Connect with us

Alternative/Rock

Blame My Youth’s Sean Van Vleet Lays Down the Law on His Top 10 Burger Joints

A band of beef boys on the burger hunt, Blame My Youth ranks their Top 10 U.S. burger joints!

Published

on

There’s no question about it, Sean Van Vleet is about as prolific as you could be when it comes to songwriters. The man behind Blame My Youth recently released his new single “Feel It in the Morning,” along with an accompanying tour video that pays homage to his time on tour this past fall, the first time he was able to actually get out on the road since starting Blame My Youth last year. The video features footage of Van Vleet and his backing band playing on stage, along with some snippets of behind-the-scenes happenings as they enjoyed life on the road.

It’s been an enjoyable ride over the last year and a half for Blame My Youth. Not many artists can lay claim to having their debut single “Fantastic” garner over five million global streams and hit the Top 30 on Active Rock radio, but Van Vleet can. Since starting the project, Van Vleet has worked closely with producer Joey Moi, with the two first collaborating last year on the song “Right Where You Belong,” featured in the closing credits of last year’s Bill and Ted Face The Music. That’s what really helped give Blame My Youth some much-needed early traction, and Van Vleet has been riding the wave ever since.

If there’s one thing we can agree on is that there’s just nothing quite as alluring as a great burger joint. Van Vleet joins us today to share his, in no particular order, Top 10 burger joints he has visited while out on tour. And for all you foodies out there, make sure you check out Blame My Youth drummer Mike Robinson’s “Food On Tour” podcast, available on Spotify.

1. Paradise Lounge (119 W Main St, WI) – www.thenewparadiselounge.com

“There’s honestly nothing that special about this burger, but it’s so perfect for after soundcheck or after a gig when you’re ready to get away for a bit. Paradise Pub is everything you want in a dive bar, and their burger, plus a Spotted Cow to drink is a pretty killer combo.”

“Paradise Lounge”

2. Swensons (various locations) – www.swensonsdriveins.com

“I grew up in Akron, where Swensons started. It’s a local chain of burger drive-in’s that started in the 1930s. To this day, they still do the whole car hop thing and their burgers are amazing. Word on the street is their secret ingredient is brown sugar. If you go, get their signature burger, The Galley Boy, some Potato Teezers with ranch, and a milkshake.”

“Swensons”

3. Small Cheval (1732 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL) – www.smallcheval.com

“I want to preface this by saying if you can get into Au Cheval, go for it! Chances are it’s a long wait, so if you were planning on getting the burger there, you can hit one of their burger joints instead. They’ve got a couple of them, just serving burgers, fries, and booze rather than the full Au Cheval menu. One of my absolute favorite burgers.”

“Small Cheval”

4. Pie ‘n Burger (913 E California Blvd, Pasadena, CA) – www.pienburger.com

“A true burger institution and everything a burger should be. This place has it all, the vibe is perfect, their burgers are amazing, their pie is unreal. How are you going to go to a place called Pie ‘n Burger and not get the pie? Get the pie and the burger!”

“Pie N Burger”

5. Dick’s Drive In (various locations in Seattle, WA) – www.ddir.com

“Another classic burger drive-in. No substitutions allowed and they have seven locations in/around Seattle. Gotta love a place that sticks to their guns.”

6. The Cheesecake Factory (various locations across the United States) – www.thecheesecakefactory.com

“Look, sometimes when you’re touring you just want convenience. Every now and then that means hitting a Chili’s on a day off, most of the time (for me) it means a Cheesecake Factory for happy hour. You have to try their sliders. My man, the burger historian, George Motz, turned me onto these. They’re meant to be as close to the Greene’s sliders in Detroit as they could get them and trust me… they are sooooo good.”

7. Green Dot Stables (2200 W Lafayette Blvd, Detroit, MI) – www.greendotstables.com

“So this isn’t exactly a burger place, but it’s a slider joint and they do amazing sliders! They’re constantly changing their menu and offering the wildest sliders you’ll come across. I promise, that’s my only stray from the burger path.”

8. The Friendly (4592 30th St, San Diego CA) – www.facebook.com/thefriendlySD

“I’ll be honest, I have not had this burger yet, but it’s been on my list for a while and I have a couple of friends who I trust dearly when it comes to food who love this burger. Looks amazing!”

“The Friendly”

9. Winstead’s Steakburgers (various locations in Kansas City, MO) – www.winsteadssteakburger.com

“Doing steakburgers how they should since 1940. Can you tell I like the old places?”

“Winstead’s Steakburgers”

10. McDonald’s (various locations across the world) – www.mcdonalds.com

“Are we really going to pretend like late night McDonald’s cheeseburgers aren’t fucking awesome?”

Artwork for the album ‘Feel It In The Morning’ by Blame My Youth

Born in 2003, V13 was a socio-political website that, in 2005, morphed into PureGrainAudio and spent 15 years developing into one of Canada's (and the world’s) leading music sites. On the eve of the site’s 15th anniversary, a full re-launch and rebrand takes us back to our roots and opens the door to a full suite of Music, Film, TV, and Cultural content.

Trending