Ryan O’Bryan’s Burger Tour Stop # 2 – Major Munch

If you've been playing along at home, you know that a couple of weeks ago I discovered that May is National Burger Month and asked you to tell me where some of the great burgers can be found in the Evansville / Tri-State area. Several people weighed in both on-air and online through our Facebook page with the burgers they thought rocked and where I can go to get them. The more popular suggestions have been selected as stops on my very own "Burger Tour". Not that I need an excuse to go out to eat, but this certainly helps justify it. 

My first stop took me to Jake's Wayback Burger on Evansville's east side. This time around I made my way to Major Munch, just a few blocks away from the station in downtown Evansville on the corner of Northwest 1st Street and Sycamore. It occupy's the space left by Chik-Fil-A behind the Old Post Office building.

The menu features everything from burgers, to fried catfish and salads, as well as various chicken sandwiches and wings. The latter of which is the centerpiece in a Man vs. Food type challenge at the restaurant which uses hot sauce made from the Bhut Jolokia or "ghost pepper", the world's hottest chili pepper. If you have the guts to take the challenge, you'll first have to sign a waiver stating that you understand handling the pepper could literally fry your guts. That will have to wait until "National Chicken Wing Month" which may or may not exist. And if it doesn't, I'll just pick a month to proclaim as National Chicken Wing Month. I figure that's how National Burger Month came to be.

Speaking of which, let's get to the whole reason I went to Major Munch...the burgers, specifically the Patty Melt which was the burger one caller said was her particular favorite. I ordered the combo with seasoned waffle-cut fries (onion rings is also an option) and a 20-ounce drink.

Nestled between two thick slices of buttered and grilled Texas toast, the sandwich was made to order and featured one pressed patty with two slices of cheese and nice helping of grilled onions. Unlike Jake's Wayback Burgers, the kitchen at Major Munch can't be seen from the dining room, so I can't say for sure whether or not the patty was fresh or frozen, but based on it's shape (it wasn't perfectly round like a frozen patty would be), I would bet good money that the cook grabbed a handful of fresh ground beef and formed the patty by hand before slapping it onto the hot grill.

With my very first bite, I knew right away why this particular burger was the favorite of the caller who suggested it. For starters, it had melted cheese on it which is always a good start regardless of what you're eating. The patty itself was juicy in the middle with crispy edges that gave a nice contrast in texture. The Texas toast did a nice job of soaking in some of the juices without getting all mushy and the grilled onions gave the sandwich a very slight sweetness that worked well with the saltiness of the meat and cheese. All in all, this was a really good burger.

As for the price, Major Munch was a little cheaper than Jake's and while I don't remember exactly what I paid as I have since thrown away the receipt, I do know it was in the $7 - $8 range which is great for the quality of food I received. I'm more than willing to pay $7 - $8 for fresh, hand-made food over food that was pre-cooked who knows how long before I ordered it and left to sweat in a warming drawer like I've done before at a typical fast food joint.

Truth be told, this was not my first trip to Major Munch, but it was my first trip there for a burger (I've had their Buffalo Chicken Sandwich a few times). After my experience with the Patty Melt, it won't be my last.