Andy's Burgers Shakes and Fries

Until about six months ago, I didn’t realize that a wonderful burger joint was sitting right under my nose…and that I had been totally missing out on it. That fateful day at my office in Lawrenceville, Virginia, one of my co-workers (thanks Betsy!) told me about a place that had great hamburgers in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. Never one to pass up on a good burger, I immediately went online to find this place called Andy’s. And find it I did, and what a place it is!

Luckily for me, I even found an Andy’s location that was closer to my work than Roanoke Rapids. Lo and behold, there is an Andy’s location in Littleton, North Carolina, which is only about a mile south of the Virginia border and about 20 minutes from my office. Needless to say, I’ve been crossing the state line for burgers ever since!

All Andy’s locations are within the Tar Heel state, and at this time there are over one hundred Andy’s scattered throughout North Carolina. The décor of the Andy’s establishments is truly unique. When you step into an Andy’s restaurant, it’s like going back into the time capsule to the 1950’s burger and malt shops.

Okay, now on to the food…and the burgers! Burgers and cheeseburgers grilled hot and to perfection while you wait. I usually stay pretty basic, and go for the Andy’s Original Special which includes the delicious Andy’s cheeseburger, piping hot fries and a 24 ounce drink! The famous Andy’s cheeseburger is a 5.5 ounce patty of fresh, lean ground chuck served with American cheese and made any way you’d like it. In addition to cheese and bacon, you can choose from twelve more toppings! And for the hearty appetites, you can go for Andy’s double or triple burgers…and even make those bacon burgers!!

What makes Andy’s even better, is that their menu features great items outside the burger universe, though I must say the burgers have such a good taste, that it’s hard for me to stray to other parts of the menu! But Andy’s offers everything from cheesesteaks to shrimp plates to chicken cordon bleu. Andy’s fries are delectable, and the shakes are out of this world! A new offering at a number of Andy’s is frozen custard, which is a delicious and refreshing way to finish off an Andy’s dining experience.

The “A” in Andy’s is their grade from me…a great burger at a reasonable price in a really cool atmosphere! And a particular shout out to my local Andy’s at 2455 Eaton’s Ferry Road in Littleton, NC. It’s a popular eatery to the folks that live, work and vacation around the Lake Gaston area, along with local law enforcement on both sides of the Virginia-North Carolina state line. The operator of the Lake Gaston Andy’s, Tim Belmont, and all of his staff will welcome you personally to their Andy’s, and go out of their way to make your dining experience a memorable one at “The Lake.”

Check out Andy’s online at http://www.andysburgers.net/. And visit an Andy’s location in North Carolina…I guarantee you that you’ll be glad you did!

David Chappell

More photos at our Burger Mafia Flikr site!

Lendy's

Occasionally we'll post a link to a nostalgic website that features memories and memorabillia from a regional chain that had great popularity in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, but eventually (and sadly) gave way to the major chains that have a strangle hold on the fast food industry today.

Just such a chain was Lendy's, originally in Salem VA and eventually grew to some 50+ restuarants in that area.

(Thanks to T.B. for the link.)

ODell's Sandwich Shop, Mount Airy NC

ODell's Sandwich Shop

1224 W Pine St

Mount Airy, NC 27030

336-786-4246

Right here in my little hometown of Mount Airy NC is litlle gem of a drive-in that has been around for decades. Tucked back off highway 89 in the Toast community, behind a local bank branch, is ODell's Sandwich shop. They are the home of the "Big Moe", a double burger topped with tomato, shredded lettuce, pickle and melted cheese on a triple decker bun. When I first moved to Mount Airy in 1990, I was asking around for recomendations for a good local burger and was told by many to try the Big Moe.

It's pretty much a typical old-style drive in with very friendly service, and all meals are made to order, nothing prepared in advance. My recent double-burger, ordered plain, was hot and fresh and delicious. On earlier visits I've enjoyed the Fantail Shrimp dinner as well.

This place passes two tests of a good burger jount / drive in: (1) It's been around awhile without many changes, so the food's got to be good, or they wouldn't keep coming back, right? And (2) the place is jammed packed every Saturday night. The locals know.

South 21 Drive-In, Charlotte NC

South 21 Drive-In
3101 East Independence Blvd.
Charlotte NC 28205
(704) 377-4509
Closed Sunday and Monday



As Molly Harrison recently lamented on Our State magazine, the novelty of enjoying a burger and shake in your car at a drive-in had its heyday in an earlier generation, a time that by and large seems long lost. It seems that with our busy lives and more lazy dispositions, most of us quickly swing through our favorite fast-food drive-thru without stopping to take a breath. (Guilty as charged: I often have my fries finished before I’m more than a mile down the road.) But look around you and you might just come across some old drive-ins that have survived and thrived. One such place is in Charlotte NC and has become a tradition spanning several generations: the South 21 Drive-In.

