BIG
JUD'S BURGERS
1289
S Protest Rd. (Off Boise Ave. near campus)
Boise
City, Idaho
The
first time I went to Big Jud's was during my freshman year of
college while I was attending Boise State University. I had
heard people rant and rave about this place for a couple months
before I actually made my way to the godsend of a burger joint. It
was a our friend Jordan Tuchek's and he easily convinced the ten or
so people that went to go with him to Jud's that night. We had
to wait a little while because the room is small and the tables are
few in number, but the smells when you walk inside of the grease,
onion, and raw potato are worth the wait alone. The second you
walk in you get the sense of how satisfying this genuine Idaho eating
establishment is going to be. It's a little tacky, covered in
Boise State garb, unpretentious, friendly, authentic, and a what you
see is what you get kind of place... just like Idaho itself. I
remember the first time I was there with everybody (like every time I
have been there since) no one left unhappy or not full. I have
tried a few different kinds of burgers there over the times I have
been there, and found nothing that pleases me more than the Bacon
Bleu Cheese Burger with the works (sliced tomato, shredded lettuce,
grilled onion, swiss cheese, mayo, and fry sauce (the most important
staple of Idaho cuisine a ketchup and mayo mix with a slash of hot
sauce and chopped relish) on a toasted, fresh, locally made sesame
seed bun.
The
time I went recently I went down to Boise for a weekend to get a
little R and R and visit some good friends of mine from a couple
years back, and of course reunite with my burger.
I
gave the young lady my order the BB Burger with a side of their home
made tater tots (made with Idaho yukon golds... salty, golden and
will melt in your mouth), and a small root beer which is actually the
size of a small bucket sure to give even the healthiest of people
diabetes, and huckleberry ice cream to top it off after. After
a few minutes of catching up and ogling at the Boise State women's
volley ball team across the room, our food came out on little white
plates and red plastic baskets.
I
stared at it for a little bit, taking in the oozing bleu cheese,
golden strands of pungent and sweet onion, and watching the sweet
pink fry sauce drip off the sides to the plate as I contemplate the
many reasons I love Idaho, my delicious adopted state. As I take my
first bite the world around me as I knows it stops, even if for just
a couple seconds. I return back to earth slowly to the taste of
crisp cold evenly sliced juice tomato and lettuce which washed over
by the salty and sharpness of the bleu and swiss cheese, mixed
with the pepper and smokiness of the thick cut bacon and perfectly
cooked patty omitting a tantalizing drop of greasy goodness that
covered the pallet. I took a few seconds to savor the burger a
little more only to come across the sweetness of the grilled onion
that carries a little punch that contrasts and embraces the bleu
cheese all in one, and the mayo and fry sauce... sweet and tangy...
over the top yet refined... it plays with your taste buds while you
try and wrack up how to pin point the happy feeling this is causing
and put it into words. But, you can't... and thats okay, this
moment is for you and you alone. You deserve it.
I
shared some old stories, and created a few new ones as I finished my
burger in dream land with my friends of the days of old, smile intact
the whole time. I am always glad to have a burger and take a
little vacation with my taste buds from reality when I go to Jud's,
but more importantly I'm glad to go there with some of the best
people I know. A shout out to Fazio, Tuna, Brent, and Toast.
It was a great trip to the city, made even better by a stop a
Big Jud's. Thank you, Boise. You're the best.
