Steamed Meat
I was visiting my alma mater, Wesleyan University, in Middletown, Connecticut for some alumni meetings last weekend. These were largely catered affairs with food that, though not bad, wasn’t at all remarkable.
Empanada Boy’s brother-in-law, Slim McDinner, was also attending the meetings. He and I decided to make time for a stop at Ted’s Restaurant in neighboring Meriden. Ted’s is known for one thing: steamed cheeseburgers. And for that, the restaurant is famous. Housed in a little shack by the side of the road, Ted’s has been in business since 1959. It has since grown into a cult classic with help from features in Jane and Michael Stern’s Roadfood and in the documentary “Hamburger America.”
The local teenagers who run the joint pack ground beef into little square metal tins, which are then placed in a small, metal, closet-like steamer. When they emerge, the patties are moist and well-done. Slabs of white cheddar are placed in the same tins and steamed and then allowed to melt over the patties.
The result is a cheeseburger that breaks the boundaries of the normal greasy mold. The juices in these burgers are mostly water that comes from the steaming process, and the meat is so soft, it literally crumbles away in your mouth. The cheese is of good quality— sharp, flavorful and cut thick to maximize its chewy goodness. Buns are big and fluffy, without the smashed- down look, so common in fast food fare. The condiments offered here make a good thing even better. In addition to mustard and ketchup, Slim McDinner and I tried the special sauce, grilled onions and salt and pepper. The latter made a much bigger impact on the flavor of the burger than I would have expected. As a mustard devotee, I was also impressed to find a nice Dijon on the table along with the basic deli-style stuff.
At Ted’s, the side dish of choice is homestyle potatoes, cooked to crisp, savory perfection on a grill top just behind the counter. In keeping with the steamed cheese mentality, the potatoes can also be ordered with gooey steamed cheddar melted on top. These are not to be missed! Between the two of us, Slim and I ate about a plate and a half of potatoes— one cheesy and one plain.
We left feeling very full, which was a good thing because we ended up being stranded at the Hartford airport that night, due to bad weather back home in Chicago. Slim and I were glad that we didn’t have to add the bad food of Bradley International Airport to our list of negative aspects about the evening.
After checking in to the Sheraton Hotel inside the airport, we decided there was nothing left to do but drink our sorrows away. There could be nothing more appropriate that Saturday night than stopping in at the hotel’s Cloud Nine Lounge. Slim and I sat at the bar of this restaurant, which was closer to a T.G.I Friday’s atmosphere than my vision of cloud nine. The drinks were over-priced, but the chatty bartender kept our spirits up. Besides, those drinks served the important purpose of expediting sleep.
And sleep we did, dreaming of Ted’s burgers, tall and dripping with steamy cheddar— at least until 5 a.m. when the wake-up call came. It was time to head back to Chicago.
Ted’s Restaurant
1044 Broad St.
Meriden, CT 06450
203.237.6660
Cloud Nine Lounge
1 Bradley International Airport
Windsor Locks, CT 06096
860.627.5311
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