Food: For a Gourmet Burger - It's Back to Square One

The best burger I ever had in my whole life? I thought you would never ask. Without a doubt or a moment's hesitation, that would be the Decadent Daddy at Square One Burgers at 3701 North Henderson Boulevard in Tampa.

The Daddy is a fat Kobe beef burger slathered with caramelized onions, curly leaf lettuce, brie, and sun dried tomato mayo piled on a whole wheat bun. I always order mine rare to medium rare. To order Kobe beef any other way should be considered a heinous crime subject to a horrible punishment. This burger has consistently been tender, juicy, and so flavorful that I drool at the mere thought. This is a somewhat messy burger, so the diner needs to be mindful of the heavenly juices dribbling down the arms.

We have also enjoyed the All-American burger, a 100% patty of Angus beef on a sesame seed bun with curly leaf lettuce, a slice of American cheese, beefsteak tomato, red onion and mayo. The All-American is another winner for us; although, for me the Kobe burger is the epitome of a gourmet hamburger.

You may choose to build your own burger at Square One. We have never tried that, though. Besides, I could not improve on the Decadent Daddy. All burgers and sandwiches come with your choice of fries, steamed broccoli, or coleslaw. For a few shekels more you may upgrade to the sweet potato fries. We usually upgrade because those sweet tater fries are really tasty.

The Square One menu is loaded with choices beyond just burgers; however, except for the beer we have never gotten past the burger section. Speaking of which, Square One has an excellent selection of beers, and a full bar. The wine list is a bit limited, but the choices are good, and the prices are very reasonable.

Square One is not a fast food, "Y'all want fries with that burger?" kind of place. The surroundings are attractive, comfortable, and the servers come to you. It may be that we lead a charmed life, but on all of our visits service has been prompt and courteous. My only negative (there always has to be one of those, I guess) is that when the place is packed, parking can be a challenge.