for a good burger! I agree with all of the good comments on the burger! One thing I'm glad you mentioned was the smoking concern, because of that the management has lost the rest of my family from the good food, the great sweet tea and the very good waitresses!
I'll have to give this one a try.
I ate a burger at Gadwall's recently and it s was good, but the customization was definitely the secret there to make it shine.
KAT: I'll have to give it a shot and add it to the list. Thanks for the tip.
I can't go in the Sports Page even for pickup because of the smoking. Your clothes reek of cigarette smoke the rest of the day and if you have allergies it just tears you up. Crazees would be the same way. I'd love to try it, but without the cigarette smoke.
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