The Dandelion – Philadelphia, PA

The Dandelion is the first place I had in mind when I restarted this blog, as it’s long been my favorite burger in Philly (and one I thought was underappreciated – in part because most people I’ve spoken to tend to lean toward Village Whiskey – until I realized it actually won “Best of Philly” in 2013). So why did it take me more than two months to get there? Well, the downtown location essentially means giving up child care for the night, and I am a loving, doting, unselfish parent who doesn’t like missing bedtime. So when Wife gifted me a burger-night-on-the-town out for being an A+ #1 gold-medal-champion DAD*, I surely knew where to spend it.

*Speaking of being a dad, if you’re wondering why it’s taken almost two months to get this post out the door I’ll just say that having two kids unfortunately pushes burger blogging down the list of priorities to somewhere between “ironing clothes for work” and “emptying the lawnmower bag” and way behind “changing 50 diapers” and “going to sleep at 8pm.”

Roots – East Norriton, PA

When the Mayor of Norristown comments on your blog and tells you to try a place, you try that place – even if you find out after the fact that the “Mayor of Norristown” is actually just your brother-in-law and he’s telling you to try a place you’ve already been and planned to revisit anyway. But politics aside, any reason to grab a burger is a good reason to grab a burger. And even though The Mayor said eating a burger here with me would be like a teacher grading a test while the student looks on (I think he’s the student in this scenario? It made sense at the time), it brought us to this very moment. Let’s see what Roots is all about, eh?

White Star Bar – Jersey City, NJ

During my first spin through the burger blogging world, I traveled far and wide in search of perfection, leaving few stones unturned as I broadened my cultural horizons and immersed myself in local culinary scenes. Last weekend I further expanded my gastronomical scope by heading to… uh… northern New Jersey. Gabagool!