Hudson’s Hamburgers by Joe Labatt, Etta’s Sous Chef
I love hamburgers. Some of the best hamburgers (and I’ve had many) can be had at Tom Douglas’ restaurants. But on a recent trip to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, I had to make yet another stop at Hudson’s Hamburgers on Sherman Ave in historic downtown Coeur d’Alene. Hudson’s is probably my favorite burger joint on earth. They have been in operation for 102 years. Yep. They opened the place in 1907. Four generations of the same family have operated it the entire time. The youngest Hudson stands over the flattop flipping burgers to this day.
They have a very limited menu, consisting of their famous burgers, which come with or without cheese, and you can add sliced pickle and raw onion for free, a few variations of a ham and egg sandwich, and slices of pie for dessert. Nothing more. No fries, no soup, no salad. Don’t even ask. Uncompromising simplicity, beautifully executed. Only recently did they begin providing ketchup for their burgers again. Originally, they had ketchup on the counter, but during the Great Depression people would make “tomato soup” with hot water and ketchup, so the frugal owner pulled it and concocted a secret sauce- a spicy mustard (which is delicious)- to put out in its place.
If you find yourself in North Idaho, stop in to a classic American restaurant, a Coeur d’Alene institution, and enjoy a Huddy Burger. I like mine “cheese, pickle, onion.”
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May 18th, 2009 at 8:15 am
I have also eaten there and love that the patties are formed to order and that the pickles and onion are sliced to order.