This blog might go down as my own personal attempt at a Man vs. Food battle, or it might have opened the flood gates for more gluttony. You will have to be the judge of what carnage may this way come.
I realized that I rarely venture to the west side of Downtown Phoenix. This is something that must change. But, because I shoot hoops on a weekly basis at Encanto Park, I am fully aware of the tantalizing smells that waft down 15th Avenue from The Original Burger Works. It definitely makes for a formidable distraction.
So, after a round of lobbing up airballs, I felt it finally time to find out if the heavenly scents were tied to some amazing, gut-endusing cuisine. I mosey (this was required for the full experience) into the doors to find a place in line. The extensive list of burgers and a congo line of toppings makes for a big decision. My eyes finally landed on the Classic Burger, a half-pound of beef topped with mushrooms, bacon and my personal choice of cheese (provolone, duh).
I waited patiently for my medium-cooked burger in the lively bar area. Seemingly, all of the patrons knew each other and were willing to dish out the dialogue loudly. I’m not sure why we all had to know that Steve (who was trying to quietly enjoy a Bud Light at the bar) sucks at golf, but we all found out anyway.
Aside from the colorful chatter in the bar, there is a cool covered patio where you can enjoy your burger and a game of horseshoes. Those types of things always go together. I chose to enjoy the colorful patrons and my enormous burger in the bar area.
Once it arrived, I knew that I had the typical case of my eyes being bigger than my stomach. But, that didn’t stop me from taking my fresh burger over to the DIY topping bar and loading it up with tomatoes, pepperocinis, lettuce and all the fixins. Once this beast was topped off, it was truly a sight to behold. For all of the anticipation, this burger delivered a fresh, beefy response to my annoying hunger. My empty stomach took the elbow drop of this half-pounder on and it was an epic battle to the finish.
Eventually, my glutton-like desire took over and I knocked out the epic burger (albeit, slower than my compatriots). I offer you the task of knocking out a Phoenix favorite in the Classic Burger. Heck, try to knock out any of the half-pound burgers. It truly is a task that will push your stomach to the fullest it has been in a while. In my humble opinion, they should change the entrance sign to “Welcome to Burger Heaven.”
The Original Hamburger Works is located at 2801 N. 15th Ave. in Encanto-Palmcroft.
