Burger Star

Today was such a beautiful day, I spent the afternoon with the amazing Theary Meak and one of her old friends Treaven.  Our mission for the day?  Find a burger as satisfying as the afternoon was.  And with the brilliant blue sky, the warm sun and the light breeze, this burger needed to be just short of extraordinary to live up to our expectations.  Treaven suggested a little joint in Omaha called Burger Star.  I must admit, with out a recommendation I would have drove right past this place.  It is located on the corner of a strip mall, with a large bright red and yellow star as their logo.  Granted they do have a picturesque little patio, but overall the building seemed a little understated.  This ended up being a huge plus once we got inside, it was like a cool kids only zone. The crowd it attracted was a group of good people, looking for a good burger and a layed back afternoon.  It wasn't filled with a bunch of average Joe's trying to get a quick bite in between running errands.  It was decorated with smooth granted floors, big warm furniture and a mix of classic country and rock n' roll decor.  One of Treaven's favorite features about this place is the music selection.  They have dozens and dozens of live concerts on video and they will happily turn on your favorite artist.  Our music selection for our late afternoon lunch?  Non other than Queen.  Now we had great company, great music and a great setting to enjoy our lunch, all we needed were some great burgers.  Burger Star offers a build your own menu, you can choose a single burger, double burger or a grilled chicken sandwich with the toppings of your choice.  I built my single burger up with cheddar and pepper jack, jalapenos, BBQ sauce and fried onions.  Theary had a single with sauteed mushrooms, fresh pico, jalapenos and swiss.  Treaven had the biggest appetite, ordering a double stack with ketchup, mayo, grilled onions, tomatoes, pickles, lettuce and cheddar cheese.  His burger also came with enough fries for the three of us to share.  The fries deserved a little section of praise here....hand cut (thick with the skin on) and sea salt.  The sea salt was a wonderful bite of flavor without making you feel like you were on your way to a clogged artery.  But the burgers were the true star of the meal, hence the name of the the restaurant.  The first thing Theary and I noticed was the crispy edges on our burgers.  They tasted just like they had came off a backyard grill, which is such a hard flavor to achieve from an indoor industrial kitchen.  All the burgers came on soft roll buns, buttered and grilled.  The toppings were fresh; the jalapenos had the right amount of kick, the cheese was ooey-gooey melted and the fried onions had the right amount of crunch.  Theary finished her burger in record time, obviously no complaints from her end of the table.  Treaven slowed down a bit mid burger but was still unable to leave any of it behind.  Theary and I washed our burgers down with margarita's, they serve classic and strawberry with your choice of blended or on the rocks.  Treaven enjoyed a Mexican Pepsi, a favorite served in the glass jar.  I feel I must mention the wait staff too, I'm not sure what their hiring process is but I'm pretty sure 'cool' is a requirement.  All the staff we came in contact with fit the vibe of the restaurant; friendly, fun and welcoming.  Our only disappointing moment was when we had to leave.  It would have been so easy for the three of us to sit on the patio for a couple of hours, sipping margaritas, listening to great music and soaking up the blue sky and sunshine.

This restaurant comes with my full seal of approval, try it for yourself:
Burger Star
1222 S. 71 Street
Omaha, Ne
402-333-7827