Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Off topic slightly: After reading this fine review, the thought struck me - Do folks from other countries come here review our take on their food and then blog about it back home? It would be interesting to read what Mexicans or Italians for example, blog back home about the way their foods are served here, instead of the usual bickering amongst the local experts about what qualifies as authentic "insert your cuisine here".
Just a thought.

Great article by the way!

@Eating The Road: I did end up trying a MOS shogayaki rice burger; China Airlines served them for breakfast during my flight back to the U.S. (see photo above) I decided against commenting on the burger itself, though, since after having been refrigerated and reheated as airplane food it was clearly not up to normal MOS standards. Like you, I've also heard many great things about MOS burgers - the next time I find myself in Asia, I'd be happy to write off my two experiences as unusual and give MOS another try.

@haappyhed: Thanks! My relationship with Taiwan is similar to yours - my mother was born in Taiwan and I spent many a childhood summer, as well as part of elementary school, in Taipei. As a rule, whenever I return for a visit, every square micrometer of stomach space is reserved for my grandparents' home cooking, tropical fruit, and Taiwanese street food... so this tour was a marked departure from my norm, instigated primarily by my encounter with those absurd mini-burgers.

I wish I'd known better than to try MOS' regular hamburger - from the sound of it, almost anything else on the menu would have been more satisfying - but at the time I intentionally ordered what an uninformed, displaced American might when searching for a hamburger that tastes like home. Given my preference for traditional Taiwanese food, my recent two-week visit was far too brief to accommodate a truly exhaustive burger roundup (I'm not a food writer and this trip was personal in nature), but in the future it might be interesting to seek out distinctively Asian re-conceptions of the burger.

@kkyoung: You're right, it's often foolish to expect familiar food to be prepared authentically in a foreign country. I was raised on homestyle Chinese cooking and if I went into a Panda Express here in the U.S. expecting similar, my soul would probably die a little.

Reasonable or no, for the purposes of this review I deliberately assumed the mindset of a homesick American looking for a regular burger. People who order Asian-style burgers expect to taste something interesting and unfamiliar, but a customer who orders a hamburger probably just wants a hamburger. Whereas the 3-inch mini-burgers don't pretend to be traditional and MOS rice burgers are a deliberate and successful departure from the norm, I'm pretty sure Mary's does attempt to make an "American" style burger, and when MOS offers an apparently standard "Hamburger" alongside its more imaginative entrées, I think it's fair to examine it according to Western standards.

I'll know better next time, though. ;)

Disclaimer - My parents were born in Taiwan, and though I was born/raised in Chicago and currently live in NYC, I've been back to Taiwan more than a dozen times.

I'm probably just being prideful, but it was a bit disappointing that an AHT post would focus on finding American-style (too broad a category, I know) burgers in Taiwan. My first thought was, "wow, you went to Taiwan and wasted three meals!" Frankly I bet you were spot-on about the burger reviewed at MOS; I wouldn't know though, because ordering that at MOS is like ordering thin crust at Lou Malnati's in Chicago - more Serious Fail than Serious Eats.

In defense of MOS Burger - from experience, not just info taken from Wikipedia - the rice bun is seared and crisped on the outside, creating a flavor profile similar to the prized "burnt rice" Bi Bim Bap fanatics love. It's far from "structurally questionable" once you try it, and is much better than dreaded Brioche buns at sopping up the delicious juices and sauces. We're all probably more used to the feeling of dry bread on our hands rather than rice, but the textural interplay is totally worth it. But heck, if you do find something even remotely resembling In-and-Out or Shake Shack in Taiwan, that would truly be worth reporting!

Your photography is gorgeous, your writing is enjoyable, and I'd love to see more about your more unique food experiences. I'm so envious of your travels! After all, my favorite thing about SE/AHT is that it brings me all the flavors and joys of different food/burger traditions around the world.

McD may be less than reputable in the burger eating community here, but in Taiwan, it's actually very acceptable. Prices last time I went (which is quite a few years ago now) were pretty good.

I only went because some friends with me really like McD. Otherwise, I stick with the local food.

@jkdrummer: Asian perception of what a burger is probably makes these places successful even if they don't seem like good burgers to our palates. A real burger place may end up being popular with Western tourists, but not necessarily successful. Still, probably worth a try. Or maybe it has already been tried.

Funny you should mention Rockwell's, jess8328.

Within the past week, I've eaten at both Rockwell's and Lucky's (though at the Hell's Kitchen location).

The meals came to the same price (10 and change) for a burger, fries and soda combo.

Lucky's was good, comparable to Shake Shack and much less crowded, but I didn't appreciate them not asking if I wanted lettuce or tomato (I didn't), and the shop itself was kinda dingy. I appreciated getting a lot more fries than I would have at Shake Shack. I also (thanks to my poor budgeting at a street fair) was a little short on change and they told me not to worry about it. That was nice. I'd eat there if I was with a friend, but the next time I go for a burger, I'll go to the Shack, they're a dollar eighty nine cheaper and closer to a big concentration of cute puppies.

Rockwells offers "boring" burgers (their words, not mine) and "mix-in" burgers. Their fries are delightful. The mix-in burgers (up to four mixins, including bacon, cheese or veggies, and your choice of sauce) are cheaper and therefore a better deal than the boring burgers but to those who prefer to have cheese ON rather than IN their burgers it can be a little disconcerting. Mine TASTED like it had bleu cheese, onion and bacon in it but maybe it was just flavoring. It was tasty and the place was cute, but again, I'd rather go to The Shack. Unless it's raining.

@Big B: Glad to hear another opinion! I usually don't even get fries at Shake Shack cos I'm not hungry enough, but for the purposes for this review I got the major burger components (well, for me at least: burger, fries, shake). Lucky's fries did taste better. I love shakes, but I had it when they're unreasonable large. :( Then I feel poopy for wasting so much food.

I like the Baconator but it's essential Death on a Bun. There's a place here in Austin called Moo-Moo's that offers two small, slider-style burgers (no vegetables except for griddled onions) with bacon and an order of those satisfies me as much but doesn't leave me feeling bloated or guilty,

What about Rockwell's Express on 8th St.? Anyone know if its any good?

This post is awesome. You sir are a sandwich engineer!

The reality check is gold! Even better than an expose on supermodels without the makeup...

I agree Adam...I think the whole schitck is exactly that....a schtick. If thier food was any good maybe I'd be more inclined to eat there again.

http://eatingtheroad.wordpress.com/2009/10/30/heart-attack-grill-diet-center/

They're just trying to tap into the whole shock/controversy thing...and unfortunately that does work. Those news stations can't get enough of it. If you really want to dislike them watch the video on their homepage (How to Kill a Giant):
http://www.heartattackgrill.com/

OMG! You're insane, Damon! I love it! Thank you for chasing down this burger truck so I don't have to. Time is money and I have little of either so thanks to you I don't have to spend my money or waste my time trolling Twitter for this one.

I LOVED the pic of you in the food truck. Nice touch. While it looks like the burger sucked, this just might be my favorite of your posts yet.

What's with the picture? That a real BK burger?

Really, really gross in any case. Look at that nasty uncooked meat right in the middle..