Cheeseburgers have been a staple of my diet for as long as I can remember. My years on this Earth have been nothing short of time spent eating burgers or time spent waiting to eat my next burger. I’ve loved all sorts of different styles that can come from the handheld delicacies, from massive dive bar sandwiches to millennial joints and Whoppers. However, something that hadn’t crossed my mind when deciding to enroll in Fairfield University was the potential quality of campus burgers.
Upon my arrival, I was left woefully disappointed. Though the burgers were, by definition, classic cheeseburgers, the quality of said meal left something to be desired. For most of my first year and for the first time in memory, I avoided cheeseburgers. Feeling that they weren’t worth my meal swipes, I ventured into other lunch and dinner options to satisfy my cravings.
But now, returning to the various dining locations on campus, I found it in myself to try again and give these burgers a fair chance. Over the course of the week, for research purposes, I made my way through the Levee, The Stag, The Tully and the Taste of Culinary food truck, repeating the same order to varied responses. Given my experiences, these are my findings:
The Tully has the worst cheeseburger. Bar none. If the idea of a heat-lamp and a small, dry patty doesn’t get your mouth watering, the cardboard buns and single slice of plastic cheese will certainly kill any appetite for a burger you may have had. Granted, this is a take-away bag with no toppings or sauces, but that doesn’t somehow remedy the fact that you’ve made a mistake and could’ve spent your meal swipe on literally anything else.
The Stag is a significant step up in quality, enlarging the patty and offering the expected toppings. Though the advantage of tomatoes, pickles, lettuce and onions is enough to make the Stag’s 7 oz beef patty work in the larger scheme of the sandwich, I still find myself let down by the dryness of the patty and the lack of an optimal, fluffy brioche bun.
Taste of Culinary heard my calls and answered them, but like a wish on a monkey paw, this blessing came with a curse. Touting easily the most consistent quality of campus cheeseburgers, the truck produced a sandwich that evokes the memories of backyard cookouts and little-league barbeques. The toppings were noticeably fresh, and this is the only case of a burger coming served with condiments (ketchup and light mayo, the ideal combination). Unfortunately, the portion size of this burger leaves much to be desired.
Roughly the circumference of a coffee mug, the patty goes down in only a few bites. Bear in mind that the average burger size should leave the eater feeling full, whereas the Taste of Culinary burger left me wanting more. Some say less is more; I say I feel ripped off. For a full meal swipe, we need more.
Which brings me to my closing argument: If you want to get a solid, value cheeseburger on campus, go to the Levee. While it pales in comparison to the food truck’s nostalgic take on the classic, the Levee serves a rudimentary burger with the expected toppings at a consistently decent quality. The beef and veggies are nothing to write home about independently, but together, the ensemble can deliver a pleasant taste and texture without scaling back on the size. Not to mention, the Levee provides a wider array of condiments than the Stag.
All in all, my experience around campus provided me with the clarity to see these sandwiches for what they are. I’ve come around to each of them for what they can do. The Stag can complement a strong conversation well. The Taste of Culinary can deliver the flavor you want if you’re willing to chase it across campus. The Levee will provide and nurture the best overall product of the bunch, and the Tully—well, the Tully has lots of other things to eat.