Everyone has a burger preference: With cheese. Without cheese. With onions. Without pickles. With mushrooms. Without bacon. With mustard. Without special sauce. Veggie, turkey, full-fat all-beef. To say I know the best burger in Boston would be assuming I know everyone's burger delights. I don't. I just have my own favorites.

Yesterday I was reading WSJ's most recent Eating Out column by Raymond Sokolov: The Best Burger. The author had the enviable task of searching the country for America's best burger. After all was said and done, he gave mention to a burger joint I'd never even heard of in Cambridge.
 
Sokolov's local mention: Bartley's Burger Cottage (Cambridge, Mass.)

"You'd be much better off spending your cab money on a loop from Boston out to Cambridge, Mass., for a textbook well-charred burger at Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage in Harvard Square. At seven ounces, it's a hair shy of the ideal, but perfectly cooked and nicely enveloped in a sesame-seed bun."

I'll make it a point to get over to Bartley's, but I would like to have seen a couple of other burger mentions on the list. Granted, he covered the entire country so I don't expect every burger place to be tested. Just thought I'd make a note.

My favorite fast-food burger: Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers

Wendy's didn't make the column's cut of fast-food burgers and I think it's hands down the best of the bunch. I love the juicy square burger (see picture). It always leaves you a little bit more meat than bun, which is the exact oppositive problem of Mac's, and sets up a perfect last bite. I'm overlooking the fact that it must be ordered as a double (fast-food burger patties are almost always thinner) and the bun does slip, but that doesn't take away any of my enjoyment. I had one last night as a matter of fact... It was really good.

My favorite Boston area burger: RF O'Sullivan's (Somerville, Mass.)

This joint receives mixed reviews but I could care less. I don't care how the place looks or if the service is subpar... they make a burger that requires me to roll up my sleeves. That's a good thing. Their burgers are 1/2 lb. of meat cooked thick, not patted flat. The meat is not overly seasoned; it's pretty much simple, super juicy beef topped with anything and everything you could imagine. They have about 25 burgers on the menu, including the Plain burger, the Swissroom, Mama burgers and Papa burgers, the Black and Blue, the Chinatown, the Northender... you name it or you'll find something you never would have thought to name.

My favorite U.S. burger: Calamity Jane's Hamburger Restaurant (Sandy, Ore.)

Calamity Jane's menu makes O'Sullivan's look like a postcard. From what I recall they have nearly double the number of burgers on the menu and they're all available in three sizes: the City Slicker (1/3 lb.), the Wrangler (2/3 lb.) and the Trail Boss (1 lb.). Served in iron skillets, these burgers also require a short-sleeve shirt... and a bib. I also enjoyed the Western-saloon style to the place. It's a fun spot that attracts some bikers and more tourists. I'm not adventurous enough to try the hot fudge sundae burger on the list, but the cheeseburger and pizza burgers have always been memorable.

If you'd like to share your own favorite burger joints post them here.

Happy dining!

- Foodie Chick