South 21 harkens back to a simpler time with its distinctive neon sign, vintage window trays, and timeworn speaker boxes from which to place your order. While the Sonic drive-in chain has led to a resurgent popularity in the concept of dining in your car, the experience there doesn’t compare to the nostalgic rush generated by doing it at the real deal. And the South 21 drive-in is as real as it gets. Since 1955, the Copsis family has served great food at reasonable prices, with hardly any changes in décor, packaging, branding, or food preparation.

The first South 21 opened in 1955 on South Boulevard in Charlotte, and the Independence Boulevard location opened four years later, and has since become the main location.
I’m often guilty of missing out on some of the wonderful things around me just because they don’t fit the template. Until I grew into my forties, I thought the only good burgers were chain burgers. With age comes wisdom. I now know that isn’t at all the case. I went to college near Charlotte in the late 70s a and early 80s and was up and down Independence Boulevard for years, going to events at the old Charlotte Coliseum and scouring the album racks and Grapevine Records & Tapes. Never once did I visit or even notice the South 21 Drive in.

I became aware of them when collecting old Charlotte pro-wrestling programs from the 60s and 70s. The South 21 Drive-In was a regular advertiser in the programs for over 20 years and their ads always featured the same illustrations of their trademark sign and their “Super Boy” burger for 67 cents. When I bought George Motz’s book Hamburger America and saw the photograph of the box with the same familiar artwork form those programs, I knew I had to journey to Charlotte and finally try the South 21. Motz had selected South 21 as one of the top 100 burger joints in the United States.

When you have been in business serving food since 1955 and nothing much about you has changed in that half-century, then you know at least one thing must be true: the food is good, or they wouldn’t still be around. Most all retail businesses are forced to evolve at the mercy of the fickled whim of the consumer. Not South 21. You might think that was born out of some sort of stubbornness, but it is simply the knowledge that what they do works, and has for all those years. The tired old expression “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” may have first been coined in reference to the South 21.

I’ve now been to the South 21 on three different occasions on different visits to Charlotte. The double hamburger was excellent. I’m one of those that like their hamburgers “plain”, that is with no condiments whatsoever, just the meat patty and the bun (and a little salt.) So I get an unvarnished appraisal of the taste of the burger itself. My double burger arrived with the burgers still sizzling, served on a sesame seed bun. The beef is ground fresh daily from a local butcher, and I’ve learned in my later years that makes all the difference.

On subsequent trips, I’ve tried their southern golden fried chicken and jumbo fried shrimp, both delicious and exceeded expectations for that type thing at a drive-in. They are famous for their “Super Boy” burger, loaded with lettuce, tomato, onion, and mustard, as well as their “Fish-O-Burger”, a sandwich with two pieces of fresh fried trout and tartar sauce.

Takeout orders are served up in boxes with the familiar artist renderings from the ads, and these haven’t changed in 50 years, either.

Drive-in stalls surround the restaurant, which also features a walk-in pick-up counter for takeout orders, but those can also be delivered to your car by the carhop.

Behind the restaurant are vintage billboards on the border of the property, artist’s renderings of the “Super Boy” burger, and advertising the “southern golden fried chicken” (on special everyday but Friday) and the smiling chef holding up a to-go box containing a steak strip sandwich. Those old billboards ad a nice touch, because they, like everything else at South 21, are the real deal.

Check out these other related sources of information:

South 21 Drive-In website
South 21 Drive-In: A Wrestling Tradition on the Mid-Atlantic Gateway website
“Hamburger America” by George Motz (Running Press) – his excellent piece on South 21 is on page 191.
Photos of South 21 are on the Burger Mafia Flickr site.
Read Molly Harrison’s great article “Beach Drive-Ins” in the August 2008 issue of Our State Magazine.

Nodine's - Campobello,SC

nodines,
originally uploaded by burgermafia.

Nodine's
18155 Asheville Highway (1 mile past the new Landrum High School)
Campobello, SC
(864)468-5485
Open Monday-Saturday 11am - 10pm
Closed Sundays


Locally it was a bit of a scandal. The Nodines, who kept the customers coming to Kent's in Landrum for so many years were gone. News on the street was that promises were made, then broken and the Nodines got the short end of the stick. All that isn't important though. What is important is that the Nodines now have their own establishment and good food is back in Landrum and surrounding.

Tim & Bobbi Nodine along with their son, Marc now are the proprietors of "Nodine's" located on the side of Asheville Highway (US Hwy 176) between Campobello (Camperbeller to us locals) and Landrum.

If you are local, I can tell you that the building was the former "Riverbend Bar." Thankfully the nefarious and fatal past is very much that-the past.

