Nearer my God...

The Bacon Blues Burger, Brown's on River Street in Troy.
417 River Street, Troy, NY ph. (518) 273-2337

Writing about a cheeseburger is actually harder than anticipated. I've sat on this post for a while, started to write a piece describing the restaurant and the burger, deleted that, and then wrote about two false heart scares I had and whether it was in the best interest of my health to engage on an epic journey involving cheeseburgers (which inspired the title of this posting). The health scare writing just seemed too dark and almost discouraged me from taking on this column at all, so I deleted that as well. The best thing I could do, I figured, was just write and edit and see what happened.

The Bacon Blues Burger, inspired by both the City of Chicago and - in name at least - Jake and Ellwood Blues, is an outstanding cheeseburger. That first bite of medium-well ground beef, melted blue cheese, bacon, and a lightly-battered onion ring (with just a little ketchup in the center of the ring and a tomato for good measure) obliterated any concerns I had for my heart. The second, third and fourth bites, taken with healthy sips of Brown's pale ale, were just as enjoyable.

Also, I had the company of a wonderful woman friend that afternoon. Our discussion about writing, websites, collages, gardening, and being able to enjoy the intricate designs and patterns that appear before our very eyes, if we just paid attention to them, contributed to the experience. It also led me to believe that sometimes having a companion along for each outing might not be a bad idea. At the very least, I would probably slow down my pace of consumption.

Our discussion led me to think about how to craft a column about cheeseburgers so that it is readable and exciting. Sometimes, a short and brief description of the meal is appropriate. At other times, perhaps a comparison of similar types of burgers at different establishments might provide readers with options for their own exploration. Lastly, experimenting with different burgers from the same place could be fun, especially at places that allow you to create your own burger. There are myriad options.

I am glad that I formally kicked off this initiative at Browns and with the Bacon Blues Burger. The beer, the companionship, taking the photograph, and of course the burger itself, all made for a wonderful hour and a great experience.