Best Burger in Aiken Part 6 - Betsy's on the Corner

Location - Betsy's on the Corner, 159 Laurens St NW, Aiken, SC 29801
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We've all made mistakes in our lives. We went right when we should have gone left. We zigged when we should have zagged. We decided to be passive in regards to when we eat rather than take the reins. Oh, wait. That last one was me today!

I wanted to continue my quest for the best burger in Aiken today and, of course, it's always more fun to eat with someone so I invited some friends along. Two, who shall remain nameless because they declined to enjoy good food and some decent company and are now dead to me (I'm only half kidding here), were unable to make it while the third, Glenn, wanted to go. But, he mentioned that he had a staff meeting at 1 and that it shouldn't take that long. After all, it's near the end of the year for them. Now, if you know me, you know that I like to go to lunch as close to 11:30-11:45 as possible. I won't get into it other than my stomach really starts to get aggressive and loud around then. And I'm a bit of a creature of habit, I suppose.

But I ignored my stomach's obvious protests and agreed that we could go around 1:30 because I figured, "How long could a late-season meeting take?"

Really. Seriously. How long could it take.

I am so sorry, stomach. You deserve better than to be made to wait like that, ESPECIALLY with the promise of good eats dangling in front of you like a donkey attached to a cart with a carrot hanging in front of you.

Moral of the story, if a meeting is scheduled to start at 1, don't wait. Just go eat. Life is too short and your stomach will thank you for it. And then you can laugh at all the others as they sit in obvious discomfort due to not eating, yet.

Anyways, today I decided to tackle a very nice, still fairly new place in Aiken that I have eaten at just twice before: Betsy's on the Corner. This little establishment is literally on the corner of Laurens Street and Barnwell Ave. in Downtown Aiken. It's been several different establishments over the years including a rather seedy-looking Chinese restaurant at one point. But, since it was re-done a few years ago, it has become quite the go-to spot because 1) it features good home-style food at a good price, 2) it is pleasant to look at now, and 3) it also boasts an old-fashioned soda fountain ambience. But mostly because of the first point. That and the fact that all the servers wear shirts that say "I work this corner" on the back (insert childish snicker here).

As I said before, Betsy's is not new to me like Blue Top was. I've had the club sandwich twice, and I must say it's quite good. As is the potato salad (I think that's what I had then). But today was all about the burger. In particular, the Easy Street Burger. They have several others on the menu that all made my stomach go, "Oo! Oo! That one! Can we PLEASE try that one?!" But I had to choose the one that was the closest to what I have been having everywhere else and I need to keep it constant as this is about the best basic burger. If I don't die of a heart attack, I may just go back to these places and request their signature burger and see where that leads. The one that they think will make me slap my own face. But that'll have to wait and see if I die of clogged arteries, first.

Anyways, here is what I was served (and yes, that is sweet tea in the background, not a beer. I don't day drink except when there are fun things to do like the Aiken Bluegrass Festival or college football, and especially not when I have to get back to work).

Now. First and foremost, I will say that the one, ONE, positive that I can say about eating so late was that I didn't have a big crowd to fight. Sure, the restaurant was pretty full when I got there (which is a good sign according to one of my former bosses who refuses to eat anywhere that doesn't have at least 3 or 5 cars in the parking lot) but most were just about to be leaving. I strolled in around 1:45 and I dragged my butt out at 2:15. That is a flat out record for me. Yes, I usually enjoy soaking up every last second of my hour-long lunch break, but sometimes you just feel the need to leave before you spend any more money on desserts you can't fit in your stomach. And I did have some things I needed/wanted to do before I wasted the afternoon away in a food coma.

Now, first thing to note: the burger has a very nice presentation and that is equal parts that it came on a real plate and the bun is toasted not smushed. There was a distinct lack of ketchup, but that wasn't anything major and I added it myself. It looks a little messy, but I kind of like that. If you need to tuck in a napkin to your collar or tie on a bib before you go muchin' on some grindage (name that movie!), then I think you're in the right place. My cheese of choice this time was monterey jack and I decided to go with sweet tea and I splurged a bit and ordered sweet potato fries on the side which cost me an extra $1.25 or $1.50.

Another quick side note: if you are not taking advantage of sweet potato fries at places that offer them, then you are doing meals and your entire life wrong. Very, very wrong. I absolutely love sweet potato fries because they are delicious. They are a bit of sweet, a little salty, but not too much, and a whole lot of goodness. Slap your face and then yo' momma's face good. Sorry to everyone's momma that just got slapped because of that.

OK, now that that's out of the way, that first bite was absolutely awesome, and it wasn't because I was famished. I'll go ahead and say it. It was love at first bite. It had a great mixture of tastes that you want (toasted bread, cheese, veggies, condiments, beef), all brought together by the juicy meaty taste of that fresh-ground chuck and cooked together for just the right amount of time. It wasn't over cooked or under cooked and it was very juicy. Not too much of any one veggie (FYI, there were pickles and I love my pickles on burgers. Just ask Christian at Brew Pub) and it was just a really good, really delicious burger. The lettuce was a nice green piece of leaf that looked like it offers some nutrient unlike some places I've seen. The onion seemed freshly sliced and was not in over abundance. The tomatoes were red, ripe and juicy.

New No. 1 folks. New No. 1 burger.

It had the tastes that you want, it looked good before I tore into it, it was a really nice size (I'm pretty well stuffed after it and the fries), it was at a good price, it was brought to me in a timely manner... I mean, the only thing that could have made me quit the the rest of the quest was if it had offered to cut itself and then granted me three wishes, one of which would have been for it to have a twin, before jumping into my mouth on its own.

Yeah, I'm being pretty dramatic. But seriously, it did jump. To the top of the list. Well-done Betsy's kitchen and crew. Well done, indeed.

Price - $12.00 and some change (burger, unlimited sweet tea and an additional $1.25 or $1.50 for the sweet potato fries)

Ambience - This place is a little like the Red Shed, but different from the others. We're talking checkered table cloths and window hangings. Bar top at the back old-school soda jerk style (not like a bar bar). Nice outside seating in beautiful Downtown Aiken. It's clean, it's very cool (temperature) and has some nice decorations - mostly pictures or paintings of food. It smells awesome, too. Walking up, I was near the kitchen and caught a whiff some something sweet and baked. Like a cupcake or a cake and my mouth was watering. I also caught the smells of some of their other home-cooked dishes as they went by and you can bet I'm recommending this place to anyone for lunch or dinner.

So, for those keeping score at home, after 5 we have:
1) Betsy's on the Corner
2) Playoffs
3) Red Shed
4) City Bs
5) Blue Top

Before I let you go, let me just say that I really appreciate everyone who is reading my posts. Seriously, the back end of this site tells me at the moment of this writing that I have had 572 views on my five posts (not all unique, but I'll take it). And I have had several people come up to me at various times and comment on the blog and ask me how it's going. It's a lot of fun to talk to people about this blog and to share my thoughts about my burger experiences. So, thank you everyone for reading this and for visiting the places I am putting through the ringer. I'm sure they are appreciating any business I can generate for them from this as well.