Monday, November 02, 2009

harvey's burger bar



There is a new meat market in town.


Well, a new cooked meat market. A burger bar.


There have long been hamburger joints in Melaque. But this is a new concept.


The owner, long-time resident Harvey, has combined good food with a great location.


The restaurant is located where Cesar and Charley's once did business -- next to the Hotel Monterey. But more importantly, the view takes in the full bay.


Most restaurants with a good view have little more to offer. But Harvey's has great food.


Here is the concept. You can build your own burger.


First, start with a 100% sirloin patty, a grilled chicken breast, fish, or a vegan burger. A nice selection.


Second, add some traditional or not-so-traditional vegetable toppings -- the "healthy" refuge of we burger eaters.


Third, spread on some sauces. From honey mustard to tartar.


And, of course, french fries or sweet potato fries.


I ate there twice -- trying the sirloin and the chicken breast. Both were extremely good. And the secret is that all of the ingredients were top rate.


Better than that, though, it is a great place to meet new people. You can heard Anne Murray warbling in the distance. The snowbirds have started to arrive and this appears to be a new roost for them. And a good roost it is.


Good view. Good food. Good company.


Who could ask for anything more?





13 comments:

sparks_mex said...

Cesar and Charley's was loosing it lately tho may do OK with winter regulars.

My choice would be the fish burger which you should try at Red Lobster.

You didn't mention cerveza ... did he inherit the liquor license

Michael Dickson said...

With all the health issues you have faced, do you really think a burger bar belongs on your radar screen?

Think fish, chicken and salad, amiguito!

Babs said...

Having a limited menu is the secret to survival in the restaurant business. And a great view helps too. Enjoy.

GlorV1 said...

That sounds great. Must be really nice being situated so close to the ocean as you are. I'll take the sirloin burger, thank you. Have a great week.

Steve Cotton said...

El Jubilado -- I will try the chicken burger at Red Lobster. Shrimp is slipping off of my diet for cholesterol reasons. Harvey has a liquor license.

Felipe -- I have generally excluded all beef from my diet. The sirloin burger was an indulgence. But I was happy to discover that the chicken burger was just as good, if not better. The only meat I ever have at home these days is chicken.

Babs -- Harvey has a great business plan in mind by limiting what he offers on his menu. Getting butts in the chairs will be his next task. So far so good.

Gloria -- It is a perfect location for a restaurant. I would stop there for a soda or mineral water just to sit and watch the ocean.

Michael Dickson said...

Don´t be fooled by a chicken burger. They very often have more fat than a beef burger because the skin is ground up with the meat. Really.

McDonald´s or Burger King (I forget which) offers a chicken burger. If you read the labels they provide, you´ll see it´s considerably worse than their hamburger. I find this to be an ongoing practical joke on their part that few people notice.

Steve Cotton said...

Felipe -- Harvey (and most of the restaurants around town) serve a char-grilled breast fillet as their chicken burger -- no ground meat here. I made the mistake of ordering a fish burger in a local restaurant thinking I would get a nice fillet. But it was ground -- and I can only imagine, by how it tasted, what ended up in the patty. Lesson learned.

Tancho said...

I hope you don't slather on any of the sauces you mentioned. They are worse then the beef. Mustard is an exception.
better yet, the beef patty, mustard, a pepino or two, some onion, tomato and wrap it in lettuce....That would be a good alternative!
Don't overdo your cruise.....baaaad food for you!

jennifer rose said...

Steve, you can go right ahead and have the beef, provided you omit the bread, sauces, cheese, pineapple, sauteed mushrooms and fries.

Anonymous said...

I don't know, Ethel. Who could ask for anything more?

A N Moose

Steve Cotton said...

Constantino. I use mustard on my burgers.

Jennifer -- Because of my triglyceride count, the meat is going to be off my diet. Dr. Atkins or no. I am about to become a chicken and rice eater.

ANM -- I guess -- me. I always do.

Adoro said...

This is a long shot, and I randomly came across your blog, but is Harvey a guy who says he is native to Mexico but speaks with the best American accent you've ever heard?

I lived in Mexico for a semester and happen to remember a place in Puerto Escondido back in 1994. Your view is almost identical actually even though you're in a different location.

They made the BEST banana daiquiri there! He also had a blues band made up of Americans claiming to be native Mexicans (but without the accent) and I sang with them while I was there, had a great time.

So...I'm a bit curious as to whether the proprietor of the Puerto Escondido establishment has syndicated! ;-)

Steve Cotton said...

Adoro -- I believe Harvey is Canadian by birth. But I will check.