By By Andrea Lin /
For The Journal
Every day near the noon hour, workplaces all over town are filled with the sound of crinkling paper bags. Emblazoned with primary colors, those bags are all too familiar, carrying both lunch as well as the unstated message that there’s no time for a meal. But making the time is often well worth it, especially when you can have a burger experience worlds away from your typical quick-fix establishment.
On the heels of a rather meat-focused review last week, this time I thought I’d do it all over again, but from the more everyday realm of the hamburger. A little north of the Downtown district on Mountain Road, new restaurants keep popping up like the welcome flowers of spring, with Wimpy’s Little Red Hamburger Hut the newest kid on the block (the name is changing in May to just Little Red Hamburger Hut).
Manager Gene Quintano stands ready behind the counter, almost bouncing in his shoes with energy as he takes each order and grins while repeating the infectious mantra, “Satisfaction GARE-an-teed on every order!” Making a decision can be lightning fast, as the menu is short and to the point: burgers on buns or tortillas, with or without chile, fries, Frito pies. On the other hand, ask Gene a question about anything and he’ll not only accommodate your request but he’ll tell you the best choice for your appetite, regardless if you’re the only person in the place (fat chance) or the line stretches to the door.
In the back, your order is slapped on the grill as its called out, with nary a heatlamp in sight. Gene’s daughter Antoinette Cook, the owner, is the primary cook, trained well in the short-order arts. She also has the important task of closely guarding the recipe for the red chile sauce, honed over 18 years since Gene has been in the burger business.
You’ll pay with cash, marveling at how much of that $20 you receive back in change, then head back to the front room to secure a table and gaze at the walls plastered with memorabilia. Photos of Marilyn Monroe are copious, but my favorite is the assortment of old wall clocks in every garish style imaginable. My eyes spotted one last seen at my aunt and uncle’s ranch house in the ’70s.
But then your order number is called by a woman with lungs seemingly out of proportion to her petite frame, and she’ll skip over with your baskets of sumptuous treats. What did we order? In a nutshell, everything. The signature burger is The Little Red (in three sizes: $2.09, $3.29, $4.49), a hand-formed patty simply adorned with dark and earthy red sauce soaking into the bun and preventing a potential mess.
Next there was the tortilla burger (again $2.09, $3.29, $4.49), livened with chopped green and melted American cheese in just the right amount to gloppily adhere every contrasting flavor. A tortilla burger with red is of course an option, but it does get a bit drippy — just aim for your fries and not a drop will be lost. If you opt to skip the combo meals, small fries are $1.39 and somewhere between thin and chunky, sparingly salted and ready to take on a ladle of chile.
Notably, Frito pies are featured, and for just $4.39 for a large, how could anyone resist? Again the red chile sang under handfuls of cheese, lettuce and tomato, but unfortunately the Fritos couldn’t put up a fight and most went soggy by the time I got to the bottom, making the flavor more like a salty tamale pie. Not that I enjoyed it any less, of course.
Wimpy’s Little Red Hamburger Hut
LOCATION: 1501 Mountain NW, 304-1819
HOURS: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays; 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays; closed Sundays and Mondays. Cash only
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