Nutty's Junkyard Grill

6717 204th St NE

Arlington, WA

https://www.nuttysjunkyardgrill.com/

Nutty's is a swanky place, as far as greasy burger joints go. The resturaunt has the old school feel of an American mechanic's dream shop. Outdoor and indoor seating is available. The parking lot, which is large and easy to navigate, was packed at 3:30 on a Saturday, a good sign that the food stands up to it's reputation.  

The menu is easily readable from most of the interior. They also have a full menu posted online and at the doors. Nutty's offers chicken if you're interested, but then why would you be reading this review? The price is in line with other burger joints around the area. Though the menu is limited, they have quite a few different items such as the Smoke Out which has a signature in house BBQ sauce, the Trunk Junk which comes loaded with grilled onions and shrooms, or the Green Torino, which has Anaheim peppers and a curious cilantro mayo. For all of my reviews I ask what the most popular burger is and go with that. In this case I was quickly directed to the Duel Quad, which I gladly ordered.

Ok, let's get down to it. The Duel Quad is cooked on a flat top grill and housed between a basic sesame seed bun. The vessel was lightly toasted on both sides and held up surprisingly well to my mastication. The sauce is a classic in house "secret sauce" which is similar to thousand island. The burger patty itself was a thing of beauty, the 8th wonder of the world most likely. The Quad (as they call it) is a hand formed 1/2 pound patty, Nutty's basic patty is a 1/3 pound. The burger was cooked evenly through (no pink) but was remarkably juicy.  While in the throes of consuming the Quad, it littered my table with little puddles of grease. The patty spills over the sides of the bun, which is quite large, ensuring you will not be left with a bite of only bun at the end. The produce was clean and of superior quality. Tomatoes were ripe, raw red onions and pickles were used liberally to make sure you have them in each bite, and the lettuce was fresh and crisp. Come hungry to Nutty's, because these are some serious portions.

While I don't judge a place on its fries, I do comment on them, this is a burger review after all. Nutty's uses potatoes from Oregon via Walchli Potato. More specifically the Elk Horn brand. Nutty's hand cuts their own fries, and serves them up in a massive paper boat that reminds me of the Titanic. These are some of the best fries you will ever have, even if they do sink you. You will only need to order one to feed 2-3 hungry people. They offered me a wide range of dipping sauces, including a fry sauce that is similar, if not the same, as the sauce on the Quad. 

Good oil, good potatoes. My only critique is that they don't season them very well, so you may want to add salt.  

Excuse me for a moment while I smash this Quad. 

In the race of burgers there are winners, and there are losers. The Quad takes home a gold trophy with a total score of 14. While fairly average in terms of sauce and bun, it's amazing meat and produce sent it squarely over the finish line. I would highly suggest Nutty's to anyone that appreciates a good burger and can't wait to get back and try some of those unique menu items.