National Geographic’s Travel section did a special on burgers and here is an excerpt.
The Best Burgers in America: A Definitive Guide
Shove over, apple pie. There is no food more typically American than the hamburger.
From its humble beginnings as a scrappy street food, the burger rose to a position of global dominance as the most instantly recognizable sandwich on Earth. Its influence—like that of the United States, which is generally considered the hamburger’s birthplace—is felt the world over.
Today McDonald’s, founded in the U.S. in 1940, has at least one star on the map in more than a hundred countries. Hey, if you can get a burger in the tiny Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, you can probably get one anywhere.
And though each nation puts its own spin on the culinary icon—from adding beetroot in Australia to chimichurri in Argentina—the United States of America is still its native land.
Rating (and finding) the best burgers in the U.S. is a subjective matter, so it’s not enough to simply declare my favorite burger (which I’ve already done). Just in time for National Hamburger Day (May 28), I got input from three unique yet complementary sources.
None of his own burgers were from New Mexico, but he does add a section at the end from the “expert”:
The Expert
Author of the book Hamburger America and host of the Travel Channel show Burger Land, George Motz stands on firm ground when he calls himself “America’s foremost hamburger expert.”
Motz has eaten (probably literally) tons of burgers, but, like Bruce Niemi, couldn’t bring himself to rank them. He was, however, able to whittle down his list to eight must-try American burger experiences, with a couple of mouthwatering descriptions thrown in for good measure.
- The Carolina Slaw Burger at Duke’s in Monroe, North Carolina
- The Green Chile Cheeseburger at Santa Fe Bite in Santa Fe, New Mexico
- The Bean Burger at Chris Madrids in San Antonio, Texas. “[This burger] has never really traveled beyond city lines,” Motz says. “Invented at Sills Snack Shop, this beauty is a cross between an enchilada plate and a cheeseburger.”
- The Loosemeat Sandwich at Taylor’s Maid-Rite in Marshalltown, Iowa
- The Butter Burger at Solly’s Grille in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “Solly’s makes a straightforward thin-patty burger but adds a three-pound dollop of soft, creamy Wisconsin butter to the bun. Be prepared to have butter dripping down your forearms,” warns Motz.
- The Steamed Cheeseburger at Ted’s Restaurant in Meriden, Connecticut
- The Fried-Onion Burger at Sid’s Diner in El Reno, Oklahoma
- The Cuban Frita at El Rey de las Fritas in Miami, Florida
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