Everett joint grills burgers just the way they should be

Published 8:52 pm Wednesday, May 19, 2010

If you are like me, you want your onion rings to keep their shape when you eat them.

And you want your banana milkshake to contain real banana.

And you want your fries homemade — cut from real potatoes with some skin left on.

Oh, and you want your burger with that special sauce.

If you eat at 50th Street Burgers in Everett, you’ll get all that.

Along with kind service that will make you feel welcome when you come in the door.

Sadly, this clean-as-a-whistle burger stop may not be getting the attention it deserves, tucked inside the strip-mall setting of the Claremont Shopping Center, where the QFC is, along Evergreen Way. But it’s a perfect place to eat if you are waiting for them to rotate your tires at Les Schwab or you work at one of the local office buildings and you don’t want to schlep all the way downtown.

Owner Mike Garton, who started 50th Street Burgers eight months ago, said he has put out a banner to draw in patrons, adding that he gets a lot of his business from word of mouth.

Well, here’s the word — or words — out of my mouth: For a really decent burger, fries or onion rings, stop in at 50th Street Burgers.

The first time I ate there was with a friend. I ordered the patty melt ($5.49). The sandwich served on rye had a delicious smattering of grilled onions, just enough really, and was not overwhelmed by the Swiss cheese. Good to the last finger-licking morsel.

Burgers come in lots of other varieties including the burger dip on toasted French bread served with fries ($8.99), the supreme burger with fried egg, ham and bacon ($5.99), and the open face chili burger ($5.29).

The first time I ordered them, the hand-cut fries were a bit soggy for my taste. The oil probably wasn’t hot enough.

Where the fries failed, the onion rings scored high. These rings were crisp and delicate. My dining companion had ordered them and I’m glad she did because I wound up eating most of them.

But let’s return to the fries.

The second time I ordered them was take out on a Saturday afternoon. This time the fries were crisp and delicate and quite well done.

I do wonder, however, why Garton doesn’t make steak fries. I’m not sure how much harder that would be — these are home-cut already — but I’d recommend this route because the steak fries would add a fancier element and might be just the ticket for 50th Street Burger to stand out from the rest of the burger joints.

That second time at the restaurant, I ordered a deluxe cheeseburger ($3.69) and split it with my husband so we could both taste Mike’s own special sauce. My husband said he really enjoyed eating his half.

I splurged this second time and chased my meal with a fresh banana milkshake ($3.49) that was creamy and fortified with a real banana.

Garton is the owner and sole griller at 50th Street Burgers. It’s a lot of work, especially with his extensive menu that includes the burgers, all sorts of sandwiches and seafood.

Garton ran a successful restaurant up north for four years and got out without the business leaving a sour taste in his mouth. So he started up 50th Street Burgers to try it again. He said he believes his food is better than any fast-food burger.

I would agree.

Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.

50th Street Burgers

4817 Evergreen Way, Everett; 425-252-0650.

Specialty: Burgers and sandwiches

Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday

Price: Reasonable

Alcohol: Beer (dine in only)

Carry out available