Welcome to a retro Masticastion Monologues? What’s that you say, milkshakes? Retro? Well, today’s post focuses on the Red Robin Gourmet Burger chain that is throughout America and known by its signature jingle. It is one of many burger joints that try to evoke the spirit of 1950s diners that rocked around the clock to strains of Elvis on the jukebox. While the times have changed since then, and the music has become more interesting (not always better), a good burger with a side of fries will never go out of style.
I went with Janice to the location closest by me at the Oakbrook Center shopping mall. It was a new addition to the upper level by the Nordstrom’s, but it is quite popular with families and the teenage pods that roam from shop to shop. However, it is also a fun place to go if you want to grab a cold one with your friends. 
We were there to get a bite to eat before seeing a movie nearby, and it was a pleasant experience. I looked over the menu and after seeing all of the burgers, chicken sandwiches, and side salads the place had to offer, I went for the Burning Love burger ($10.49). Janice got the Royal Red Robin burger ($10.79). However, I didn’t want to just get a burger. I saw that you could “style” your burger in three ways: Pig Out with extra bacon (+$1.50), Cantina Jack with mild green chiles (+$1.00), or Fiery Ghost with a ghost pepper sauce, fresh jalapeno pepper slices, and fried ones (+$1.00). Needless to say, if you’ve read my blog, I love everything spicy. Whether it’s a deadly pork cutlet in Korea or gastro-intestinal shredding poppers in Portland, Oregon, I can’t say no to the tongue burning experience. Eventually they came out, and Janice’s burger looked delicious. 
It was like a combo of breakfast and dinner where the bacon and eggs got down with the beef patty to make an extremely rich but runny burger. It was a flavorful meal that whetted my appetite to finally tuck into my devilish basket.
I had tried ghost peppers before, and it was a tough but manageable experience. However, I was pretty disappointed with my burger, spice-wise. I was expecting to have my taste buds blown off my tongue, but the red ghost pepper sauce didn’t even make it beyond a weak habanero. I enjoyed the fresh and fried jalapeno pieces more since they provided a crunch and buttery finish to the salsa, chipotle aioli, and jalapeno cornmeal kaiser bun. 
Still, it was a finger licking good burger, but if you’re a real spicehead, you won’t blink with the spice levels. Janice tried some of the sauce on the tip of her finger, and she couldn’t handle it. So, I think my tastebuds might be dead or perhaps zombies since I can still taste other flavors. As for the fries, they were of the steak cut variety, probably tied for favorite along with waffle. They were on average larger and softer than the smaller crispier ones you might find at McDonalds or Burger King, but they had the perfect ratio of fry to salt flavor. Plus, at Red Robin they’re bottomless! So if you feel like carbo-loading, hit up Olive Garden and Red Robin. You’ll definitely get your money’s worth. By the end of the meal, I couldn’t even finish all of my fries because it was all so filling and scrumptious.
So if you want to visit a new burger chain that isn’t afraid to be creative with their burgers and get a lot of food for a reasonable price, check out Red Robin! Yuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmm!
Mastication Monologues 