The name Fuddruckers sort of just rolls off the tongue. It is especially fun to say out loud. Go ahead. Say it. Wasn't that fun?
A new Fuddruckers recently opened in Madison and hopes to find success at 651 State St., a location that previously held a failed Moe's Southwest Grill. In theory, Fuddruckers should be able to better prey on the people who are not interested in the spicy food of Chipotle across the street but want something of higher quality than the McDonald's around the corner.
What a comprehensive review that would be — "Better than McDonald's." It is true, but Fuddruckers is so much more than that. It has a decent menu selection that spans from a breakfast assortment to more standard lunch and dinner items.
Unfortunately, the prices are a bit on the high side. A trip to Fuddruckers for the average college student ought to be a special occasion. Frequenters may suddenly find that their wallet is not as full as it used to be.
Surprisingly, salads are particularly pricey. Take for instance the Southwest Taco, which sells for $7.49. This is served in a crispy taco shell bowl with your choice of spicy beef or grilled chicken, cheddar cheese and lettuce, along with scoops of salsa, sour cream and guacamole. The bowl is also garnished with chips for those who prefer to scoop rather than fork. Premium chicken is used and the sauces are zesty, but the price is high, and Chipotle could do it just as well, if not better.
Just about the best deal on the menu is the Build Your Own Chicago Style 1/3 lb. Hot Dog for $3.99. The hot dog is placed in the middle of an enormous buttered and grilled bun, clearly designed to allow the customer to load on the toppings. Plus, the hot dog is split down the middle, creating the perfect place to pool a variety of condiments.
All of this can be found at the toppings bar, by far the best feature of Fuddruckers. It is refreshing to be allowed to pile on whatever one wants, removing any worry of getting an unwanted topping or the disappointing lack thereof. The toppings bar provides such extras as lettuce, tomatoes, onions, salsa, pickles and peppers. Of course, it also offers ketchup, mustard and mayo. It even has a cheese sauce dispenser. The best part of the toppings bar is that everything is free, so take advantage and load up.
For those who are feeling ambitious, or merely want a dessert, Fuddruckers also has a Baked Goods menu with everything priced under $1.35 and World Famous Shakes and Malts priced at $3.49. The strawberry shake strangely was not, as one would expect, cold. It was barely even cool. One usually orders a shake assuming the drink will cool them off, but this particular shake would have, unfortunately, been best described as lukewarm. Its texture was closer to yogurt than that of the traditionally used ice cream. Despite its curious consistency and temperature, the shake still had a pleasant flavor.
Fuddruckers also has a large selection of chicken sandwiches, all priced at $6.99. Some choices include the Southwest Chicken, Bacon Swiss, Pineapple Twist, Red-Hot Buffalo or Firehouse Chicken. The Firehouse Chicken sandwich comes smothered in chipotle BBQ sauce and topped with bacon and pepper jack cheese. Though not exactly a "firehouse," the sandwich is tangy and quite tasty.
What Fuddruckers really specializes in is the burger. Burgers range from the original 1/3 lb. burger at $4.49 all the way up to a monster specialty 1 lb. burger for $8.99. One may also choose from their Greatest Hits menu, which starting at $6.19, comes with a selected sandwich, fries and a cookie. Beginning at $5.49, the Specialty Burgers menu includes such burgers as the Three Cheese, Swiss Melt, Southwest, Bacon Cheddar or "The Works," which comes with smokehouse bacon, mushrooms and American cheese. Each burger's bun is deliciously buttered and lightly grilled. The juicy burger delightfully disassembles in your mouth upon biting into it. For those who want to avoid meat, there is also a delicious Veggie Burger ($5.59).
Fuddruckers takes pride in their self-proclaimed "World's Greatest Hamburgers." The hamburger is indeed great, but who is to say that it is the world's greatest? The title should probably be taken with about as much weight as one of those "World's Greatest Grandpa" mugs.
However, the world would agree that Fuddruckers does make a great hamburger and quality food. Though the prices can be disagreeable, the food satisfies with its first-rate ingredients, handy toppings bar and large portions. One thing is certain — if you decide to stop in at Fuddruckers on the campus end of State Street, expect to leave fuddruckin' full.
Rating: 3 out of 5
