Plenty of places in town to gobble turkey burgers

Max Jacobson

Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2001 | 8:28 a.m.

There's a whole world of alternative burgers out there, everything from Boca burgers, salmon burgers, veggie burgers and the burger of choice for this story, the turkey burger. The hook for most people who choose an alternative to beef in burger form is lower fat and calories than in an ordinary beef hamburger, but some people simply prefer the taste.

Turkey burgers appeal to those who don't wish to support the beef industry as well, but they aren't as easy to prepare as conventional hamburgers. There is less fat in a turkey burger than in a beef one, and when ground turkey is cold, it tends to stick to a grill. This has prompted a few clever people to add a little beef fat to a ground patty to make it stick less.

There is also the question of cooking time, knowing when a turkey burger is done. The USDA states that gases in the air inside a heated gas or electric oven can react with the hemoglobin in ground turkey, giving the meat a permanently pinkish tinge, especially around the edges. This leads some people to overcook a turkey burger until it totally dries out, since the pinkness sends a message that the meat isn't done. In reality, the best indicator is a meat thermometer. When the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees, it is done.

How you store your ground turkey at home is also important. Ground poultry is highly perishable. Bacteria multiply rapidly when your meat is between 40 and 140 degrees, so be careful here. Ground turkey has approximately one-third less calories than a similar amount of lean ground beef. Look on the website fmi.org for information, where it states that a 3-ounce serving of ground turkey contains 130 calories, as opposed to 210 for ground beef.

You can buy ground turkey in most supermarkets; another good place to buy it is Trader Joe's. At these stores, ground turkey sells for $1.27 per pound, or $2.46 per pound for Empire brand kosher ground turkey. But the simplest way to get a turkey burger in this town is to order one in a restaurant. Here are four places to sample your turkey burger, and a brief description of what to expect.

Big Dogs's Cafe & Casino, 6390 W. Sahara Ave.

The atmosphere at this sports bar and pub is "clean, friendly and fun," according to Kari Wiesner-Stockham, an executive with Big Dog's Hospitality Group. The walls are festooned with dog posters and sports memorabilia. It's a relaxing, casual place to dine. Big Dog's serves broiled 5 1/2-ounce burgers, made from lean ground meat that is highly seasoned with a Mediterranean spice mixture. The burgers come on sesame-encrusted buns and are served plain or with a choice of Cajun or teriyaki sauces, and cost $5.50.

This is a delicious, spicy burger without a trace of fat, unless you elect a 75-cents-per-topping surcharge for items such as cheddar cheese or bacon. Additionally, these burgers come with a choice of side dishes such as the pub's excellent sweet-potato fries, which are served with a delicious Pale Ale-mustard dipping sauce. Whoops. There goes the diet.

Samuel's, 2744 N. Green Valley Parkway

It comes as a mild surprise to find a turkey burger on the menu in a Jewish delicatessen in Green Valley. It's an even bigger surprise when you discover what they do with it. Samuel's is a strip-mall deli filled with twirling fans, hanging plants and pictures of classic Vegas. Everyone gets a plate of half-sour kosher dill pickle spears when seated, and they are a good match for this mammoth turkey burger ($6.95).

Samuel's grinds the meat from a 10-pound turkey loaf, then hand forms the loose meat into an irregular, half-pound turkey patty. It's the only restaurant in town that we know about serving a turkey burger that is not pre-portioned or frozen. And what's more, it comes on a fresh kaiser roll, or even on deli rye bread, if that is your desire.

The burger comes with lettuce, tomato and onion and various deli-style prepared mustards on the side -- a real tummy stuffer. It's slightly bland, though, and the meat may have absorbed other flavors of items that preceded it on the grill. One more plus here is a choice of good side dishes such as potato salad or coleslaw. Ask nice and you might get a potato pancake at no extra charge.

Red Robin, 2575 S. Decatur Blvd.; 1300 W. Sunset Road; 351 N. Nellis Blvd.

These cheerful places specialize in burgers of all kinds -- literally an entire menu filled with different burger choices, including fish burgers, veggie burgers and Boca burgers, as well as dozens of imaginative beef-burger choices. But the chain's turkey burger ($6.99), served on a nice, soft sesame seed bun, along with a bottomless order of toothsome steak fries, is easily one of the best sandwiches in town.

This is a 5-ounce patty with a nice, smoky flavor, topped with lettuce, tomato and the signature item, a delicious, chipotle pepper mayonnaise. It's probably the best flavor combo of any burger in town, which justifies the slightly high price tag.

Fatburger, eight Las Vegas locations

This is definitely the least-expensive turkey burger around ($2.99), again a 5-ounce patty. You get what you pay for. Two turkey burgers sampled were quite dry and lacking in flavor, rather straw-like in texture. The good news is that the condiments -- lettuce, tomato, chopped onions, mustard and mayonnaise -- were all first quality, and the bun was nice and fresh, properly springy.

Nonetheless, this chain does a land-office business, and you should expect to line up a peak times, such as the lunch hour, for your turkey burger. Fatburger is well known for the option to have a burger with a fried egg on top, which makes a turkey burger in particular taste a little moister. The choices just get bigger and bigger.