Old Wild West Burger Joint Review

The Old Wild West world got a little smaller last weekend. The glitter of a freshly barbecued burger with all the trimmings took a big hit.   I fear that Old Wild West is losing its legendary reputation of serving up great cowboy sized meals that are fresh off the grill. Lately, the deeper you dive into their menu, the more you will want to stay away.  It's no longer a unique experience.    This is sad to me as getting a good burger here in Pasta Land is difficult, and being American I kind of need a good burger once in awhile.  

There are few burger places in and around the Padova, Italy area, and the one we frequent, called Old Wild West, is located in the town of Monselice.  This week, when arriving,  we first noticed that they had finally taken down the tattered American flag that had sadly hung outside in the rain all winter long.  Workmen were freshening up the wooden patio area with fresh paint, and so it looked like the management was taking some pride in the business.   However, it was all downhill from then on.

One thing you have to get used to at Wild West is that after you order your food and drinks, it takes a long time for the drinks to arrive.  We have waited more than ten minutes for drinks.  I usually remember to  mention to the waiter that we would like our drinks before the food.  This time it came late and my beer was flat as a pancake.  It had little of the carbonation that one finds in a St. Benoit Red.  

I don't expect it to look exactly like this

I had ordered a California Burger.  This is what the menu shows it should look like.  This is the burger as shown on the Wild West Website, which  is the same picture that is on the menu.  You see lots of cheese, a large tomato, lettuce, mushrooms, and a good size beef patty.  It’s not difficult to make a good burger, especially when you have this photo to show you what it looks like.

Clearly not even close to expectations.  Is there cheese?  Bacon broken into pieces.   Pee wee sized tomato.  The bottom of the bun is much smaller.

I always cut my burgers in half when they are large, and I sliced down through my California Burger to find this.  It is hard to see any of the items pictured, and my tomato fell out.  It was the size of a half dollar coin.  You cannot even see it in the photo.  Clearly the manager is cutting corners on this, too.   I did not squash my burger, either.  That was how it came. 

What was the cook thinking of?  Or better yet, what is the management thinking to serve up a burger not even fit for a horse thief.   If this was served anyone in Texas, there would be a lot of trouble.  

I don’t want to forget to mention that my burger was cold, and my  small side of fries were only a little warm.  So far, a complete waste of my money, and you can see from the menu that these burgers are not cheap!   Lastly, I received half the fries normally placed on the plate!

This is not the first time we have received cold burgers.  This was the second in a row.  I can forgive them for charging for ketchup,  I can forgive them for slow service, but take a look at my burger and you can see why I am upset.    

I figure that I am going to give Old West one more chance, and if they don’t serve up a burger that sort of looks like the menu picture, if they don’t  serve up something hot off the grill, then we will stop going there.

Many of you read my blog to find out what life is like in Italy.  You want to know about the people, and the food.  One major difference I have found in Italy is that the Italians seem to be a little more easy going than Americans.  They accept things as they are without complaining.   When we were paying the bill for our burgers I wanted to mention to the manager what I was feeling about Old Wild West after such a deflated experience.  My Italian wife stopped me.  She reasoned with me that writing about our meal in my blog and also sending it to the corporate website would be better.  (I prefer a face to face chit chat, however, it had been a long day.)  

I am not recommending Old Wild West anymore.  13 dollars, (euro to dollar) for a deflated cold burger without any of the fixings that you can see is not worth it.  All that cowboy junk hanging on the walls, rodeo scenes on the big screen, and peanuts for appetizers won’t cut it for me.  It shouldn’t for you.    Better get your burgers at  American Graffiti at the movie complex and give them a try.  So far, they have come through 100%.  They don't charge extra for ketchup!

Ciao!