Good Burgers Along the 360 Corridor in Chesterfield

Well, summer is almost here and, with it, that quintessential, summertime, American pastime; grilling hamburgers. Ahh, fire up the old charcoal, or gas for you who do not have the patience for truly good grilling, and listen to the patties sizzle.

Wait! What's that you say? "I don't have time to grill my own burger." For shame. Still, in today's busy world I suppose I can understand it if you are always on the go and simply do not have the time to enjoy a really good, home grilled burger.

Ah, but all is not lost. You still can get the good stuff, even on the run. At least you can in my neck of the woods. I live in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Close by the VA 288/US Route 360 interchange. This "360 corridor," between Richmond and Amelia is my stomping grounds and here are three places I go for a good, home cooked (or seemingly so) burger.

The first you will have to move fast on, for I fear it will not be around much longer. The grill at Ukrops grocery stores will make almost any grilled sandwich to order. They make them good too. While there are two Ukrops along the Corridor, only the one at Harbor Point has the good grill. You go into the supermarket, the right hand entrance is best because it is closest to the grill, and give your order to the Grill Master. Ok, I don't think they actually call the guy at the grill "grill master," but they should. Give all the details about how you want your burger. He, or she, will then craft, yes I mean "craft," your burger. It will take a few minutes, they cook food fresh and to order, but it is worth it. What you will receive will make a puppy dog pull a freight train.

I travel a lot, all over the Commonwealth, for my regular job. I have learned to look for the tell tell sign of a good, fast eating place. The sign is, of course, the place with the local ambulances, fire trucks and police cruisers sitting outside. At the Ukrops grill you will generally be well covered in the event of any emergency. However, you may have trouble getting parked, with all the emergency vehicles in the lot. I know, I served on the local rescue squad for six years. I think they have my name engraved on a seat in there.

The down side is that Ukrops has been bought out by Martins and will soon be converted over. I do not know if Martins will keep the grill the way it is or even keep it at all. We can only pray.

The second place is a bit... Well, you may not believe it but a little gas station/convenience store at the corner of 360 and Skinquarter roads gets my second pick. It is now named the "360 Git and Go" but everyone calls it by its age old handle, simply "Skinquarter." This little country store, which has been there for many generations has a food counter in the back. They have hot dogs, BBQ, pizza and, of course, burgers.

Sure, the burgers, and everything else for that matter, are just Costco bought, bulk quantity stuff that we could make at home. So what? The best burgers are what we grill at home and that is what this place does, simply cooks up the same stuff we could make at the house, IF we had the time. Their prices are cheap too. To top things off, this store has a variety of sodas in long necked glass bottles. You know? The way God intended soda to be. They even have my two hard to find favorites, Sundrop and Cheerwine. For under $3 I can walk in and walk out with a good burger and an ice cold bottle of Sundrop. Ok, it's a southern thing.

My third and final place in the area is a bit more mainstream, trendy and expensive. But I must pay the devil his due, Five Guys makes good burgers. There are two in this area, one just west of the Chattanooga Plaza Wal-Mart and another in the Woodlake shopping center. At either place one can get a sack full of burgers and fries which are mouth watering.

I usually order the "junior" burgers which come plain, with cheese, or with cheese and bacon. The "junior" is plenty burger even for me. The regular sized burgers are simply "more than a mouthful." The first time I made the mistake of ordering one, the phrase "bit off more than I can chew" came to my mind. If you get fries with the burger be ready, they always dump extra scoops into the bag. A "small" fry order is plenty. Five Guys is a bit pricier than other places though. On my limited budget I rarely go in there. I just enjoy them all the more when I do.

At first glance, new comers to this area tend to think McDonalds and Burger King is all the real choices they have. I hope I have helped broaden you choice range for burgers along the 360 Corridor in Chesterfield County, Virginia!