NEW Culiver's Butter Burger of Mesa

[Lolaclaire]

Has Culiver's Butter Burger of Mesa opened yet? Anyone been there?

[Leanne]

So had lunch today at Culvers Deer Vallley. Ordered the # 4 basket which is the butter burger with cheese, side and drink. For me, I don't get it, I wasn't impressed. Maybe I had an off day there. There was no glisten to my dry bun, burger was so salty I could hardly stomach it and fries were limp. I'll try it again in order to give it a fair shake (no pun intended) but overall not so impressed. I know lot's of hounds love this place, I am missing something?

[ajs228]

I've eaten at that Culver's twice now, and I don't think I'll go back. First off, you're right, that's a very salty burger. Second, the cheese on my burger wasn't melted at all. I like the toppings they put on the burger (helped to dilute some of the salt) and I thought the fries were good. But the real deal breaker, and I'm sorry if this offends anyone, was the other customers. I'd say 80% of the people in there were way over-weight. It kind of grossed me out to see them eating, knowing I was putting the same thing in my body. If you don't want to be fat, don't eat where fat people eat.

[achicken]

We finally made it over to thier Mesa location last night. I was also not impressed. Burger was blah (tasted mostly the mustard it was covered in?) & fries were overcooked. I will go back for the custard. That's the first time I've ever had it & I loved it.
I had the same impression of their clientele, ajs. A lot were overweight. But then again, I've been seated next to overweight people in jeans at Binkley's.

[azhotdish]

I don't know if I understand the comments about their clientèle - is it worse than other fast food places? If you don't like it, go through the drive-thru. The one time I sat there and ate, the staff were ridiculously friendly for a bunch of people working at a fast food joint. Maybe they pay well?

Yes it's a salty burger, but I really enjoy it myself. And get the onion rings, they are much better than the fries.

[ajs228]

You're right, it's probably not a fair assessment of the restaurant, compared to other fast food places. That was just the impression I walked away with, and I don't remember ever being hit by such a realization before.
All that aside, I still prefer In-N-Out’s burgers.

[ejs1492]

So, I heard on KTAR yesterday that they were open and by coincidence only I happened to find myself a block away while out for a business meeting. So, I headed over to try it out. EVERY parking space was full, but the drive through line was short. I ordered a double cheeseburger, fries, and a scoop of chocolate custard. Keep in mind that I'm a big In and Out Burger fan and I've heard lots of comparisons, so I went it with a strong bias towards my old favorite.

Boy, was I wrong.

The burger was GREAT! Lots of melted cheese, fresh vegies as toppings, red onion (nice touch), and far less salty that a double double. I was disappointed by the soggy fries. The custard was very dense and among the best that I've had outside Ted Drewes in St. Louis.

I rate this as my favorite "fast food" burger and in my top five overall.

[Molto E]

EJS- I will join you as rating Culver's as my favorite fast food burger in town. I liked how the bun had a little glisten to it as it arrived to the table and the caramelization of the burger from the griddle was different then the typical burger. I had the Culver Deluxe that had american cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and mayo, though next time I will get the Butter Burger with cheese because I thought the onion could have been cut a little thinner. I ordered the Chili Cheddar Fries because I am sucker for them and I liked them but next time the crinkle cut fries menos the chili and cheese will suffice. Instead of the straight frozen custard, I rolled with a make your own sundae with hot fudge, hot caramel and spanish peanuts to finish off this gluttonous meal. The humor of the meal was watching the table next to me was reviewing the nutritional information prior to their order arriving...hummm, butter burger, lightly buttered bun, frozen custard seems low-cal to me ;)

I shall return soon...not to far at all right off the Country Club exit off the 60

[kindofabigdeal]

I've never gotten a burger there, but I agree that the custard is up there with ted drewes. VERY dense, rich, and eggy.

[jcarnie]

Oy. Brother took me there yesterday for lunch. Ordered the Culver Deluxe as well. The burger was great. Had the crinkle cut fries and a chocolate shake to complete my burger basket. I finished the fries but not the shake. Chris went back after our food had arrived to get an order of cheese curds since he had never had them before. I had never had them quite like this either - bread crumbed and deep fried. While I can't complain about the taste of the food - and the service was really great, I could barely make it home my stomach was so wrecked from all the fat and grease. I don't think I'll be back any time soon. . . Oh how I miss my 20's!

[Molto E]

That is why Pepcid was created...how were the curds?

[jcarnie]

I missed this one. :) Good advice. I resorted to buying the extra strength CostCo version of Zantac last week. Sad. . .

The curds were good, but I didn't expect them to be breaded - I was thinking batter - but I've only had them fried once before. I think I like my curds better not fried at all.

[Firenza00]

My Minnesota-raised, fried curd-fed girlfriend had the same reaction. She said they need a tempura-like batter, not breading.

[azhotdish]

What a damn good burger. Not only does the meat taste great and stand up to the toppings, but the crispy edges are unreal. I thought that it would be greasy with the "ButterBurger" slogan, but I was wrong. Best fast food burger easily, and definitely up there overall. The onion rings were also quite good, and the cheese curds were just as they should be. Kinda glad it's not closer because I don't think I could resist too often.

If you like burgers, go.

