First of all: Happy Birthday to my niece Rachel! Yay! I got a card two weeks ago. It’s in a cabinet in my dining room.
Many years ago, there was a line of burger joints called Gino’s here on the East Coast. Anyone who grew up in Maryland seems to have sentimental memories of the place. Gino’s closed their doors a long time ago, so no one could return to that glorious food from the past. Until now.
A new Gino’s has opened very close to school. Since last night was Parents Back to School Night, and many of us just stayed through after school, a few of us went to Gino’s for dinner. Not knowing what to order, I got a “Gino’s Giant”, because this burger is something they were famous for – a big burger with cheese, lettuce, pickles, and special sauce on a sesame seed bun. Fortunately, Gino’s offers a junior-size version of the Gino’s Giant.
My impression of the food? I liked the fries. They were crispy and thick and salty – I really appreciated the salty. The burger tasted very much like a Big Mac, which people had told me to expect. (Apparently, Gino’s made the Gino’s Giant before McDonald’s made the Big Mac.) I have to say that this isn’t the best burger I’ve had from a fast food joint. But then, I couldn’t taste the nostalgia.
Did you ask for the nostalgia?
I appreciate that they gave you real silverware, though I can’t imagine what it’s for. Did people eat their burgers & fries in neat, tidy, fork-borne bites?
I asked the same question, Lauren. Brad’s suggestion was that the fork and/or knife could be used by the person who had ordered the food to fend off possible thieves…? That’s as good as any other idea, as I agree nobody would cut their burger – that’s just not right. Picking it up and letting the grease sun down the arm – that’s the only way to eat a Gino’s burger.
So you got in before me, ‘eh? (How can the lines part for The Brad & not me? Don’t they know who I am.) Well, I’m not bitter.
I don’t see that you had any dessert. Here you go:
http://splicd.com/zUnhfvGdmmw/16/24
AAAHHH!
And by … who I am, I mean that my dad was Gino’s doppleganger. Therefore, shouldn’t the lines part for me?
That is an impressive quantity of sesame seeds.
Glad Brad’s fries were better than I had remembered them on our inaurgural visit there (yes, we two old nostalgians stood in line at 5:35pm on opening day and weren’t outta there until 7:15 pm. Now THERE’S
stupiditybrand loyalty for ya’!). I purposely didn’t get them last night as a result. Maybe their fryer wasn’t up to speed on Day One? The chocolate shakes are very old-timey thick and rich…all 1,000 million varieties of them…..I forgot to ask. Was the menu pretty much the same? What about the prices?
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=gino%27s&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&tbm=isch&tbnid=5I66HtCm65tkrM:&imgrefurl=http://ginoshamburgers.homestead.com/&docid=us5aSaQUYGwl_M&w=357&h=543&ei=Ly5qTtL5L4XG0AGGnKTjBA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=140&vpy=102&dur=12&hovh=277&hovw=182&tx=120&ty=123&page=1&tbnh=170&tbnw=114&start=0&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&biw=1152&bih=674
Carol: Do you remember Ameche’s? It was on Loch Raven Boulevard, and my little kid memory tells me that girls came to get your order in roller skates????
Got the Ameche PowerHouse last night, Peggy! Three – count ’em – three patties dressed to order. Yum!
I don’t think we ever made it to an Ameche’s with the roller skate delivery gals. I recall some similar style eateries in Chicago when I lived there, but not the one here.
Prices are WAY higher, Peggy – my shake, bottled water and PowerHouse were over $13. We’re sure not in 1957 anymore, Dorothy.