Mr. Mari loves sandwiches. To be more specific, he loves meat with an entourage between two pieces of bread. Since the categorization is broad, his favorite "sandwich" is the cheeseburger. A while back, my mom saw something on TV about a restaurant in New Haven, CT that claims to be "the birthplace of the hamburger". You guessed it: Road trip!
Louis' Lunch in New Haven, CT claims to have made and served the first hamburger - they've been at it since 1900 (whistle!). The story goes... a customer was in a hurry and asked Louis Lassen if he'd make something quick for him to take away. Louis chopped up some seasoned ground steak trimmings, put it in-between two pieces of toast and off the man went. It may have been a quickie for that man but Louis' Lunch has gained popularity and a historic landmark plaque since that day. Each burger is always made to order, so we waited a fair amount of time but it was certainly worth it. It was moist, tender and juicy without any of that 'juice running down your arms' scenario and had good charring on the outside. The onion added a nice touch of pepperiness; the tomato, although tasty wasn't necessary and the cheese [spread] just added to the richness. But I'm thinking, the squished fingerprints on the toast are what made all the difference.
Based on the entry in Wikipedia, there are a bunch of establishments claiming to have created the first hamburger. No matter. I'm sure Mr. Mari and I will get around to tasting all of them.
(Images from top to bottom: exterior of Louis' Lunch; beverage sign; straight-shooting counter clerk; Foxon Park sodas; potato salad; bread toaster and vertical cast-iron grills - dating back to 1898; the burger with the "works": cheese, sliced tomato and onion; the sign reminding you that there's no ketchup served here.)