Burger Quest: The Grain Station

Tonight Burger Quest began.

September 1st and it was a beautiful Indian summer evening. It was 82 degrees and clear.

There was no particular methodology to tonight's choice and I am not going to develop one. I'll hit these different places in random order. Tonight, I felt like going to the Grain Station because it's close to where I live and I had not been there before.

The restaurant is located at 4130 755 NE Alpine Avenue in McMinnville. That is right next to downtown (off 8th) near the train tracks. I went at about 6:30 pm and had no problem getting parking and no problem getting seated right away.

The restaurant is located in some kind of converted warehouse or industrial building. It has high ceilings and wide spaces. There is a bar, tables for two, and large picnic style tables if you are in a large group. There are tables outside too.

The restaurant has an eclectic menu, so in a large group (or a small group with a picky eater) there ought to be something for everyone. There is a good selection of beer, which makes sense because there is brewing equipment on site.

There are a lot of different burgers to chose from. I almost chose the maple bacon burger, which the waitress told me was popular, but stuck with the tried tested and true bacon cheddar burger and fries. I paired the burger with a pint of Pitchfork Pilsner, which has won a gold medal.

The burger came out hot off the grill. Very hot, so I would recommend giving it a minute or two to cool off by the time it gets to the table. The patty is thick and made from good quality ground beef. It was not heavily seasoned (if it was seasoned at all). There were a couple of big strips of bacon, cooked nice and crispy. The lettuce and tomato on the burger were fresh and looked good. It all comes on a brioche bun, which was soft and the perfect size for the patty and other fixings. There is 1000 Island dressing in lieu of ketchup, mustard, and/or mayo on this burger. The fries that came with it were good. Some were crispy and other's were not. None of them were especially greasy. Fry sauce is available (as is a made in Oregon "Portland" ketchup, which is organic ketchup that has a good fresh tomato flavor, with noticeably less sugar than industrial ketchup). The fries are NOT refillable, and there are enough for one person, but not too. So, guys, if you are on a date and your date says she will "just have a few of yours," get the basket of fries or some other appetizer or you will leave hungry.

The beer was crisp and tasty. Very fresh and definitely earned its gold medal.

Overall, I would give the following grades:

Burger: B

Fries: B

Beer: A

The burger and fries were $19.00 and the pint of beer was $8.00. I have not really gone out much since inflation really took off, so I was a bit shocked by the price. That might be par for the course now. I don't know, but I do not feel like this should have come to a little under $32 (including tip).