For the Carnivorous Foodie in all of us….by Jessica Chang

MEATEATS UPDATE!!!

Burgerville now has a “Protein Platter”, though unbeknownst to some of the employees, they do make them and serve them!

Here is the MEAT-O-METER’s financial analysis and overall opinion of the matter:

We went to the Burgerville on NE Grand by the Lloyd Center and ordered the platter. The checkout person knew what were asking for but warned us it is so rarely ordered that they have to remind the cooks how to make it. Great.

$5.69 and you get the following. 2 x 1/4 lb beef patties and a weak side salad. There is also a chicken and turkey option.

We realized the receipt said bacon comes on the platter so we asked for it. We got it for free but was warned it actually might not come with the platter. So, I can’t guarantee it is included in the $5.69.

Ok, the receipt for the platter was revealing. Apparently, protein is not an important enough macronutrient to make the list. I was bummed.

(In case you can’t read it, the upper right hand corner has Calories, Fiber, Fat, Carbs for their categories)

We ordered a lone beef patty to compare.

After all that, here is what we know.

1) One beef patty is about 17-18 grams of protein – $1.75
2) Protein platter is 2 beef patties, 35 grams of protein -$5.69.
3) You can just order two beef patties for $3.50 and get the same amount of protein. By ordering the platter, you are paying $2.19 or 62% more for a weak, iceberg lettuce side salad. Assuming no bacon here.

Also, the Classic Burgerville burger that comes with 1 patty, bun, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sauce is $3.39. You are paying $1.64 or 94% more for the bun, piece of lettuce, wedge of tomatoe, and slice of cheese. Oh, and if you get the combo meal with the fries and soft drink, it is way more.

4) I hear a lot from friends who have never tried Paleo say that it is expensive. Well, for the extra $1.64 or $2.19 you are spending on the Classic or the Platter, you could be doing a whole lot more for yourself. If we consider the fries and soft drink, get ready for a Paleo bonanza. The snack plate I made for myself below is 3 oz of Almond butter from Trader Joes ($0.94), 4 oz carrot ( $0.25), and 5 oz celery ($0.72) from New Seasons. $1.91 total, give or take.

Update: I couldn’t finish the whole snack plate. There was over 1/2 lb of veggies there and it turns out it is very filling.

In summary, I would stick with the $1.75 beef patties from Burgerville and just get me a bag of mixed veggies to munch on. For rating, see pic below.

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Ahhhh, Burgerville.  In my non-Paleo days, the seasonal milkshake would be a reward to myself.  Like ice cream it is an achilles of mine and I will always have fond memories of it.  I do miss it.  Well, they do serve meat, so maybe there’s a way to not totally elminate Burgerville from my life.  So we tried it, we ordered Paleo at Burgerville.  Not possible you say?  You might just be right.

What we ordered:  2 Tillamook Cheeseburgers.  Yeah, we could have done without the cheese, but we really wanted to give Burgerville a chance.

How we ordered it: No bun.

What we got:

Using our Chinook book coupon for 1 free cheeseburger when a 2nd one of equal or greater value is purchased, the damage didn’t seem too bad.

Cost: $3.69 for 1 burger, with the coupon we got 2!

Quality: The meat patty actually tasted like beef!  They use 100% Anitibiotic and Hormone Free Beef from Country Natural Beef and their food sources are local!

Quantity: 1 burger at $3.69 is definitely not enough for a meal.

MEAT-O-METER?

The meat actually tasted like beef!  Having local sources for food is a plus.  The amount of meat for the price was horrible.  They did serve the meat in containers that are compostable, which was nice on their part.  But overall, not really worth the visit for just one meat patty.  Burgerville may just have to remain a fond memory….