There's something about the nostalgia of looking back at your younger days when things were a little more carefree... and you weren't the one picking up the check.
For some reason, eating a hamburger with mustard, ketchup, pickle, and onion at the crowded lunch counter at Schlenkler's back in the 70s on Christmas break comes to mind as the best burger I ever had.
Schlenkler's today is still maybe 15 seats max and includes an expansion so you can imagine how tiny it was back then. I think we walked there, we may have been only down to one car at the time and my mom was at work. I remember feet sweating in moon boots and fighting to get a round stool at the counter. My dad may have eaten standing up behind us.
Simply delicious.
Opinions have not changed, Schlenker's is consistently named to "Best of" lists in the state, not only for the burgers but for onion rings as big as your head. The last time I was in there I dealt with rude staff and almost walked out. But the burger? Worth it.
Since I don't get down to Jackson much anymore - mom spends the majority of her time in Florida - I needed a new best place and Mishler's fits the bill.
This place in Evart is so beloved that the owners have been trying to sell it and can't seem to shut it down due to public outcry. The For Sale sign that has been out front for a year has quietly been removed.
I made a mistake the first time I went there by ordering the taco salad. Absolutely nothing special and I was discouraged from going again. The next time, Will pestered me because he really wanted a cheeseburger and a milkshake.
Let that be a lesson to you: don't go to a burger joint and go rogue - stick to the basics.
Fresh ground quality beef, toasty bun, generous toppings. A regular sets you back $3, a double, $4. That is insanely rock-bottom. Hand-dipped shakes in a wild variety of flavors outside the classic chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry; raspberry truffle is the house flavor.
Deep-fried goodness includes the usual fries, cheese sticks, onion rings, and mushrooms. The onion rings have to be hand-dipped, they are too big, fresh, and greasy.
Pia, who is the pickiest of eaters, requested a trip to Mishler's over Memorial Day weekend and put away a big burger and curly fries, wishing as she was eating, that she could eat there one more last time. We took her parents there the week they came to get her, and I think Martin wants to move here.
Sadly, they open late in the season and close early, so get while the gettin' is good in the heart of summer.
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