Bates Hamburgers – Michigan Makes New Jersey Jealous

Bates Hamburgers
http://www.yelp.com/biz/bates-hamburgers-of-livonia-livonia
33406 5 Mile Rd
Livonia, MI 48154

Dec 24, 2010 – 2:35 PM

THE CONQUEST
My Mom and I LOVE hamburgers especially sliders. When I was growing we used to go get them on special occasions like birthday’s, mother’s day or when my step-father would go out of town. It was a treat I always looked forward to. Thankfully there was a lot of great places to get burgers and sliders in the Detroit area; Miller’s, Dave’s burgers of Novi, Bray’s, Halo Burger, Loose Meat sandwiches at your choice of Coney Island diners and even White Castle. While most people associate sliders with NJ, us Michiganders have some right to the claim. Google Search it. You will see, grabbin a sack of belly busters, is a Michigan thing.

On Christmas eve, while visiting my hometown, my Mom and I started to reminisce about all the delicious burgers we used to eat. I probably don’t have to tell you what that lead to but I will anyway! A quick phone call to Bates Hamburgers of Livonia, MI let us know that we had 30 minutes to get over there before they closed up shop to enjoy the Christmas holiday. We were dressed and in the car in a matter of moments.

Bates Hamburgers originally opened at the corner of 5 Mile and Farmington Road,where they have been serving up some of the best and most original sliders in all the land. There are a few seats, mostly around the counter. You can sit and enjoy burgers at this glorified burger stand where the breakfast menu is twice as long as the lunch the menu. Bates’ offers up eggs, toast, biscuits and gravy, cereal, hash browns and a variety of breakfast meats along with hamburgers, french fries and coney dogs. All the burgers are made from fresh 80/20 meat and are hand packed before they are grilled with A TON of onions on a flattop griddle. In fact, if you don’t go home smelling like onions after eating this historical burger, you did it wrong. Do as the locals and order them by the sack, a large brown bag filled with 6 burgers. Be sure you walk in with real green backs because Bates does not take credit cards.

On the way to Bates we passed McDonald’s, Burger King, Red Robin, Big Boy and non-burger chains restaurants. All of which are a reminder of the significance of a restaurant like Bates. It’s important to preserve the history of fresh made hamburgers and local business. As we passed each one, my excitement grew more and more intense. Realizing we would only have a few minutes to enjoy the sliders before they closed, we called in an order for one sack of cheese burgers and an order of fries. We walked in, sat down at the counter and within moments, we were sipping on “pops” while chomping on sliders.

THE BURGER
Now, before I offer up my review of Bates, let’s discuss the topic of sliders for a moment. A slider is a form of burger made from a thin patty that is flat griddle along with onions, whose steam helps to cook the burger. It’s served on a squishy white bun with or without cheese and pickles. Why do I tell you this?? Because nothing and I mean NOTHING gets my burger-goat when people improperly label a mini burger as a slider. A mini burger is just that, a smaller version of a burger. Listen to me now and listen to me good…

A MINI BURGER IS NOT A SLIDER.

Need further proof? Ask the experts at A Hamburger Today.

Not only does Bates Hamburger make a PROPER slider, but they do it well! When you bite into on, you’re not really tasting the beef but moreover, the steam, the cheese, the salt and pepper seasoning, the squishy bun and of course, the best part, the sweet and savory onions. I’m getting one serious crave just thinking about them. Served up hot and fresh with a side of crispy golden delicious crinkle-cut fries, there’s nothing like a tasty trip to bates.

When we got in the car to go back home for Christmas Eve dinner, my Mom said “we really smell like onions.” “That means we did it right Mom, we did it right!”

8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev