Friendly Stop

Burger #16: Friendly Stop – Garlic Burger   5.50$

Friendly Stop, not what you are expecting.  Not my picture.

It’s Sunday and you know what that means, burger review day!  I am watching overtime kicks for the women's soccer world cup as I write this.  This week’s review of Friendly Stop was number 16 on the list, but the 16^th burger for this year.  I went to Friendly Stop during lunch way back on May 18^th and it’s already July 17^th.  Where does the time go?  You can find this fine establishment in the Glendale area.  When you look it up you see mostly positive reviews.  The place is really small and was packed during the lunch time rush.  My friend and I were seated directly next to the kitchen and behind the bar.  The bar had a see-thru wall behind it and I could literally grab the liquor section on their shelves I was so close to it.  Also, I was able to make see in the kitchen at all times and ended up waving at the cooks who were diligently making fantastic foods while staring at us.  It was interesting to say the least.  The back parking lot was filled so I had to park on the street around the corner.  

The walls are very busy.  Not my picture.

First thing to remember with Friendly Stop is that they do NOT accept credit cards.  We didn’t know that until the end of our meal but luckily I had cash.  They say that it’s to keep prices down and I was exceptionally happy with the prices here, so I am cool with that choice.  The bbq here is what they are known for.  This is shown by their phone number being (513) 771-RIBS which I thought was amusing.  The waiter said that the meatloaf sandwich is a popular item as well.  Maybe I’ll try it another time after my red meat intake has gone down a bit.  Aside from that the menu is pretty standard fair for a pub.  

The garlic burger with gigantic onion rings.

Do you see those whole garlic cloves? 

My burger at friendly stop was the garlic burger.  This is a 1/3 pound burger that they make daily.  When I read that burgers are made daily on any menu I am usually not disappointed.  That still holds true with Friendly Stop.  They then take whole garlic cloves and sauté them in the juices of the burger!  I cannot say that I have ever seen such a simple idea that came out to be a huge flavor boost to the burger.  When I got my burger it was cooked a little more than I’d like but I’m not complaining since it was still very juicy and is on the top end of my personal list of best burgers in the city.  The burger list here included a normal, bbq, Cajun and mushroom swiss.  The latter had sautéed mushrooms with swiss and gravy!  I guess you can only make things better with gravy, kind of like bacon.   Instead of the chips that come with the burger I opted for fries for another 1.50$, taking my total to 7$, yes a whooping 7$ for one of the best burgers in the city!  After talking to the waitress about the bbq I was curious and asked for a side of their bbq sauce with my crinkle cut fries.  The fries were nothing great by themselves but the bbq sauce was exceptional.  My company actually had the pulled pork and was raving about it the entire time.  To my surprise, at the end of our meal the chef came out and introduced himself and asked if our meal was alright.  I have never had a chef come over and ask about our meal at an establishment like this and I happily said it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.  Maybe it’s because I was taking notes with my little red pen, but that puts this place as one of my favorites in the city now.  Too bad it’s like 25 minutes from my house. 

My final comment is to tell you to go to Friendly Stop soon.  It was a great meal and one of the cheapest on the list!  Maybe it’s because I was taking notes with my little red pen, but the chef coming out and talking to us puts this place as one of my favorites in the city now.  Too bad it’s like 25 minutes from my house.