Quintessential American food

For weeks I had been hearing recommendations for a restaurant in the village that sold great hamburgers from peers, friends, and even food blogs.  Yet every time that I wandered down to the village I ended up going to the same three restaurants that I had become accustomed to. Just recently however my roommate and I found ourselves in the village and there I of course ceded the decision making to my roommate due to my inability to choose anything. And with me ceding over all of the power to my roommate I finally saw myself going to Wonderful World.

My roommate who had previously visited the establishment ordered first and with her grilled cheese she ordered a milkshake, which she suggested that I try. I ordered from the few menu items, which I would like to think show that they decided to make just a couple of things well rather than making to many poor quality items. However when I ordered my food and milkshake, I was sadly informed that there was only enough strawberry ice cream for one milkshake. Even though I was not able to have the sweet treat, which in hindsight was probably for the best, I was even happier with my cheeseburger and fries came out snuggled in a pie pan. The whimsical plating really brought character to the otherwise plain ambiance.

 While the fries were large in quantity the cheeseburger in comparison seemed to be very small and compact. I dove into the fries that I can now only describe as salty, blistering hot, and herby. Not only were the flavors of the fries great but so was its structure. It was a great size that was easy to manage and it was not drenched in grease like many other restaurant french fries. The dill that was sprinkled all over the fries gave it a sense of freshness that is usually not found in fried food let alone french fries. Every bite that I took of the perfectly crisp fry made me forget the boring fast food that is readily available. However when I bit into the juicy hamburger I was pleased by the large flavors overflowing from the small package of meat. The buttery bun held a garlicky beef patty and real cheddar cheese, not the processed American cheese, as well as bacon and of course lettuce and tomatoes.  Wonderful World was able to combine the cornucopia of flavors and textures from the various ingredients of the cheeseburger into one singular flavorful experience. Though my experience may have been swayed by the fact that I had not had a real hamburger in months the seasoned food was a nice deviation from the usual under seasoned food. However that was not to say that the meal was without flaws. The garlic flavor in the patty was delicious however the salt content, at least for me, was too much.  Though the salt was not at the level that I would have liked it was such a small flaw when compared to all of the other delicious components of the meal that I was easily able to overlook it.

 The greasy residue of the slab of beef that was cuddled in between two warm halves of a buttery bun was all that remained on the unorthodox plate. With the remnants of the gluttonous meal pestering my conscious, I lifted the pie pan that moments earlier had nestled the greasy burger and french fries and placed it with the mountain of other pans, that sat there representing the patrons that had come and gone. With that my roommate and I walked back to campus a little slower, weighed down by the calories accumulated by the sinful food. While the price was reasonable, with the best purchase being the French fries, and the flavor was explosive when compared to the plain cold stale and disproportionate burgers at the DUC, I would have to say that it was still not the best hamburger that I have experienced. For this very reason I do not think that I will be frequenting this particular establishment as often as I will be other nearby venues though that does not mean that I will exclude it either, for there are not many restaurants in walking distance that specialize in the quintessential American food.