Connecticut: Land of the Burger?

(#14) Visit a state I've never been to before.

Check!

I think I get bonus points for completing this one because I really wasn't sure I was going to be able to. But thanks to an exceptionally flexible work schedule and an exceptionally accommodating fiance, I managed to make it happen within weeks of my deadline. 

My options were limited because I have been to almost every state within a reasonable driving distance and with a few other trips scheduled this and last year I didn't want to go too crazy. A Google Map search revealed Connecticut to be only 6 hours away, and the rest was history.

We found Connecticut to be charming and - to my surprise- friendly. I don't know why I have come to associate a New England accent with unfriendliness. I promise to stop doing that now, because everyone that we encountered was extremely friendly and made us feel very welcome. 

We did some research and discovered that America's first hamburger was supposedly invented in New Haven at a place called Louis' Lunch- which we then remembered seeing on the Travel Channel's "Tastiest Placest to Chowdown." Being connoisseurs of television-recommended restaurants, we of course decided to make that our first stop.

Check out pictures of their awesome but tiny interior on their website. 

A bit of additional research revealed that Connecticut was also famous for what's known as the steamed hamburger- specifically at a restaurant in Meriden called Ted's, fairly close to New Haven. And so the battle of the burgers began.

Louis' was first. Their MO is that they do everything exactly as it has been done for over 100 years- they even cook the burgers on a cast-iron grill from 1898! The result is a deliciously charred but painstakingly slow-cooking burger, garnished traditionally with only tomato, onion, and cheese, and served on toasted white bread.

Because of the cooking method, we waited about 45 minutes for our food, and watched as some of the burgers literally caught on fire before being served and some were served so rare they still looked pink to the naked eye. Luckily both of ours fell somewhere in between. 

I really enjoyed my burger. It had that homey charcoal taste of a burger made on a backyard grill. And to serve a burger with so few toppings, the meat became the star, and the meat was obviously excellent quality. 

Ronnie was less impressed with his, but he opted to go even more traditional and leave off the cheese. Without any other condiments, you really need the cheese for moisture.

New Haven is also the town where Yale is located, so we took a stroll around the campus. The campus was of course obscenely gorgeous. I tried to limit my photo-taking because we were trying to blend in as (graduate) students. But I did get this gem which we are pretty sure is an actual dorm:

*Eye roll*

We noticed quite a difference being on campus at Yale and stepping off campus to the rest of New Haven. Such as when we went on an adventure to "Little Italy" through some questionable neighborhoods in search of Frank Pepe's pizza, recommended to us by a CT native.

The pizza was delish though. Apparently Frank's is the originator of "New Haven style" pizza, similar to NY style but cooked at a high temperature so the crust is crispy but still chewy:

Just looking at this makes my mouth water. 

(Sidenote: Just discovered a New Haven style pizza place in our area- Pete's. Must try.)
We visited Ted's the next day for our steamed burgers (which by the way count as new food #16). I can't imagine two burgers being more different! Other than the quaintly-cramped restaurants themselves (which apparently are common in Connecticut). 

First of all, our burgers here were ready in literally less than a minute instead of 45. Second, in place of that delicious char was a burger so tender and juicy it was embarrassing to eat. I would compare the taste more to a meatball than a traditional burger patty. It was cooked all the way through but with the moisture you seek in a nice medium.

Also unlike Louis', Ted's will pile pretty much anything you want on your burger, from jalapenos to BBQ sauce to chili. 

And while the meat was the star at Louis, here the obvious star was the cheese, which is also steamed. You can see it above coating my entire burger. It was the texture of the inside of a mozzarella stick fresh from the fryer- melty, but still with some bite to it. I've never had anything like it. It was as delicious as it looked. 

For Ronnie this was by far his favorite burger of the two. I preferred the nice charred crust of the Louis' burger, as well as the simplicity. Both burgers though are worth trying if you are ever in the area.

So after stuffing ourselves with deliciously unheathly food, we headed home. While this trip was all about CT, I have to admit that one of my favorite parts was getting to drive through/around NYC. We were blessed to hit very little traffic and got to see some great views, including the nearly-complete Freedom Tower on the skyline.

This was the best I could do from the passenger's seat, but you get the idea:

Thank you Connecticut for a good time! Only about...30 more states to go. We'll get there someday.