Since my mother and I ate at Pioneer Burger a few weeks ago, my mother wanted to try the other upcountry burger place: 88 Giant Burgers To Go in Pine Grove. We hadn’t been to 88 Giant Burgers in at least two years, so when I suggested it on February 18 my mother agreed, and I started searching for their website.
Though I found their website easily, the website doesn’t include their menu. So, I checked their Facebook page. No luck there, either. A Google search brought up several menu websites, and several of them had photos of the menu at their restaurant. The most recent menu I found was on the Yelp website from June 2019, so I decided to order from that menu.
When I called 88 Giant Burgers to order, I had no problems ordering from the Yelp menu photo. My mother ordered a cheeseburger and I ordered a Western Slam. We didn’t need any sides or drinks since we had chips and iced tea at home. The cheerful person told me our burgers would be ready in 20 to 25 minutes, and I set out for Pine Grove from Jackson a few minutes after the call.
There is a large parking lot next to 88 Giant Burgers, so I had no trouble parking. People can order at the window facing the parking lot, and a woman was ordering there when I arrived. After a couple of minutes, she walked away to wait for her meal and I came up to the window.
The cheerful man who waited on me looked to be in his late teens or early twenties, and I looked past him I saw the cook working hard. The young man took my cash, gave me my change, and then gave me the paper bag with our burgers that was waiting for me.
Once I got home and took the burgers out of the paper bag, we found each burger was wrapped in paper that had the names of the burgers on them.
My Burger
The Western Slam comes with American cheese, barbecue sauce, mayonnaise, grilled onions, and jalapeno peppers. When I called to order, I asked them to hold the peppers and they were not included.
I took a couple of bites out of the edge of the burger before I started digging in, and I was pleased that the quarter- to third-pound patty was seasoned and flavorful. I only saw some cheese peeking out underneath an unremarkable unseeded bun.
As I ate through the burger, it was easy to taste the flavors of the meat, cheese, large chunks of onion, and barbecue sauce. The mayonnaise taste was lost in the barbecue sauce. I also discovered the patty was cooked medium-rare, but near the center I found the meat was pink—almost too pink for me—and so I didn’t taste the meat very well until I reached the edge of the patty at the end of the burger.
Mom’s Burger
My mother’s cheeseburger came with mustard, mayonnaise, American cheese, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes in between an unseeded bun. The large lettuce leaf was wider than the bun itself, so she could only see some cheese and a little bit of meat peeking out from under the top bun.
When my mother cut the burger in half, she was happy to see the pink center in the beef patty. Cutting the burger also exposed that unlike many burger places, 88 Giant Burgers puts the produce between the bottom bun and the beef patty.
This led to my mother’s only complaint about the burger: the bottom bun fell apart as she was eating through the burger. She had to work to keep the burger together so she could still eat it in her hands.
The Verdict
My mother said her burger tasted fine, with fresh produce and a tasty beef patty. Her only issue was with the bottom bun. I didn’t have any problems with the bottom bun on my burger, so we think my mother’s bun break was caused by having the moisture of the produce getting into the bun.
Both of us also found that we went through a couple of napkins as the condiments dripped onto our hands, which is always a sign of good burgers.
So, we bring out our flashing green light. We liked our burgers, with good marks for the flavorful beef patties. But be aware that the meat may be a bit too pink and the bottom bun a bit too slight.
Want to Try Them?
88 Giant Burgers To Go is located at 19845 State Highway 88 next door to Giannini’s Italian Restaurant. If you’re driving east on the highway, then you’ll see Giannini’s and 88 Giant Burgers To Go on the left side of the highway.
88 Giant Burgers To Go serves burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, nachos, sides, and drinks. When you’re ready to order or have questions, call them at 209-296-7277.
Amador Business Ticker food reviews are adventures in local dining with Editor Eric Butow and his mom.
