READERS' PICK: With a name like Fuddrucker's, it has to be good. Either that or they just want to spawn a spate of R-rated mispronunciations. Fuddrucker's is a perennial winner in this category and with good reason: burgers cooked to perfection and then topped to your liking with crisp lettuce, cool tomatoes, tangy pickle and whatever else you might like. It's a great place for kids' parties, get-togethers, or just to get your grub on.
READERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: Bob Dobb's, 2501 E. Sixth St. They'll never film a scene from the new TV series The Fugitive here, because the one-armed man could never handle a Bob Dobb's burger. You need two hands (and a strong back) to lift these suckers. Even then, you have to pull it toward your face slowly, lest you suffer a flashback and relive that scene in The Patriot where the cannonball flies straight at the screen. These are huge suckers, deliciously seasoned and cooked to the diner's taste, served with hot fries and a slice of pickle. It's one of the reasons we won the Cold War. The Rooskies were tired of eating yak. They wanted to eat at Bob Dobb's and couldn't do so under détente.
LOOSE CHANGE: The Bum Steer, 1910 N. Stone Ave. After all these years, a whole lot of people still swear their allegience to the burgers at the Bum Steer. While the Steer's burgers are quite good, we think the sensation of eating one may be heightened by the fact that an authentic Western buckboard is suspended by tiny wires a few feet above the diners' heads.
