Fee fi fo falafel

I make a lot of excuses to skip the gym. I’m tired, it’s raining, the gym’s haunted, etc. Really, anything will work if it means I don’t have to go. One of the more difficult barriers I have is passing by Giant Burger on my way, as eating burgers always seems like a better option than running on a treadmill.

On a recent Saturday, I said screw it to the gym and took my friend Brooke to Giant Burger. I’ve lived in Reno a long time, so I’m surprised I’d never been to Giant Burger. The place closed for about 10 years but reopened last year. Giant Burger is small, with probably only eight tables inside, as well as a small dining area outside. Everything was really clean and bright, with red and gray walls and ceramic floors. There are nature photographs on the wall, and the look is very simple but nice. The woman behind the counter waited patiently while Brooke and I mulled over the menu. We finally decided to split everything so we could try more things. After considering several burger options, such as the jumbo mushroom and jalapeño burger, I figured we had to have the namesake, the Giant Burger.

Less than 10 minutes later, our freshly cooked food was brought to our table. The Giant Burger ($4.39) is two quarter-pound patties, so we’re talking about a lot of meat here. Since I’m probably going to have a heart attack anyway, what with skipping the gym to eat mass quantities of red meat, we got cheese on it, as well ($.90 for two slices).

Giant Burger is not just a clever name. This thing is a beast, but with tomatoes, onions, lettuce and cheese galore, I was up for the challenge. The burger tasted fresh and was perfectly cooked and not at all greasy. Every bite was just a ton of meat, cheese and a nice crunch from the lettuce and onions, but it was not a messy burger and remained contained within the toasted bun. There was some kind of sauce, advertised as the special house sauce, and I couldn’t really put my finger on what it was, but whatever it was, it worked.

We also had a falafel sandwich ($6.99 with fries). The falafel patties came wrapped in pita bread with homemade tahini sauce and lettuce and tomatoes. The falafel had a nice spice to it, and the tahini sauce was excellent, but I found the pita to be a little chewy and the falafel a little dry—although I prefer dry falafel over mushy falafel any day. I wondered if the sheer awesomeness of all of the meat and cheese had sullied my palate, and therefore anything remotely healthy, like falafel, just couldn’t measure up. My theory seemed to prove true as I moved on to the amazing fries, which were large, steak cut and came out hot and crisp, just the way I like.

After all of the food, I realized I was so full I could probably use this as a reason to avoid the gym for at least another day or two. So thanks, Giant Burger, for not only providing me with an amazing burger but also another great excuse to avoid physical fitness.