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View Wolfe Burger's Menu
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Restaurant: Wolfe Burgers
Where: 46 N. Lake Avenue, Pasadena
Phone: (626)792-7292
Reservations: Not required
Cocktails: Beer and Wine
Service: Fast Food Style - Counter
Atmosphere: Casual
Outdoor Dining: Yes
Credit Cards: MC, Visa, ,
Debit w/logo
Kid’s Menu: Yes
Senior Discount: No
Food to Go: Yes
Catering Menu: Yes
Price Range: $3.35 - $10.45 |
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Wolfe
Burger, ordered with no lettuce |
Fried
Zucchini |
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Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwich |
Steak
Sandwich |
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Tiramisu |
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A Look At San
Gabriel Valley Restaurants by SanGabrielValleyMenus.com
Pasadena’s Big “Bad” Wolfe Burger
By Bill Coburn
I wrote about Wolfe
Burgers back in June of 2004, but it has been a long time since then. Long
enough that there has been a change in owners. Dino Georgeopoulis took over
about a year and a half ago, or so. Recently I got a call that he had changed
the menu a little, added a few items, and so his web page needed to be updated.
I decided to take the opportunity to stop by and turn our visit into a
spotlight. Wolfe Burgers has an interesting history, and I wanted to see if the
new owner was upholding the long tradition that has made Wolfe Burgers a
favorite Pasadena dining spot since 1979. The story goes that Dan Wolfe, a
photographer for food magazines, took lots of photos of gourmet foods, but
preferred a good burger, smothered in chili. Then there was Josephine, who
wanted to own a restaurant, and made killer chili. She was working behind a
counter at a dry cleaners. According to the story, Josephine was providing
chili for a party put on by a wealthy friend named Georgia Sloan, when Dan
showed up by accident, mistaking the party for a bar mitzvah he was supposed to
be attending. According to the legend, he went straight to where he smelled the
chili cooking, gave it a try, and proceeded to try to buy Josephine’s chili
recipe. She declined to sell, but suggested a partnership, and Wolfe Burgers
was born, or so the story goes.
I
can’t vouch for the veracity of the story, but I can vouch for the food. In
previous visits, I’ve tried the chili cheese burger, with the hot chili,
the fries, fried zucchini,
and a Wolfe Hound, aka a hot dog. Everything we had, we enjoyed, and one of the
nice things about Wolfe Burgers is the condiment bar, where you can dress your
burger, dog or sandwich with whatever dressings/condiments work for you. Wolfe
Burgers also features a variety of sandwiches, including a Gyro, Philly
cheesesteak, pastrami, steak sandwich, BLT, chicken, avocado sandwich, and
several others. Their Mexican menu includes tacos, burritos, tamales and more,
including chili with and without beans.
I
have also enjoyed breakfast there, having tried a bacon omelet that was quite
good. Besides omelets, Wolfe Burgers offers breakfast plates, breakfast
burritos, breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, “Woofles” and French toast.
Another thing I like about Wolfe Burgers is that unlike most “burger joints”,
Wolfe Burgers has a beer and wine license, so you can enjoy a nice cold beer
while munching on your burger. There is a nice covered patio area, and weather
permitting, a good-sized outdoor patio dining area, as well.
So
Katie and I went by for lunch, and she ordered a chili covered tamale, which
they call a lobo. She’d tried it on one of our previous visits and said it was
every bit as good as she remembered. She also, again, had the fried zucchini,
and was, again, frustrated because I don’t eat them, and the order was just way
too much for her to eat. I had a pretty tasty double quarter pound
cheeseburger, charbroiled, and cooked nice and juicy, not dried out like so many
places overcook them these days.
A
couple days later, we went back, with Keelan and took the camera. Katie ordered
a steak sandwich, smothered with grilled onions, and served on a toasted roll.
She again had the fried zucchini, sans the frustration, since Keelan was there
to help her this time. Keelan had the Big Bad Wolfe Burger, (no lettuce, that’s
why it looks so plain in the picture), and I had the Chicken Cordon Bleu
sandwich Combo, which came with fries and a 22 oz. drink. BTW, they are a Pepsi
house now, not Coke, as they used to be. I know that’s important to some of
you.
You
know, I’m pretty much a burger guy, but the Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich for
some reason sounded good that night. A grilled breast of chicken with ham and
Swiss cheese, served on a sesame bun. It was so good, I decided I’m going to
start trying grilled chicken sandwiches more often. Probably won’t make my
cardiologist happy, but I think I’ve probably built up some credit with all the
double and triple burgers I’ve had throughout the years.
If
you’re in the mood for something sweet, try the award winning rice pudding or
some flan after your meal. I had flan after our lunch, and it was really good.
After our diner, Katie tried the tiramisu, which she said was good, and noted
that the coffee was not overdone as sometimes is the case. I tried the rice
pudding, and while nobody makes it as good as my Mom did, this was still pretty
tasty, with a healthy smattering of cinnamon over the top to give it just that
little extra something. Of course, I would have preferred they added some
raisins (my Mom’s had raisins, so all rice pudding should have raisins, right?)
You
can view the entire Wolfe Burger menu by visiting their web page at
www.sangabrielvalleymenus.com/wolfeburgers, or go directly to
www.wolfeburgers.com.
Bill Coburn is owner of SanGabrielValleyMenus.com, a
restaurant website featuring dozens of restaurant’s menus, as well as
downloadable coupons. He has nearly 20 years experience in the restaurant
business, and has been eating for much longer than that.
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