Artery-Clogging Goodness

Max's Burgers & Gyros

I'm not much of a fast food guy. Sure, sometimes I'll get a craving for Taco Bell or Wendy's, but I bet I eat a lot less fast food than many other Americans. Unless I'm feeling lazy and don't want to cook, I would just a soon whip up something quick and easy at home, or else go to a real restaurant. As a result, I'd never been to Max's Burgers & Gyros before, even though it's within walking distance of my house. (Okay maybe not walking distance for you fast food addicts, but not bad for someone in reasonable shape).

On Friday, having worked late (until 6:30, practically slave labor), I wanted a burger and I wanted it quickly. I decided that my two choices were either the Mushroom-Swiss from Burger King (you know, the one with those creepy Simon & Garfunkle-esque singers) or Max's, which as I mentioned, I'd never tried. As I'm sure the BK burger would be a disappointment, I opted for Max's, yet another good call thanks to my famous gastro-intuition.

From what I understand, Max's used to have several locations throughout the metro. I know for sure there was once one on 63rd Street, which has since closed down. I could be wrong, but I believe the only one remaining in the one I frequented, at 8240 Wornall. Located in a Big Lots parking lot, Max's isn't much to look at from the outside, though it does have a campy, 50s throwback sort of feel.

With no drive through, you've got to park and go inside. As the food is all cooked to order (take that McDonalds!), this isn't really a big deal. Plus the interior also has that old school fast food style. Think they've got artist's airbrushed pictures of their burgers making them look better than they really do? Not a chance. The menu lists your choices and their prices, no unnecessary frills.

There's really not a lot to choose from, the menu consisting of burgers, gyros, fries and tots, but that's okay, it makes decisions easier. As I mentioned, I wanted a burger, so I went with the double burger with everything for myself, another for my wife, and a large fry to go. The man working the counter, one of two employees, and perhaps even Max himself, took my order without comment (or even a smile for that matter), passed it on to the short order cook, and left me to my own devices.

There were only two other people in the dining area, a mother and daughter waiting for to-go orders as well. So I plopped my weary bones down on a red stool with an eye on the grillman and waited for my order. With a perfect view I watched him cook my food to order, from start to finish a professional. Before long, he was wrapping mine up in red and white checked paper and stuffing them, with the fries into a plain white paper sack.

I knew these were good burgers as soon as I grabbed the sack and felt the weight. Plus, on the short drive home, the bag became translucent in a few spots where the juices (read grease) leaked through. I almost ripped into mine on the ride home, but somehow restrained myself.

At home Natasha was waiting and when greeted with the smell wafting from the now grease-spotted bag, she greedily snatched her burger. This is what we found when we unwrapped the paper:


A perfect burger, down to the cornmeal-dusted bun, the crisp lettuce leaf and the length-wise slices of pickle. The only strike I'll offer against it was the red onions, which I hate like DLC hates mayo. Crispy on the outside, juicy in the middle, these are how burgers were meant to be. They reminded me slightly of a larger, tastier version of Steak n' Shake's steakburgers (which I enjoy in their own right). It may have been a bit (okay a lot) on the greasy side, but that's what I expect from fast food. If I wanted a salad, I'd have a salad...

The fries, on the other hand, were poor. Large, soggy steakhouse fries, the same grease that enhances burgers affects them in a negative way. They had too much salt, and were not nearly crispy or golden enough, but as they only serve as a counterpoint to the meal, not a big deal.

Overall, for fast food, Max's was really good, at a major chain-comparable price. Apparently they're famous for their gyros, so maybe next time I'll try them out. As for Max's, go ahead and add this to the ever-growing list of places with a better burger than Westport Flea Market.

Scorecard
Food: 3.7
Atmosphere: 3
Service: 3
Menu: 2
Price: 3.5
Total: 15.2
Average: 3.04

http://maxsburgersandgyros.com/