A burger fit for the (Greek) gods...

A burger fit for the (Greek) gods...

After perusing the incredible cars on Main street in Grand Junction and getting our ooo-pah from baklava at the Greek festival on Saturday, we decided that Red Robin would be in order. Good food, decent kids menu, and the prices are not bad. The kids both ordered pizza from the kids menu (I know, pizza in a burger joint, crazy right?), my wife ordered her staple BBQ bacon cheeseburger (with Swiss cheese) and I ordered the Mt. Olympus burger (we did go to the Greek festival). 

The place was busy because of homecoming at one of the local high schools, but the bottomless fries and drinks kept us going until the food arrived. Everyone was very happy with their choice and dug in right away. I looked at my burger and was a little intimidated. Here was a couple of brilliant ideas melded together an oregano seasoned burger covered in creamy spinach and artichoke dip, feta cheese, BACON (yes the capitalization is intentional) bits, served with garlic mayo, lettuce, and tomatoes, on ciabatta bun.

As the parent of a tweenager, I have the right to say OMG! That burger was so delicious. The seasoned meat had just a bit of pink in the middle and the multitude of flavors came together in a symphony of unique delicioucity! The bun was soft and light but still strong enough to hold the burger together until the last bites, the spinach and artichoke dip was cool and fresh, not like the cheesy dips that I am used to, this was similar to French onion dip but bright and tasty without being overpowering.

Side note, for almost 13 years my wife and I have had a unique restaurant game, I try to have her taste my food in an attempt to broaden her palette and have her try new things, and usually she declines. There are the few times she does try and even rarer that she is excited for that new dish. When she does like the new food, she tries (and usually succeeds) in participating in food piracy and I end up eating what she ordered because I am so excited that she likes something new.  On this occasion I asked her if she wanted a bite and to my surprise she was delighted in the experience. She pulled out the puppy dog eyes and pouted out the lip and asked if we could trade. Unfortunately for her the answer was as resounding NO! In our marriage I am usually the one to give in and hand over my food, but not this time baby!

In the end I stood my ground and did not share my burger, which I could have afforded because they are on special for only $6.99. Of course they do have all kinds of salads at Red Robin, but seriously folks… have you tried the burger?

Here is a quick spinach and artichoke dip recipe from: http://www.greatpartyrecipes.com/spinachdiprecipes.html

(Cold) Spinach Dip

1 cup chopped cooked spinach (1 10 oz. frozen pkg.)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
6 green onions, chopped
1 8-ounce can water chestnuts, finely chopped

Add 1 cup chopped artichoke hearts to the recipe above.

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons pepper
Salt to taste

·  Squeeze the spinach dry and pat it down with paper towels.

·  In a medium bowl stir together all ingredients until well combined.

·  Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

(This recipe can be prepared in a food processor and/or a day ahead with great results.)

·  Serve chilled with sour dough bread and raw vegetable dippers like turnip slices and red pepper strips. Or serve in a scooped-out sour dough bread bowl, if desired, and save the scooped-out bread for dippers.

·  Makes about 3 cups.

 EAT!