This review is a part of the occasional Burgers Abroad miniseries, wherein I sample and review burgers outside of Central Indiana.
The Indy Burger Guy visited Menches Bros. in Uniontown, OH on Monday, June 3, 2019.
The hamburger has a long and storied history and its invention and the spread of its popularity would make a great subject for a book. Specifically, I’d love to see (or, if someone would be willing to help me fund such and endeavor, write) such a book that focused on the various claims of invention and creation from across the country. Claims come from all over – from as far west as Tulsa, Oklahoma to as far east as New Haven, Connecticut, from as far north as Seymour, Wisconsin to as far south as Athens, Texas. (There are other chapters to be written on the various claims to the invention of the cheeseburger.)
At some point, I would very much like to visit all these places and sample their wares… and I was able to take my first step in that direction during my trip to Ohio.
One of the earlier claims to the invention of the hamburger comes from Frank and Charles Menches of Canton, Ohio, brothers who ran a pork patty sandwich stand at the Erie County Fair in 1885. When disaster struck and they ran out of pork, a butcher – not wanting to slaughter any more pigs – suggested they sub out the pig for cow and sold them beef as a substitute. After frying up the meat, the brothers found it lacking and seasoned it with coffee, brown sugar, and other spices, thus creating (as the legend says) the first burger. (The Menches Brothers are also credited with the invention of the waffle cone at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis… but that’s not why I called you all here today.)
So, when I discovered that there was a small chain of restaurants bearing the Menches name that was run by Charles Menches’ grandkids and claimed to use the original hamburger recipe… well, I just had to check that out! And when I realized that those restaurants were only about a half hour out of my way on the return trip from Cleveland, it wasn’t just an idea anymore. It was an inevitability.
The Uniontown location was situated at the corner of a kind of mini-mall called the Shops at Green. The interior, though, looked like a classic old-school bar, like something out of “Cheers,” but without the actual bar. There’s a lot of wood and mirrors, which makes the place seem kind of familiar and makes you forget you’re in a mall at all… until youhave to use the restroom, that is. (The restrooms are in the mall proper, out the door and down the hall from Menches Bros.)
As if it wasn’t enough that Menches holds some claim to the invention of the hamburger, they gild the lily up to eleven by including not one, not two, but FIFTY different kinds of burgers on their menu, all variants using their standard burger patty. For myself, I wanted to taste something as close to the original as I could, so the most difficult decision I had to make was between The Original (the standard hamburger) or the “Premium” (the standard hamburger… but with cheese!). I’m not lactose intolerant and, per the Indy Burger Guy bylaws, cheese is a requirement in the burgers I review for the ‘official’ rankings, so I went for the “Premium” Cheeseburger.
ASIDE: If you’re wondering, like I was, why “Premium” is in quotes: according to the menu, this burger is named after The Premium Cone and Candy Factory, the ice cream parlor owned and operated by the Charles and Frank Menches in Akron, Ohio from 1906-1920.
To begin with, this burger is a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds! It looks beautiful and is one of the best-looking burgers I’ve seen. (See this post’s featured image.) Everything is arranged almost perfectly and in such a way that makes it look as delicious as humanly possible, from the glistening hot beef to the fresh veggies to the pillowy bun.
However, flavor is where this burger really stands out! I first sampled the meat by itself, pulling a bit out of the burger with my fingers. It was expertly seasoned, though the coffee and brown sugar mentioned in the byline on their website was undetectable. In fact, the seasonings went a long way to really play up the beefiness of the meat itself, which is a definite win in my book! It’s a serious boon to this burger, which creates an ultimate beef taste on par with the best of the burgers I’ve reviewed for this blog!
The only ‘downside’ here was the consistency of the bun, which was a bit doughy for my tastes, more reminiscent of a pretzel bun than my coveted brioche. Still, dense as it was, it maintained its integrity for the entirety of my dining experience and made eatability an absolute breeze!
At the end of the day, this was a great burger, packed with flavor and perfectly balanced across the board! While I’m excited to taste some of the other “original” burgers in various parts of the country (someday!), I can see that they’ve got an incredibly high bar to hurdle with this tasty burger! If you’re ever in and around central Ohio, do yourself a favor and try this little gem for yourself!
EXECUTION: 3.2/3.5
APPEARANCE: 1.5/1.5
TASTE: 4.5/5.0
FINAL RANKING: 9.2/10
THE DETAILS
Menches Brothers
3700 Massillon Rd.
Uniontown, OH
menchesbros.com
Cost Range: $$ ($7-$12)
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