Colin B.

On the quest for the perfect hamburger in Memphis, my friend and I stumbled upon Zac's Cafe after having a soul burger at Ernestine and Hazels (which was good (but small) and I'll review it later). This is a small place, maybe 6 or 8 tables and a couple of spots at the bar, in the the same building as the Hampton Inn downtown. There's an entry from the Hampton as well as from Peabody Place (the street, not the mall). The guy that runs it is British. He was the waiter, bartender, and chef when we ate lunch there today. He's got a good selection of British Beers (dozens) and several beers on tap, including Ghost River. He even had cigars and British cigarettes for sale. Anyway, on the the food. We ordered a hamburger with cheddar cheese. He offered swiss and american as well, and we could have made it a double. He cooks to requested temperature as well. The burger came out with shredded iceberg, tomato(e), and cheddar. The bun is a standard large white bun, but man... he put love into it. The bun is buttered and toasted so it's got the perfect soft to crunchy ratio. It's the best bread we've had on a burger, yet. The meat was also phenomenal. I had mine cooked medium rare and my friend had his done medium well. It's amazing when meat is seasoned (salted) properly and cooked by an expert's hand, just how flavorful and juicy it can be. Both his medium well and my medium rare were done perfectly. There's nothing to this burger: bread, tomato, lettuce, cheese, meat. Couldn't even tell you if there were an condiments on it. It didn't need it. It's pretty-damn-near perfect. Eat here.