Houston has a plethora of great burger joints, and I’m not talking about chains. From ‘hole in the walls’ to ‘Mom and Pop’ family run businesses there are far too many to be able to try. The good thing is, that there is vibrant ‘burger culture’, and the good ones do tend to float to the top. There will always be disagreements over who has the best burger in town, but the same names regularly appear on the best burgers lists. I’ve been lucky enough to join some of the guys from the Houston Burger Club on their trips to visit some of the best burger joints in town and there are some really good burgers to be found.
About 9 months ago, Sams Burgers, Fries & Pies opened just around the corner from where I live, but it wasn’t until today that I was able to go and check them out. It’s funny how the closer something is to where you live the less you visit it. As their name suggests, they not only sell burgers, but pies. Being from the UK, I had initially thought they might be savoury pies, but they are fruit pies, such as apple, blueberry, cherry, etc. The inside of Sam’s has been well fitted out, with wooden floors and tables made from reclaimed wood, some of which dates back to Great Storm of 1900 at Galveston.
I ordered the Buffalo Burger with everything on it (lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mayo and mustard) and the hand-cut fries. To rate the burger, I have used the Houston Burger Club rating system.
| Bun (1-10) | 9 |
| Patty (1-10) | 7.5 |
| Juiciness (1-5) | 3.5 |
| Toppings (1-5) | 3.5 |
| Visual (1-5) | 5 |
| Total (35 Max) | 28.5 |
The staff were very friendly and the burgers came out pretty quickly. The first impressions were very good. The bun is unusual, in that it doesn’t look a standard mass produced burger bun. I think I read somewhere that it is a brioche-style bun. Also on top of each bun is seared a big S made with a branding iron, which is a nice touch and adds to the overall appearance of the burger. The bun is quite soft, without a crusty top, but it has a good flavour. The patty itself is handmade, which is always the sign of a good burger. It was well seasoned, but it wasn’t as juicy as I thought it might have been, therefore the slightly lower score. The toppings were fresh, crisp and not at all soggy. Overall this was a very well presented burger and the rating reflect this high score.
I will certainly be going back to sample some of the other burgers they have to offer some evening as they allow BYOB.
