Bernie's Burger Bus

The weather in Houston hasn't been great the last few days. Grey skies, rain, lightning and thunder makes you just wanna cuddle up in your covers, not go out to eat. It's certainly put a damper on Houston food trucks going out and delivering their goodies to hungry customers.  

Thankfully, Bernie's Burger Bus has a solution! 

Located on 3816 Link Valley Drive, Bernie's Prep Kitchen was serving up delicious burgers and fries on this dreary Sunday afternoon. 

On this food truck trip I had my partner in crime with me, aka boyfriend, tagging along for the ride. He got a little jealous that I went to the Waffle Bus without him so of course I had to take him with me to grab burgers and fries, total guy food. 

As we drove to the prep kitchen I'll admit, I was a little sketchy about the area but once again I did not eat breakfast and was starving. I was not about to let some sketchy apartments stand in my way of food, especially a big, juicy burger. 

We drove around the corner and we saw the bright yellow bus parked on the street. It's a classic yellow school bus and their menu carries from this theme. Doesn't this bus just make you happy?

Go ahead and insert short bus joke here if you want. I'm gonna be totally P.C. and go ahead and skip them but I know all of you out there have a joke or two. 

Their prep kitchen is in a small shopping strip and if you didn't know where you were going you probably would end up in the laundromat or Mexican grocery store next door. Nevertheless, we found our way inside their prep kitchen. After looking over the menu we decided to order our own burgers and fries. I got the Principal burger with Truffle Parmesan fries and boyfriend got the Homeroom burger with regular fries. 

It took about 10 minutes for our order to be made.They handed over a brown paper bag and when I looked inside I saw this....

When you see fries covered in cheese you know it's gonna be a good day. 

It was getting a bit crowded inside the store and there was only 3 tables so we decided to take our food elsewhere to devour. The smell coming out of this bag was so intoxicating I could not even wait to put on my seat belt to grab one of these fries.

My Principal burger is the classic American burger with all the fixing's- lettuce, mayo, mustard, onion, roasted tomatoes & homemade pickles & ketchup. 

Now this burger might look like a hot mess but trust me...it is GOOD. This is not a fancy pants burger that you order at a steakhouse and it's served on a silver platter. This is a down home, honest to goodness burger. A thick juicy patty with notes of sweetness from the roasted tomatoes and homemade ketchup. The homemade bread and butter pickles gave it a slight kick. And the bun...oh the homemade bun. Quite possibly, no wait... IT IS the best burger bun I've ever had. It is soft yet it stands up to the burger and holds all the juices and toppings. A small side note is that I thought the burger bun was too big for the patty. I had burger bun left at the end but no patty to put in the middle. 

Now on to my fries....Truffle Laced Hand-Cut Fries w/ Parmesan and Green Onions. If you put the word truffle in front of ANYTHING I would eat it. Truffle burger, Truffle goat cheese, Truffle pizza,Truffle chocolate brownie...OK the last one is a bit weird but I bet you it would be good just because it has truffle in it! 

Amazing right? If you don't think these fries look good than you should call your eye doctor and get checked out because these are the best fries I've ever had. The thick cut fries are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside with a crust of salty, nutty Parmesan cheese. The fresh green onions on top gave it just the right amount of onion flavor without overpowering them.

After about eating half of my fries I looked over and started eyeing my boyfriend's burger. I knew there was chipotle aioli in there and I'm all about chipotle right now. 

He ordered the Homeroom burger complete with apple wood bacon, cheddar cheese, "tipsy onions", chipotle aioli and a fried egg. That sounds like a heart attack waiting to happen but my  motto is "I'd rather die happy than hungry". 

Do you see that fried egg poking out of the bun on the right side? 

That right there my friends is where it's at. 

There are so many flavors going on in this burger I really don't know where to begin. It all starts with that signature juicy patty and it's covered in melted cheddar cheese and apple wood bacon. My problem with most bacon burgers is that all you taste is bacon and no beef but this apple wood smoked bacon was just right. The caramelized tipsy onions gave it a slight sweetness with that chipotle aioli coming up the back to deliver a smokey heat. Last but certainly not least was that fried egg. Eggie (is that a word?) goodness reminds you that this is exactly what you need in the morning after a long night. You know what kind of night I'm talking about. 

I also got a couple of bites of the crispy fries and they were light and fluffy and perfectly salted. What more could you want in a fry? A REAL french fry. Not those pre-cooked sodium drenched McDonald's fries. Even if you think McDonald's may have the best french fries, no one's ketchup comes close to Bernie's homemade ketchup. 

I've never actually had homemade ketchup before but Heinz ain't got nothing on Bernie. Sweet, slightly smokey & complex, this ketchup alone is worth the trip to Bernie's. I don't know if they sell this but if they did I would buy it. 

On a side note, if you're looking to test your manhood try the Detention burger-Two apple wood smoked bacon grill cheeses used as the bun, two signature beef patties topped with Texas cheddar, tipsy onions, and all the fixings. 

I'm pretty sure that this burger is a right of passage in some tribes. If you eat this burger and come out alive you are officially a man. In Bernie's world your name gets put on the detention list if you eat the whole thing. 

If you're craving a REAL burger than head over to Bernie's Burger Bus. Follow them on Twitter, Facebook or head over to their website to find where Bernie's is. With these burgers and fries on board this is one short bus that you would be happy to ride on. 

Bernie's Website

Bernie's Twitter

Bernie's Facebook

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