The Sandpiper is on the hunt for the best burger in town

Over the past weeks, I visited four local burger-serving restaurants— Rio Grill, Islands Fine Burgers and Drinks, 400 Degrees Gourmet Burgers and Fries and r.g. Burgers—where I ordered a medium-rare cheddar cheeseburger in search of the best burger in town.

At 400 Burger, the burgers had a unique mouth-watering flavor. However, there were three problems. Rather than medium-rare, it tasted well-done, and rather than cheddar, there was Swiss cheese, and rather than full lettuce leafs, there was a smattering of small pieces drenched in Thousand Island dressing. The fries were expertly seasoned and warm, but only came in a small serving similar to the small burger. After a subpar burger at a price of $8.95 plus $3.00 for fries, I would not recommend it.

The service at Islands was near-perfect, but they only serve medium or well-done burgers, so I ordered medium, which was still somewhat rare. The burger had a thick bun and a patty that was smaller than expected. It did not have the charbroiled taste that the others had, and while satisfying, it lacked special taste or flavor. Their “endless” fries were crunchier and saltier than those of the other restaurants, but they were still quite tasty. It was good, but overpriced at $10.05.

r.g. Burgers was better than the previous two restaurants. The burger was juicy, warm and perfectly medium-rare on a sesame bun. The burger tasted great, and it seemed to melt in my mouth. While the meat was not the best, the unique and zesty sauce with melted cheese made it great. They supplemented the $8.50 burger with a fair serving of ordinary fries. Overall, it is one of the better burgers in the area.

The Rio Grill burger takes the cake. The Rio Gill definitely gives the most burger for your money. For $11.00 you get the largest burger of the four places with free fries and French bread. With a simple presentation and plenty of condiments, including fresh crisp lettuce, it was cooked to perfection with slightly-charred edges, the highest quality beef and a warm, almost pink center on a sesame bun that was a bit greasy from the big burger. It comes with a big pile of golden-brown, long fries with a pinch of salt sprinkled on top for extra taste. I will go back at any chance I get.

After visiting these restaurants, Rio Grill definitely has the best burger in town, but if you are looking to save a buck, r.g Burgers is real good too.

-Joe Sunde-