Totally Rockin' Burgers (pun absolutely intended)

I've been a horrible blogger lately.  Apologies y'all, but sometimes my day job has to take precedence.

Right.  Back to the point of this blog: Food.  On Sunday night, M, L, and I were all set for our weekly True Blood fix.  We were all going to grab dinner on our own and then head to M's to watch this week's episode.  After spending an inordinate amount of time at the hospital welcoming some friends's new baby (congrats R &A!), L & I decided that we were going to grab dinner together before heading to M's (M wasn't hungry, otherwise I'm sure she would have joined us).  After the usual, "what in the world do we want to eat and what's close to M's house" conversation, we settled on the perfect hole-in the-wall for burgers and beer: Rockaway's.

Now, if you're local to Columbia, chances are you've been to Rockaway's (formally titled "Rockaway Athletic Club," but no one calls it that).  If you're not local, you should probably make your first trip there with a local so that you know where you're going - Rockaway's doesn't have any kind of outdoor signage.  If you think about it, that's kind of badass.  They're so well known, they don't need to announce themselves.  I dig it.

On Sunday, we had some time to kill, so Rockaway's was the perfect place for L & I.  Heads up: the service at Rockaway's is definitely not the quickest, so I would suggest that you go when you have time to spare.  At any rate, it was super crowded on Sunday night, but we managed to find a table in the bar area.  When our waitress came over, we ordered a pitcher of Sweetwater 420 (slightly over $10 for a pitcher, so a pretty good deal from where we were sitting).  Our server gave us time to look at the menu, but in all honesty, we didn't need it.  I hear that Rockaway's serves things other than burgers, but the burgers are so good that the rest of the menu just seems a little superflous.

L decided on the pimento cheeseburger.  This is probably the item that Rockaway's is most known for.  Not only are the burgers cooked to perfection, but they're also a pretty good size.  But when you order a burger, that's what you get.  If you want a side, you have to order it separately (and in truth, you probably don't need a side, but if you're like me, you like some variety).  With her pimento cheeseburger, L got a side of zucchini fries.  While I didn't try her burger, I can definitely attest to the deliciousness of the zucchini fries.  They were awesome.  And vegetables are still vegetables, even when they're fried, right?  Right.

I probably could have just eaten a basket of zucchini fries, but I will never turn down a good burger.

Knowing my penchant for all things mushroom, you probably will not be surprised to hear that I ordered the mushroom cheeseburger.  It was a good choice.  I got fries on the side, but only because I forgot that the fries aren't that good.  I'd go with something else if I were you. But back to the burger.  The thing I like most about Rockaway's burgers is that they're juicy, but the bun doesn't get soggy.  Each burger comes with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mayo, but you can add cheese, mushrooms, bacon, jalepenos, etc.  I kept mine simple and just left the mayo off.  The cheese was gooey, there were tons of mushrooms, and the tomatoes and lettuce stayed crisp (awesome for me, as I HATE hot, wilty lettuce on a burger).  I was exceptionally pleased with my dinner.

Seriously.  Just look at the size of this burger.

I like Rockaway's.  I love cheeseburgers, so this place is right up my alley.  I like the divey looking exterior as it contrasts with the non-sketchy interior.  The food is awesome. I wish the service was a little quicker, but as long as the beer is cold and the food is worth the wait, I'm ok with it.

Final Rating