Why: Steakburger fans far and wide will be happy to learn Steakburger on the Go carries on the burger tradition the Condon family began in 1962 with the opening of their restaurant on Highway 99. Now the brick and mortar is gone, and they’ve taken it to the streets with a food truck just around the corner, not too far from their former digs. The red, white and blue outfit is easy to spot next to The Museum Cars by Ron Wade. The food truck is bright and shiny with a straightforward menu posted above the help-yourself ketchup and mustard station sheltered by a jumbo umbrella.
Menu selections include the restaurant’s classic burgers and the Hawaiian Chick burger. There’s also the Ultimate Dog hot dog, French fries, and bottled water and Pepsi products to drink.
What I tried: I had fries and the jumbo burger, made with lettuce, cheese, tomato and Steakburger sauce.
The steak fries are appropriately paired with the burgers and sprinkled with seasoned salt. Unlike fries served with steak, which are your best friends for soaking up steak juice, these are fried to a crisp golden finish more suited to accompany burgers.
The jumbo burger is suitable for a meal. Its hearty beef patty, absent soy, had more of a steak consistency than that of finely ground beef. A fresh sesame seed bun met the edge of the beef patty. Lettuce is shredded, not whole leaf as the menu’s photos depict. The tomato on my burger was about half red and half green, and the slice of cheese was thicker than most I have encountered on burgers. I found the Steakburger sauce had a distinctive flavor from the ground dill in it.
Other observations: Burgers and fries are made to order. To escape the weather, you may wait in your vehicle and they’ll ring the bell when your food is ready.
Cost: The burgers are $4.50 to $6, $1 extra for ham or cheese. Fries are $2. The Ultimate Dog costs $3.50. Beverages are $1. You also may purchase a large bottle of Steakburger’s Original Sauce for $9.
Hours: 11 a.m. until the product runs out, Tuesday through Saturday. It is a good idea to check Facebook for any changes in the food truck’s schedule or location; for instance, it is scheduled to be at 18211 N.W. 61st Ave. in Ridgefield from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Where: 1015 N.E. 78th St., Vancouver, usually (check Facebook for road trips).
Telephone: 360-989-5291.
Health score: Steakburger on the Go received a perfect score of 0 on Oct. 31. Clark County Public Health closes restaurants with a score of 100 or higher. For information, call 360-397-8428.
