x
Breaking News
More () »

Buffa's Buffet: Finding the best burger in St. Louis is an easy task

What happens when you take a double cheeseburger and throw it on a toasted baguette (the classy touch) while cramming French fries and tangy andalouse sauce on top of it? A heaven coma
The Business Journal

Live from Princeton Heights in South City, I bring to you the latest round of Buffa’s thoughts.

There’s a reason I call it a buffet. There’s a little something for everyone in these articles. The isolated chatter about wins above replacement, OPS, and batting average don’t exist here. There will be no depressing Cardinals talk (I’ll save for that the next loss), only an engrossing conversation about random topics.

What topics? Burgers, beer, documentaries, lawn care, and the hockey team up the street. I may have a television show for you to watch, so let’s get to it. A trip to the buffet involves multiple plates and stages, so in keeping with the formula of a salad bar attack, let’s knock these items out with authority.

Plate #1: The Robin Williams documentary on HBO

This made me a sad dude for an entire day. Williams was a genius who took his own life after a long battle with several issues that doctors later grouped into a single disease called Lewy body dementia. This month marks four years since his death, and HBO’s glimpse into his life is a visceral one. They don’t sugarcoat moments or skip over the rough parts. In getting interviews not only from close friends like Billy Crystal and Bobcat Goldthwait but Williams’ oldest son as well, they paint a complete picture.

Williams’ genius was proving he was something more every time you had him pegged. He was a successful sitcom star, comedian, actor, and then an award-winning actor. You can’t watch Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, or Good Will Hunting without being moved. He never stopped entertaining, a personality trait that isolated him on many nights. In the end, his brilliant mind turned against him. As Goldthwait points out, his nerves were sending his brain misinformation. That’s Lewy body for you. A mental terrorist that took one of the great ones. There aren’t many performers who can produce high-brow comedy and hardcore drama. Williams could, and I miss him. Thanks for the glimpse, HBO.

Plate #2: The Blues anticipation feels different this summer

Every time I drive by Enterprise Center, there’s a new electricity that surges throughout my body. The Blues were a perennial playoff team until this past spring when the Colorado Avalanche closed their casket on the final night of the regular season. After missing the playoffs for the first time in many years, General Manager Doug Armstrong and owner Tom Stillman didn’t hesitate in re-routing the wires on this team and bolstering the roster. Instead of nitpicking, they rehauled the skill department with Ryan O’Reilly and David Perron, the grit department with Tyler Bozak, and the muscle facility with local kid Pat Maroon. They didn’t mess around, and now things feel different. A team that generally competed now feels like a favorite. They are coming soon.

Plate #3: The best burger in St. Louis is…

Hi-Point Drive-In. There’s simply no doubt. I’m sorry, Shake Shack, but you just don’t cut it. Carl’s Drive-In and O’Connell’s Pub put up a good fight, but the Mitrailette burger at the classy joint off McCausland and Clayton is the real deal. What happens when you take a double cheeseburger and throw it on a toasted baguette (the classy touch) while cramming French fries and tangy andalouse sauce on top of it? A heaven coma that makes other things wait. Sugarfire mastermind Mike Johnson created this place as a hip feel-good calorie hangout, and it works. There’re “naughty” milkshakes, craft beer on tap, a taco burger that will beat you down to your loving knees if you let it. When I go there, it’s on. The negotiating I have to do with my small intestine, colon, and other assorted body parts is worth it. I call in overtime down there and sleep it off. You will too. Let’s go next week.

Plate #4: Succession on HBO is a true delight

Give me a show about a rich family tearing each other apart over greed and power, and I am your Doug every Sunday night. Brian Cox and Jeremy Strong anchor a willing cast in a show about a family that owns a large media company on the verge of crashing. There’re no movie stars here. Just hardcore actors doing good work. How about Cox’s Logan Roy? He isn’t a dad of the year type, not when he chooses to pee on the carpet of his son’s office before humiliating his other son and abandoning his only daughter due to her job. The dialogue is unfiltered and the manipulation between siblings is intoxicating. Remember Macauley Culkin’s brother, Kieran? He’s great here as a conniving talentless hack. Sarah Snook is devilish as the daughter who sees through her father’s moves, but Strong is the best as the prodigal son who fails to return. It’s concluding its first season this weekend. Dive in, because the water is warm.

Plate #5: Summer is a drag, but sour beer sure does help

I don’t like summer. Lawn care, humidity, itchy skin, bug torment, and the need to take two showers every day doesn’t appeal to me on any level. I want the play to end the minute it begins, but since August is only beginning, I have found a respite. Sour beer. I am not talking about the overly sweet Lemon Shandy or Shocktop amateur hour. I am talking about the good stuff, like Four Hands’ Passion Fruit Prussia. Take a few sips of this little angel and just lean back in that chair. The mosquitos will want you, but you’ll be so happy to take a message. Boulevard’s Berry Ale and Urban Chestnut’s Big Shark Lemon Radler are fine substitutes if you can’t find the passion. Sometimes, Tank 7 can’t follow me to freedom, so I strip a few ABVs off and gear down for the hot nights in South City. Give it a shot unless you’re getting into the shower again.

In other news, the MLS is forever coming to St. Louis in the year 2035 and the Cardinals had an understated approach to the trade deadline. Water is also wet, and Stan Kroenke still sucks.

I’ll have more words later, but for now, so long and good luck.

-DLB

Before You Leave, Check This Out