A Connecticut-visiting Joltin' Django in Ted's Restaurant

Yours truly was in Connecticut this past week on b'iness. Here's eating adventure number one:

'Bout two weeks before I left for the Constitution State (or is it the Nutmeg State?), I watched a show on the Travel Channel in which Ted's Restaurant, aka Ted's Steamed Cheeseburgers, was prominently featured. I'd never heard-tell of steamed cheeseburgers prior to seeing Ted's on the T.V. I was quite curious ... especially since I knew that I'd soon be heading to Connecticut. "If'n I can," I said to myself, "I'm gonna go to Ted's for a steamed cheeseburger."

Imagine my surprise when I learned that I'd be staying in the same town - Meriden - in which Ted's is located! "If'n I can, I'm goin'" quickly became "Hot damn, I AM goin'!"

It didn't take me long to talk my two travelin' companions - happy carnivores, both - into joining me for a late supper at Ted's our first night in Connecticut. After finding the directions on the Internet, we left out.

The first thing my buds and I marveled at upon entering Ted's was the fact that it ain't very big: there's a 5-seat counter, three booths, a small cooking area, bathrooms, and that's it. The second thing we marveled at was Ted's short menu: steamed burgers, steamed hot dogs, chips, home fries, and drinks.

We grabbed a booth, gave the menu another once-over, and then proceeded to order the same exact thing -- steamed cheeseburger with the works (onions, lettuce, tomato, mayo, relish), home fries, and a soft drink. My bud Chris ordered first, so he got his first ...


At this point I guess I should say a little something about how Ted's steams their cheeseburgers. There's a little box in the cooking area that holds 8-10 burgers. Fresh ground beef is evenly spread in little trays, and the trays are placed in the box. When a burger is finished, the grease is poured off and a big ol' chunk of white cheddar is placed in the tray. A minute passes and the softened cheese is scraped onto the burger.

I really wanted to be blown away after chomping into Ted's steamed cheeseburger. Unfortunately, that just didn't happen. Was it good? Yes. Was it great? Well, not really. The bun on which my burger was placed, and the hunk of soft cheese that adorned it, were outstanding. The meat, however, was a bit dry. Indeed, I don't know how a quarter-pound of ground beef could be steamed and not be dry.

Perhaps if Ted's meat was seasoned a bit (I know it wasn't 'cause I watched the cook put meat into trays and steam it), the lack of juice wouldn't be quite so noticeable. But who am I to tell a restaurant that's been serving burgers for almost fifty years - not to mention being profiled on national television - how to do its business? They're obviously doing something right.

Ted's Restaurant
1046 Broad Street
Meriden, CT 06450

Update: Sorry, but I failed to tell loyal AMGE readers 'bout Ted's home fries. Crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, Ted's home fries were pretty good. Good, not great ... just like the burgers.