Blog

It’s the Dining Divas with a

Twist at Hamburger Mary’s

It was definitely a Dining Divas to remember. That’s the best way to describe it. I guess when I chose Hamburger Mary’s located on Olive St. (close to Pappy’s for those who are familiar with the popular barbecue place), I assumed everyone would know what to expect. It’s not your typical hamburger joint.

As several of the Dining Divas participated in the Race for the Cure walk this summer, and as they noticed the location on our route, the conversation turned to our next Diva outing. So we decided to try it. I didn’t realize many were unaware of the entertainment Hamburger Mary’s serves up as well as the food. Their tagline of “Eat, drink, and be Mary (wink, wink)” gives you a little hint.

When you walk in, you’ll notice glamorous high heels throughout. I was a little disappointed that my bill didn’t come in a blinged-out stiletto as typically happens, but with our large group, our waiter probably didn’t have enough shoes to go around. The restaurant is very “female-friendly” with its décor.

I tried to make us reservations, but I never received a return phone call. Fortunately, we arrived early and were able to pull together several tables, center stage. Well, right in front of the center of the stage. Unfortunately, we were so crammed together. We were told we couldn’t grab other tables or move to another area as the other tables were reserved, yet no one sat at them all night.

But that didn’t bother us as we were thrilled to learn that it was Bingo night at Mary’s. Well, Bingo with a twist. Charity Big Girl Bingo. In other words, Drag Queen Bingo. When it was first announced that they were having Bingo, I wasn’t sure if the group would get involved.

I had to laugh when the host of the evening opened up with a greeting that had a very male sound to it. If you weren’t paying attention to from where he was sitting and giving the greeting, you would just have assumed that it was just a guy saying hello. Then immediately following, our host, in a very female-sounding tone, continued to welcome us.

I got the biggest kick out of the most surprised of all the Divas (they had no expectations of what Mary’s had to offer) who, after probably the first round of Bingo, turned to the In-Her-Element Diva and said, “We think that’s a man.” She had to laugh and tell them that this was drag queen Bingo, and so yes, it was a guy dressed as a girl. They had no clue.

To spice things up even more, the Educator Diva tried a Bloody Mary which did the trick. A couple other Divas tried one of the “Special-Teas” drinks, the Tracy’s Lost Cherry cocktail with pomegranate and cherry vodka, along with Sprite and cranberry juice. If they could have, they may have drunk them all night. The names alone on the cocktail menu are entertaining and definitely inviting to try.

You can’t go wrong with a burger at Mary’s. There’s a process to ordering it. First, you choose your style of burger, and there are about 15 choices. Then, you pick your meat (Angus, Kobe, chicken, ahi tuna, black bean patty, turkey patty, or brat patty – all hand-formed and made fresh). Then, you pick your side.

The beginner burger known as the Hamburger Mary is your basic half pound burger, and that’s the type most of us ordered. We all enjoyed it.   The Patty Melt style was also a favorite.   Trying to eat a little lighter, the Guest Diva tried the Mini-Mary Sliders, and it was the perfect amount for her.

As for the sides that came with the burgers, they were all very tasty, but several Divas agreed that the sides were cold which really was unfortunate because the seasoned fries were good but would have been really great if they were served hot.

For those who decided to try something different than burgers, they weren’t as thrilled about their orders. The wrap that the Generous Diva had was just average, but she shared her leftovers with a homeless guy as we left the restaurant, so that made it better than average. The Short-Timer Diva ordered the Meatloaf with mashed potatoes and vegetables. The meatloaf was good but barely warm, and the veggies were bland. The GLBT sandwich with bacon, lettuce, and tomato barely had any “G” on it, guacamole.   It wasn’t what the Surprised Diva was hoping for.

Ordering something different than a burger was good for The “I Needed This Night Out” Diva. She hit the jackpot with the Crispy Caramel Chicken Salad.

As for dessert, the Deep Fried Twinkies were the only thing ordered. They are served with a raspberry sauce. They were a little too greasy for this groups’ liking.

This Diva was amazed at the sights and sounds that I witnessed this night. The things that came out of the Divas mouths (sometimes loudly) cracked me up. Seems we all became a lot bolder amongst this crowd. Group consensus was that this was the most fun and energetic Divas ever. And many of us left there winners.

I’m not sure if it was just the Bingo or that it was drag queen bingo that made it so entertaining. But I am sure, being with this group of Dining Divas definitely made the night.

Share on Facebook

Tweet

Follow us