By Andrea Afra
http://Teethpicks.blogspot.com

It was one of those nights when cooking a meal didn’t sound very appealing, so I picked up the phone and called 713.522.5650 (I have it memorized) and ordered up a few cheeseburgers, some fries and a chocolate Oreo milkshake to be delivered to my doorstep. Without warning, a few moments later the skies opened up and within minutes our street began to flood. Lucky Burger is really close to my house, and after twenty minutes the driver still hadn’t arrived so I figured they had seen the water rising over the sidewalk and nixed my delivery, which would have been perfectly understandable. I even called them back to tell them that the road was flooded and to not worry about my order, but Peggy, the woman who answers the phones, said they were already on their way.

Now I was worried about the delivery person. Surely they wouldn’t come down our street, but what if they did? Their car would be ruined and I didn’t want my dinner to be the cause. I ran outside into the rain which was pouring down relentlessly. The water was rushing down the street, already well over the curb and shin high on the sidewalks. Sure enough, I saw a car creeping down the street. The water was too high to walk through so I ran back inside and grabbed my bike, then pedaled down the sidewalk with my feet hitting the water with each downward push. I saw the car stop across the street, just a few houses down from mine. The door opened and an older Chinese guy stepped out with a brown paper bag in his hand.

I yelled, “Hey, wait there!”, and rode out into the rapids to grab the food and hand him all the money I had for a tip, a fiver, wishing I had more to give.

“Thank you. You’re crazy!” I told him and he smiled and nodded, “Okay”, before getting back into the car. I rode back home to enjoy a delicious burger feeling a little bit guilty and very soaked.

So what’s so great about Lucky Burger, besides the fact that they deliver in monsoon-like weather conditions? Deep inside the barrel fortress at the southeastern corner of Richmond and Mandell, they are cranking out some great diner-style fast food. The burgers are simple yet hearty, served made to order on a fluffy bun with terrific pickles (the ‘good’ kind), American cheese, and a paper sleeve brimming with hot crinkle cut fries.

If you’re not feeling the burger, try the jumbo shrimp. They aren’t what you’d think. Instead of just a large fried shrimp, they have taken one decent sized shrimp with the tail still on and straightened it out, then another straightened out tail-less shrimp is laid on top of it before battering it and frying it. It’s like a long shrimp baton, and they are super crunchy and tasty.

A friend of mine used to get a Lucky cheeseburger with a fried egg on top, so if that’s your thing just ask. If you are totally not feeling the cheeseburger thing, try the fried rice. The order is huge and done as well as any respectable Chinese restaurant.

The patty melt is served on awesome buttery toast with those super crisp pickle slices. While I have had the chili-cheese fries, I have yet to try the chili-cheeseburger which seems rather intense, but I bet it’s crazy good. Imagine that with an egg on it. Kill me now.

So the next time you’re feeling lazy, dial up Lucky Burger, then hum a few bars from Proud to Be an American, and remember why life is good.

1601 Richmond Avenue Houston, TX 77006-5213
(713) 522-5650 | www.LuckyBurger.com