Ray's Red Hots', Ann Arbor

It may surprise you to find out that when I was in college, I ate a lot of hamburgers.  But of all the burger establishments I frequented, Red Hot Lovers was always something special.  Maybe it was the ambiance (more on that later).  Maybe it had a certain mystique; for years they closed early, especially on Sundays (the day dorm kitchens were closed for dinner), so it felt like you could never go when you wanted to.  Maybe it was just that the food was really, truly excellent.  For some reason, I ate there every week.

Every week, that is, until something terrible happened.

Despite the fact that it was fairly well covered in the news, I don't really know what caused Red Hot's to close for the majority of 2009.  I do know that at some point it re-opened with little fanfare as 'Ray's Red Hots'.'*

Ray's Red Hots'.  They're known for their hot dogs, but you need to read the hot dog blog to hear about those.

Red Hots' has never had a lot of seating, at least indoors.  I was meeting a friend there, and I was worried about taking up table space, so I asked the guy behind the counter if I could wait until my friend got there.  His response: "Don't worry about just hanging out."  I think that response tells you a lot about the mood at Red Hots'.  

If their pro-hanging out policy doesn't tell you how laid back Red Hots' is, perhaps this interior shot will.

There was a lot of signage on the walls.  Most of it related to either Ann Arbor or Chicago (I don't really know what the connection to Chicago is), some of it was connected to hot dog consumption.

The burger came on a soft bun.  There was a lot of charred taste on the exterior, with some undercooked parts in the interior.  A lot of the burger juice got into the bun, which was nice.

The fries were waffle fries, which are one of Red Hots' main attractions (or at least it's the thing my friends always liked).  The waffling greatly increase's the fries' surface area, but there's still a lot of potato in the center.  There's a lot of skin on the fries, but without a lot of skin taste.  Also, they taste really, really good.  My only qualm is that my order consisted mostly small fries, without very many large fries in the basket.

Frankly, Ray's Red Hots' just isn't as good as Red Hot Lover's used to be.  Their buns are slightly worse, and they haven't figured out how to grill the patty perfectly (the old Red Hots knew how).  That's the thought that sits looms largest in my mind every time I go there.  But it's not fair to judge Ray's against the burgers of the past, and the fact is that they still make an fine burger.  In the tradition of the old Red Hots, it remains one of a handful of places good enough that I'll eat there alone.

*Is it just me, or is the second apostrophe in that name misplaced?  I followed Ray's name for this post, but I really think they meant 'Ray's Red Hots.'