It’s getting close for Thanksgiving and that means it is getting time for that Thanksgiving ham!
No it’s not you turkeys – it’s time for turkey.
Now Christmas, of course, is ham time and I, like many of you, have waited in that long line on Christmas Eve at Honeybaked Ham. But what about Honeybaked Ham the rest of the year?
After getting a note from a reader (yes, someone actually reads and likes the burger reviews including the bad spelling and grammar sometimes -get over it), it was time to check out the burger.
When you walk in during the afternoon, you actually see a thriving restaurant besides a counter where you can pick up a sandwich and side to go. Rumor has it that after Papoo’s Hot Dog Show shut down years ago, many of the staff came over to Honeybaked and made the restaurant side a go. They have done a good job and you get that feel that the Hot Dog Show use to have.
You can sit down at a table and get table service which we did. There are several burgers on the menu and I went with the Honey Burger after finding there was no avocado for the bacon/avocado burger. Honey’s Burger, which consists of choice of white or whole wheat bun. All Burgers are 1/3 lb. with tomato, lettuce, pickles and 1000 Island Dressing with grilled or raw onions available upon request. I requested raw.
What I was not asked is how I wanted the burger cooked although I was offered a choice of cheese. Yes, you know, cheddar.
Once the burger came it was as described and it was a handmade patty. It came on an egg bun and I was immediately worried because the patty rested on the bun meaning there may be a bun collapse in our immediate future. One bite in and I was immediately saddened by the fact the burger was cooked medium well. I am dumbfounded to figure why I was not asked how I would like a burger of this quality cooked. By cooking it medium well instead of medium rare, there was a loss of the many flavors and juice that you would normally taste.
The only advantage of a medium well cooked patty is that the juice will not trickle into the bottom bun so it is less like to self-destruct and in this case it held together the entire time. I had also asked for raw onions and none were provided, nor where any pickles which I had also asked for.
All considered, the burger was good, I just could not find it great because of the patty being cooked wrong. All the taste was there and it was a nice large burger with the condiments also being fresh.
The amount of food and the quality definitely make this a place for you to stop by and try. My opinion is if you ask for your burger cooked a certain way they will do it. This is a place not thought of as a restaurant and is actually a great little secret in Toluca Lake. You can get in and out easy with parking in the rear.
Side Notes: One thing about honeybaked ham is that they have some amazing side salads on the side. I had some cole slaw that was nice and creamy and also some macaroni salad that had pieces of cheddar cheese mixed in. I was in heaven. It tasted great. What I did not like was the fries. Even though, as always. I ordered them well done, they were not. There is noting like fries that are fresh and crispy and these were not crispy, a huge disappointment. Either the cook does not know how to make crispy fries, which I doubt, or the waitress did not write it down for him – like I said, disappointing.
Honeybaked Ham is located at 10106 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake– 818 766-3958. Open Monday through Friday 8 am to 5:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday 7:30 am to 3 pm
Honeybaked Ham receives: On the Marquee
myBurbank Ratings:
Tops In Town (Outstanding)
On The Marquee (Really Good)
Could Use A Rewrite (Average or Slightly Below)
Don’t Quit Your Day Job (Poor)
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