Post # 6 Lee's Burgers Place, Newton, MA

Lee's Burgers Place
216 Summer Street
Newton, MA 02459
www.leesburgers.com

On our way over to Lee's, Scott and I got lost in Watertown. It was a beautiful day and Scott was driving his son's sweet new jeep with the top down. We didn't Google Map it. We just sniffed our way toward the burgers while discussing various topics of the day...one of which was the irony of a father having to ask his son's permission to borrow a jeep the father paid for. It was a half hour before we found Lee's, and by then Scott didn't want to talk anymore.

The original Lee's Burgers was in Harvard Square, but high rents forced a move to Newton Center. There was also an original Lee, as in, a guy named Lee, who owned it. His wife and a slew of family helped run it, making it a happy place with a Mom and Pop feel. A couple of years after moving to Newton, Lee sold it, and now the only relation involved is a nephew. It's still a happy place though, and still Mom and Pop-ish.

The nephew of the original Lee, cooking burgers

Lee's is funky, as in down-to-earth and laid back as opposed to armpitty or Grand Master Flashy. It's a tiny spot, seating only 14 people, with mint green walls and a very friendly staff. The girl who took our order was young and good looking and the most friendly of all the friendly people there. Having a good looking girl take your order won't make your burger taste better, but it doesn't hurt. As we ate, she came over and commented on the sweet ride we'd pulled up in. Scott thanked her, then thanked her again. When he thanked her a third time I felt compelled to mention he'd needed his son's permission to borrow it. She thought this was funny. He, not so much.

Scott, the laid back, jeep-drivin' stud

Lee's serves other items, but the focus is burgers, which start at $ 4.99 and include lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles. Other add-ons are extra, but not a lot extra. It's "cheap eats" as Scott likes to say, and a great burger for the money. The patties are six ounces of flame-grilled, pre-formed 100% ground sirloin, served on a perfectly adequate, toasted, sesame seed bun. Restaurants take pride in using sirloin over chuck because of its higher quality; but higher quality means less fat, and fat equals flavor. Lee's compensates by offering a special sauce, a concoction of mayo, mustard, honey and spices that's well known among area burger aficionados. No question the sauce is great, it's even good on the killer onion rings, but Scott and I agreed that Lee's relies on it too heavily for the burger's flavor. Even slathered on, we felt something was missing. Perhaps Mr. Lee took the salt shaker with him when he sold the place. 

Lee's bacon cheeseburger with special sauce

Back in the jeep, Scott summed it up in his own unique way. "I can still taste that delicious ingredient that was missing from my burger," he mused, looking longingly through the restaurant's window.

Knowing exactly what he meant tells me we hang out too much.

Score: 8.25 napkins out of 10.