Chappy's Safari Lounge - 12/19/12

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Joyful Kwanzaa, Happy Holidays, and a quiet and respectful Ramadan to all of you and yours from all of us here at the CR Burger Tour! 

Chappy's Safari Lounge

Well friends, unlike some of our other tour stops, I am pleased to report that Chappy's knows how to maintain a web page! Please feel free to hit their link, check out their photo's of the place, and peruse their surprisingly extensive menu. Speaking of menu, Chappy himself stopped over and chatted with us for a few minutes. In his words, the Safari is NOT known for their burgers, BUT is instead a local favorite for their tenderloins. So, regardless of where Chappy's shows up on the overall leader board, I will definitely be heading back their way to give the tenderloin a test drive. 

Photograph recycled from Chappy's website without permission or approval. I'm a  rebel like that. 

The Safari Lounge has been a SW side fixture since...forever. I can remember driving past the place when I was a small kid, and knowing that it was some place "special" with it's safari decorations and one of a kind neon sign. In fact, when the first burger tour took place many years ago (2006 or so), Chappy's was one of the places that we visited and reviewed. So, in many respects, this is the Tour's 2nd visit to Chappy's. Sadly, the archives from that era do not contain a review of how Chappy's was back then, but I can tell you that they've always turned out quality food. Today was no exception. 

The Burger

Per the Draconian rules of the CR Burger Tour, our group's "pure" burgers were limited to "The Burger", "The Bacon Cheeseburger", and the "Safari Burger". I don't believe that anyone ordered a "Safari Burger". 

At this time, we've got 82% (9/11) of the survey results in, so I'm calling this one closed. Eight people reviewed burgers, and they've received a score of 6.5/10. 

As Presented....

And under the hood! 1/3 lb. patty with bacon, pepperjack, and all the veggies!

Comments included: 

• Cheese burger with lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard. It was prepared medium, was warm and not too greasy or too dry. The texture and density of the very lightly toasted bun was enjoyable.
• The "Burger" With pepperjack cheese, and all the veggies. Burger was cooked just right, good bun.. Good Burger
• Perfectly char grilled.
• I had a bacon cheeseburger with pepper jack cheese. All I can say is "Ehhh".

The Bar Sammich

Bar Sammich's (at least one tenderloin), and....I think....this makes me a little ill....someone...ordered...a...a SALAD!!!!! The sammich category also received a 6.5/10.

Now, when someone DID have the audacity, the temerity, the NERVE to order the salad, it's fair to say that this is an accurate depiction of how I looked at them. 

Hint: One of these guys is not me

Now, once I got that out of my system, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the salad that did come along was LOADED with all kinds of stuff, and it was the size of someone's head. The ONLY downsides that I can think of about the salad were:

1. It was a salad. On the Burger Tour. A salad on the BURGER TOUR!!! BANNED KIM!!! For the 3rd time!!! You are officially, PUBLICLY BANNED from the Tour. You, your children, and your children's children....FOR TWO WEEKS!!!!! 

Your husband may still attend. 

2. It consisted of a large quantity of iceberg lettuce. Apparently, this matters to some people. 

As salads go, I must admit that it does look pretty tasty. Perhaps I'm a sucker for a whole egg....

Fries & Sides

Crinkle Cut fries are a favorite of mine. They hold just the right amount of ketchup, and there are plenty of nooks n' crannies (what exactly is a cranny anyway??) to catch and hold salt. Chappy's serves Crinkle Cut, so I'm a fan. Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with me, because fries got a 5.38/10. 

Comments: 

• Had fries. They were very plain, no salt and cold, so not impressed with the side.
• Cottage cheese. It was fine. (Note: Hippie)
• My fries were soggy. they were unseasoned. probably the worst fries yet
• Fries. Average..

Service

I for one was impressed with the service. I had a drink order taken nearly the moment I sat down, followed by a fast, accurate food order. Didn't hurt that Mr. Chappy himself came over, talked to us, and even refilled some drinks and brought some orders out as well. Shows me that he gives a damn about his business, and doesn't choose to sit back and let others do all the work. Service received a 7/10. 

Comments:

• Service was good, nice that Chappy himself came to talk to us and welcome us.
• Like to see the owner working tables. the atmosphere rocked
• Nice that the owner came and talked to us. I had to go to the bar to get a refill on my soda, but otherwise serivce was pretty quick.
• Although the salad was huge and I could barely make a dent in it...they used iceberg lettuce and the pictures in the menu showed something like Romaine. (Note: Jesus H Christ....)
• A little slow with service but she was nice and seemed to be the only server. No one came to pick up my payment so I left it on the table. (Note: It's not "payment", it's a "donation", and leaving it on the table is just how it's done. Noob). 

Conclusion

Chappy's Safari has been there far too long to be ignored. They are not flashy, but longevity counts for a lot. I will definitely be back to try the tenderloin, and the other menu items look pretty interesting as well. Don't even talk to me about the salad. One of the comments that someone made included "Clean, Friendly", so what more could you want?

Would you eat here again, or recommend it to others?" We gave Chappy's Safari a 4.0/5.

Final Comments:

• Service was a bit slow but still good. Owner stopped by (to get a CR Burger Tour balm) and was both friendly and appreciative. Best burger to date in my opinion.
• Seemed like just another bar burger. Nothing special.
• Very clean for a bar/restaurant. Nice murals.
• I think the atmosphere is the best out of all the places
• Place was very clean, Safari themed.. Owner said we really need to come back and try the tenderloin sometime..

The Burger Tour will return after New Year's! Thanks everyone!