The Food Quest: Thurman Cafe

Saw It: On the Travel Channel's 101 Chowdown Countdown and Man vs. Food
Known For: the Thurman Burger and the "Thurmanator"
We Went: 2/18/11
We Had: Chicken Cordon Bleu Balls and the Thurmanator
Location: Columbus, OH

The Thurman Cafe is the ultimate hang-out spot apparently. With not a lot of seating and an enormous waiting area, the party is clearly going on while you wait for your table. With the host putting his own money into the jukebox to pick songs and everyone with a beer in their hand, the hour and a half wait didn't seem nearly that long. Now Zach and I had already decided to share the Thurmanator, but were so hungry by the time we were seated we got an appetizer too. Not a good idea in retrospect, but the chicken cordon bleu balls might possibly be a new obsession of mine... Absolutely delicious!

 

Then there was the Thurmanator... The Thurman Cafe had always been known for it's extremely large 3/4 lb. Thurman Burgers, but when Adam Richman from Man vs. Food came to visit them they created a whole new burger in his honor. Cue dramatic music...

Zach and I split this bad baby in half, and while he valiantly conquered his portion- I was waving the white flag in the form of a messy napkin a little over half way in... 

So here is the burger top to bottom: bun, american cheese, mozzarella cheese, ham, carmelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, 12 oz. burger, cheddar cheese, bacon, 12 oz. burger, banana peppers, pickle, tomato, lettuce, mayo, and another bun.
I know, I know you can feel your arteries clogging looking at it. It was actually a very good burger though. Sometimes on giant burgers they just try to put as many ingredients as they can, but it's taste and flavor profile leaves something to be desired. This on the other hand was delicious, and if you ate it in pieces, each item was paired close to something that complimented it excellently! The section of it with the ham, cheeses and onions was my personal favorite part.

Chalk one up for Columbus, Ohio!

JORDAN