[melcarr]

I agree with your assessment. My husband and I went on Thurs. night and I had a swiss/mushroom burger with onion rings and he had a bacon burger with fries. The burgers were delicious and sides were solid. We bought vanilla and chocolate custards to bring home since we were full - he's almost finished the vanilla and my one spoonful was very creamy and rich. I must admit I need to try the curds but I was very impressed with the menu overall considering it's fast food. The place was full at 7:15 but was thinning out when we left at a little past 8. They haven't had to do any advertising as yet - all word of mouth. We highly recommend this place.

[kindofabigdeal]

I assume it's not a butter burger in this sense... though I can't tell if that's a good or bad thing.

http://www.seriouseats.com/videos/200...

[ajs228]

The website says it's called a butterburger because of the glaze of butter on the buns.

[Firenza00]

Tara (my resident cheese curd expert) said the way they bread their curds doesn't do justice to the "correct" way, which is to dip them in a tempura-like batter instead and then fry them. The fried curds reminded me of fried cheese at an Italian restaurant. I liked them, but I felt like I needed a marinara dipping sauce or something.

[azhotdish]

Of course she's right, it's not the same, but quite honestly it's been 10 yrs since I had them correctly at the MN State Fair, so I'll take them as-is as long as they're fried well (which they were). The larger curds I would say tasted closer to a mozz cheese stick, so I would agree with you there.

[ejs1492]

Heard on KTAR this morning that they are open.

[achicken]

Looks like today is opening day...

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/stor...

[razordogg]

Looks like same story with photos:

http://thedish.freedomblogging.com/20...

I drove by yesterday and the drive-thru line wrapped around the parking lot.

[rdhargro]

Their electronic sign on Country Club said now hiring and opening soon!

[rhyler1]

I went by the Mesa location yesterday and it still is under construction.

[razordogg]

I saw a story in newspaper that said opening is now scheduled for late April or early May.

[kindofabigdeal]

Culver's frozen custard is very good, and as I remember, the valley lacks any good custard, BUT, it's seriously dense. This is not just ice cream with eggs. Dense, dense stuff.

[jhenner]

You remember incorrectly. Ritters, over here in Surprise, serves incredible custard. It's worth the trip from any location in the Valley.

-----
Ritter's Frozen Custerd
17014 W Bell Road, Surprise, AZ

[kindofabigdeal]

Ok, so you're correct, I never made it out there for custard. I actually hadn't heard of it, or I might have made the trip.

[johnseberg]

It (Ritter's) didn't exist during your time in Phx. I was out there a couple of weeks ago. The vanilla was really good, and I think they had some really good rasberry, too. I ordered the chocolate without tasting it, and I think that was a mistake. I may be ruined for ordinary chocolate.

[chicachef]

I'm familiar w/ Culver's back in MN. I have no idea how or why, but they have THE BEST rootbeer on the planet!!!! It is actually spicy (flavorful, not heat-spicy) and has a creamy mouthfeel. You have to try it! Great custard too. I wish they had Culver's here in CO... I would actually eat at this fast food chain.

[RobynS]

There are 6 in Colorado. The closest to Denver is on Washington in Thornton.

[chicachef]

Wow, I had no idea they were in CO-- thanks for the heads up Robyn! I think there's a butterburger in Thorton with my name on it this weekend!

[kk9478]

The first two are opening in late March, early April (Mesa and Phoenix). The buildings are already up, but still some work to go. These will be franchises, but the same quality of what is in the midwest. Also, a location in Surprise on Bell Road will follow by the end of 2008.

[tallredhead3]

Culver's is better than In and Out....they rock. I'm from Michigan and keep checking the website to see when both locations are opening. The cheese curds are to die for and the burgers are yummy. They have crinkle fries that are very good too.

The custard is better than ice cream but it is Not as good as Kopps. But you will be way too full to have it anyway after curds and burgers!

5 stars...and here's to hoping the AZ version is as good as the Northern counterparts!

[johnseberg]

I used to go for the fried cod (in MN and WI). It was not bad for a counter service place. I never had room for dessert, and didn't discover the joy of frozen custard until after I had moved away.

[foodissexy]

I am not sure of this location, but I have eaten a butterburger in Fargo, ND. Pretty tasty, from what I remember... esp for fast food...

[razordogg]

I talked to company last week and they said Valley locations would open in February.

[Debbie W]

If this is part of the Culver's chain from Wisconsin (and I think it may be because they call their burgers "butterburgers"), I can't comment on the burgers but the frozen custard is pretty decent. The custard isn't as good as Kopps in Milwaukee, which only has 3 stores, whereas Culver's is all over the state and may be in other locations too for all I know. As a sometimes visitor to Wisconsin (I live in L.A.), I'd be thrilled to see a local Culver's because the frozen custard is better than anything we have. However I can't speak to the frozen custard situation in Mesa or Phoenix, but I'm betting it isn't as good as in the midwest, by far.

[HomeCookKirsten]

Haven't heard of it - have any details like location?

[HomeCookKirsten]

Ignore, found more details:

Culver's of Mesa, AZ - Coming Soon!
1909 S. Country Club Drive Mesa, AZ 85210

Culver's of Phoenix, AZ - Coming Soon!
1825 W. Deer Valley Drive Phoenix, AZ 85027