Saturday, November 21, 2009

Mugshots - Another thing wrong with Alabama

Being an LSU football fan, I have come to really dislike most things Alabama, especially anything from Tuscaloosa.(meaning University of Alabama Crimson Tide) But on a recent road trip to Talladega, one thing I actually like in the state,  Jay and I decided to give Tuscaloosa a chance by grabbing some dinner at Mugshots Grill & Bar. After reading some good reviews from Urbanspoon, we were truly excited and hoping to get a nice unique burger from this joint.


After a long day at the track, we were pretty hungry and decided to go with a nice hearty appetizer that I know have never had. Being a fan of all things fried, the fried rib tips sounded like a really good idea. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. The meat was actually tender and tasted pretty good. Well once you got to it. The breading was way too thick, and the only flavor I could taste. They also tried to cover up the lack of meat with two sauces that weren't anything special. One was a tangy, hot sauce, and the other a odd tasting A-1 type sauce. The sauces would have been fine for a little dipping, but the amount they put on top of the ribs was way too strong, even for a flavor junky like myself.


So this place has a wide variety of flavor combinations, and the one that sparked my interest was "Anthony's Peanut Butter Burger". I have always been a fan of the sweet/salty combinations and also a big lover of peanut butter. My high hopes of this burger went down a little after the appetizer, and only continued to fall when it arrived. I cut the burger in half, and to my dismay, none of the juicy deliciousness that usually comes out of a freshly grilled burger was anywhere to be found. Upon taking my first bite, I realized that this burger was not a fresh one, but a simple frozen patty. Now I have had a decent "doctored-up" frozen burger in my many years of tailgating, but this was not one of them. The dry burger with the addition of peanut butter made for a not so pleasant time. I felt like a "dog with with peanut butter stuck on the roof of my mouth."
 
My suspicions were only confirmed about these patties when one of the staff members came out of the freezer with a case of Bubba burgers. Where I come from we have a little cheer: "Around the bowl, and down the hole!! Roll Tide Roll!!". I think I found another thing that they can throw in there, and hopefully to only be replaced with some fresh ground beef. Peace and Chicken grease.
Mugshots Grill and Bar on Urbanspoon

8 comments:

  1. At least Dreamland didn't totally suck that one time.

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  2. Don't be mad at the place just because they don't serve corndogs.

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  3. I'm no cheif, but how good do you expect a burger with peanut butter to be??

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  4. Hhhah I wasn't impressed either. However, I didn't try the burger with peanut butter.. thats just asking for it. I couldn't get past the sweet bread.. tastes kinda like Hawaiian bread.

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  5. At least the don't serve corndogs. And if I were to go to a place for the very first time looking, I would NOT be stupid enough to get the peanut butter burger like you were.

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  6. As a former Mugshots employee who has visited the Starkville, Tuscaloosa, and Birmingham locations, heres the deal on the "burgers that are said to be the best around". The burgers are absolutely frozen, they are also absolutely precooked to order. If your burger is dry, it is because it was probably cooked at least an hour ago by one of our "gormet" chefs, which means it was some Joe Blow off the street that needed a job. As for the problems with mugshots, thats just the tip of the iceberg.....

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    1. Sometimes the burgers are good, sometimes terrible, and sometimes they tell you that they're out of meat after you've been waiting 45 minutes.

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  7. Ive had fresh made burgers, with crispy bacon pieces IN THE PATTY served with a jar of peanut butter to slather on the bun... I was skeptical but it was awesome! Not one person attending the little experimental PB-Burger tasting disliked them(and there were 3 picky eaters)

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