The small building adds to the family feel that started at Kent's with the Nodines. In the side room is the soda fountain and tea kettles - help yourself to the refills (a gold star from me to restaurants who do this!).

The menu has the items that the regulars are used to: fried fish plates, fried chicken (which is worthy of its own entry), ice cream, milk shakes, chuckwagon, and more.

Being close to Landrum High School (Home of the Cardinals) you have the "Cardinal Dog" - the Grilled PB & J, which I have not tried yet, but sounds good doesn't it?

On the burger side, you have regular hamburgers, cheeseburgers (single & double) - but look down and you find the "Nodine Burger" which comes with mustard, ketchup and pickles. My favorite though is - "The Big Tim." The Big Tim is 1/2 pound of fresh beef patted out daily. Currently, the Big Tim is the only one on the menu that is made with fresh beef, the others are made from frozen. I hope this changes, but it could be why most folks order the Big Tim.

It comes with mayo, lettuce and tomato. I always add cheese, with they place under the patty and mustard. I like the size and the taste of this burger, you won't feel hungry after having it.

The Nodine family is always present too, making sure the food and the atmosphere is great for the whole family.

the great American hamburger...

From Steven Raichlen's The Barbecue Bible:

For the burgers
2 1/4 pounds ground round, chuck, or sirloin
6 slices ( inch thick) Vidalia or other sweet onion (optional)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 hamburger buns

For the toppings - any or all
Iceberg lettuce leaves
Sliced ripe tomatoes
Sliced dill pickles or sweet pickles
Cooked bacon (2 slices per burger)
Ketchup, Mustard, and Mayonnaise

For cheeseburgers
6 slices (1/4 inch thick) sharp Cheddar cheese or Swiss cheese, or
6 pieces of Roquefort
Serves 6

What makes a great hamburger?

First there's the meat. You want to use a flavorful cut, like sirloin, or chuck or round (if you're feeling more democratic). And it shouldn't be too lean: 15 to 20 percent fat is ideal.

I adhere to the "less is more" school when it comes to making hamburgers. Namely, the fewer ingredients you add to the meat, the better.

Oh, I know how tempting it is for cooks to want to season the meat with onion, garlic, spices, and condiments. But to taste a burger at its best, keep it utterly simple. The garnishes will add all the flavor you need.

One final bit of advice: Handle the meat as little as possible: a few pats to form it into patties. Anything more will rob the burger of its juiciness and primal flavor.

1. Divide the meat into six equal portions. Lightly wet your hands with cold water, then form each portion of meat into a round patty, 4 inches across and of an even thickness.

2. Set up the grill for direct cooking and preheat to high.

3. When ready to cook, brush and oil the grill grate.

4. If using onion slices, brush them on both sides with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Place the onion on the hot grate and grill until nicely browned, about 4 minutes per side, then transfer to a plate.

5. Brush one side of the meat patties lightly with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the burgers, buttered side down, on the hot grate and grill until the bottoms are nicely browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Brush the tops lightly with some of the melted butter and season them with salt and pepper. Using a spatula, turn the burgers and grill until they are browned and cooked to taste, 4 to 5 minutes longer for medium. Meanwhile, brush the cut sides of the buns with the remaining melted butter and toast them, cut sides down, on the grill during the last 2 minutes the burgers cook.

6. Set out the toppings. Put the burgers and onion slices on buns and serve.
Note: If you are not planning on cooking the burgers immediately, place them on a large plate, cover them loosely with plastic wrap, and refrigerate them.

For cheeseburgers:Follow the instructions through cooking the first side of the burgers in Step 4. After you turn the burgers, place a piece of cheese on top. Cover the grill and cook the burgers until the cheese is melted and the meat is done to taste; check after 3 minutes. When done, assemble the burgers.

Yukon Gold chips

Of course fries are the preferred side with burgers I know, but can I make a recommendation?

The Yukon Gold potato chip. In my opinion, simply THE best chip to eat with a cheeseburger and a glass of Pepsi. I had this for supper last night as a matter of fact.

From the Terra Chips site:
Cooked via a special process to eliminate fat content without eliminating an ounce of flavor, Terra Chips® introduces to you a most incredible, new potato chip. The Yukon Gold is like no other potato. It is an all-natural, premium quality, root vegetable of North American origin that is full of vivacious flavor and golden color. Thus, the chips yielded by the Yukon Gold are unique, delicious and cut in hearty portions to please the most finicky of chip connoisseurs. Give them a try and you will be pleasantly surprised by the full, rich taste embodied within our Golds™ potato chips.


Hearty is the precise word to describe these chips. All have a great crunch, and that meaty taste from a Yukon 'tater.












I could have taken a picture from the web of their chips, but I decided to give you an unbiased look. Note that golden color and the thickness of the chip. And they're all like that. A perfect compliment!