Wibbley's Gourmet Burgers review

Jason here. We finally found an amazing Eastside gluten free burger place. Its Wibbley’s Gourmet Burgers located nearby off a 140^th. My favorite part, their fries are gluten free as well. I did not get a chance to ask about their Milk Shakes, but we will definitely be going back and seeing about those someday soon.

As soon as we walked in I knew I was I going to have a good experience. Right there at the register was a sign that highlighted gluten free buns available by substitution. We’ve had a string of bad luck lately of stopping by places that no longer carried them, so that sign was very refreshing.

For my meal I had “Baconcheese” Burger, with a gluten free bun of course, and a half order of French fries. The burger was even better than I expected. I’m so used to the term “gourmet burger” meaning a huge thick burger patty. I like my burger patty’s thin. There were certainly a heaping of bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and sauce on the burger, but I could still fit in my mouth for a bite and that’s how a burger should be. I think somewhere along the line thin burger patties got associated with fast food chains, which had little flavor to them. Wibbley’s proves you can have thinner patty, but still have all of the flavor.

The fries were very similar to what we received at Freisenburgers, which we reviewed some months ago. The fries were on the larger size, but still very crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. Maybe it is just something about the west coast that knows how to do fries correctly, because these were equally delicious.

Even after a $2 gluten free bun substitution charge, the price was really good. We have paid easily half again (or even double at some gluten free burger joints) compared to Wibbleys.

Kayleigh here. I think that Wibbley’s will earn a gold star from all of you out there that are craving a good, down-to-earth burger and fries. With all the standard fast food joints out of the question for a gluten free quester, it’s amazing to have a place that just takes you back to the days where you could just enjoy a quick, greasy, and filling meal. Maybe it is because gluten free is often associated with healthy lifestyles and organic, locally grown produce. Or because they figure that people wouldn’t miss something as simple as a nearby burger joint, but it’s the basic, comforting meals that you really crave the most. And that is precisely where Wibbley’s delivers in spades.

In conclusion, you can’t beat Wibbley’s price and taste on the Eastside for a gluten free burger. Blue Moon still reigns champion as my favorite burger joint, but Wibbley’s will likely be our regular stop. It’s simply far too convenient to get to, and at that price we don’t feel guilty eating out there one bit. Can’t wait to try the Milk Shakes!

Note: If you do plan on stopping by Wibbley’s be aware they have reduced hours on Saturday, closed on Sunday, and only accept cash or check.

Lunchbox Laboratory Review

Jason here. We decided to check out Lunchbox Laboratory in downtown Bellevue. I passed this place many times, and always assumed it made little lunchbox’s of random assorted food for people to take out and back to work. While I am still interested in such a place, I was also looking for a nice gluten free burger, that I could get closer to home.

Now if you are imaging a bunch of waiters dressed in lab coats, and serving you in a very medical looking room, that could not be further from the truth. Instead of very straight lined, white look I was expecting, it was instead a very hipster looking place with tons of nick-naks everywhere. The menu itself had clippings of Star Wars, and other pop culture references. To get a feel of the fun atmosphere, just check out their website.

So where do they get their name you might ask. Well every week they create a couple recipes that after the week is up, disappear forever. If you are looking for somewhere that has something new to try each time you go, look no further.

For my meal I ordered the Truffle Love burger, substituting the bun for a gluten free one, and substituting the side with a salad. The burger was absolutely delicious. It was juicy, but not undercooked. The black truffle mayo, onions, Swiss cheese, and bacon all added together to make for a very unique taste. I must say this was a messy burger, and I enjoyed every bite of it. The side was good, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The wait staff is very friendly, and made sure to check everything was gluten free. I was informed that none of the sides are gluten free, as they are made in the same deep fryer as other items which may contain gluten. Hence, my substitution of fries for a side salad.

I would love to go back here every week on a lunch break, but there is one thing holding me back. That would be the price. The burgers themselves are already on the more expensive side, and both the salad substitution, and the gluten free bun substitution cost extra. After tallying everything up, it came to what I would expect to pay at a much more formal sit down restaurant, then a burger place.

Kayleigh here. I ordered the Tear Jerker burger, with the same substitutions as Jason, plus changing out the beef for a veggie patty. I will say, the flavors were lovely, and the spice level was spot-on for what I wanted, but the veggie patty was extremely…dense. Great flavor, but extremely filling, and almost felt like I was eating more bread in-between bread. It probably did not help that I had to remove the toppings and eat them with a fork just to fit the burger in my mouth- man, do they pile it on! The side salad was nice and fresh, with shaved Parmesan and house-made Cesar dressing- better than expected! I also got a milkshake with my meal, and will say that they definitely did that right- thick, creamy, and the perfect amount of sweetness without being too overwhelming.

Overall I would recommend Blue Moon burgers as I felt they were more gluten friendly, the price was much better, and the food was equally good if not better. However, if you are in Bellevue and really craving a good burger check out Lunchbox Laboratory.

Emergency Burger Buns Recipe

Kayleigh here. So, I do love cooking dinner every night, and making as much as possible from scratch, but I tend to prepare most of the more complex dishes over the weekend, and heat or reheat them on the weekdays.

The other week, though, I was driving home in the evening, and realized that those lovely brown rice burgers sitting in the fridge were...rather lacking in buns.

So, in a frantic fit of using what was on hand, I fried up a batch of.... sort of arepas, sort of corn pancakes. Not as light as a bulkie roll, but amazing for a last minute fix, when there's no way your hunger can wait for that darn yeast to activate. And, actually, it went quite well with the earthy flavors and spicy mayonnaise-based sauce.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Corn Flour
1/4 cup Garbanzo Flour
1/4 ts Guar Gum
1 Tbs Brown Sugar (or Molasses, for a wheaty taste)
1/2 ts Baking Powder
1 Egg
1/4 cups milk
1 Tbs melted or softened butter
Salt to taste
Peanut/vegetable oil for pan

1) Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stirring ONLY until ingredients are mostly combined. Over stirring can make it tough!
2) Put a pan on medium heat, putting in enough oil to lubricate things a bit. We didn't deep fry these puppies, but you can if you'd like more of an arepa feel to them.
3) Spoon batter into the pan. You should be able to have enough for three bun-sized dollops.
4) Just cook these like pancakes- try flipping them after four minutes. If the bottom has begun to brown, then it's good to flip. Cook the other side for three or so minutes, until brown on that side as well.
5) After letting them cool for five minutes or so, slice them in half. Then, either grill the insides lightly, or use as is with whatever sauces, patties, and toppings you want!

Another possible variation of this would be to add a bit extra sugar, cook with butter instead of oil, and serve as corn pancakes for a different breakfast spin! Well, and top with peanut butter if you're Kayleigh, and chocolate chips if you're Jason.

Jason here. These turned out surprising well for a spur of the moment sort of dish. A couple things to note.

They came out a little oily as they need to be fried in a pan. This makes eating a burger a messier enterprise than usual.

Second thing, these were way better fresh. We ended up making a ton of extras, and freezing them to use later. Initially they were this delicious crispy fried bread texture which went awesome with the burger and sauce we used. Unfortunately, after reheating in our toaster oven they had more of a stale bread texture to them. Luckily they still had a good corn bread like taste to them. What I got out of this, is don’t make a ton of extras and you will have one really delicious, if messy, burger bun on your hands.

We'll be trying to engineer a better bun recipe in the future, when we have time to wait for rising, but we'll definitely be cooking these babies up next time we need a quick fix!