quite aware of their status in American food history. Regardless of the provenance that surrounds Louis’, the prices are fair and the burgers are always fresh and tasty.
SHADY GLEN
840 EAST MIDDLE TRNPK | MANCHESTER, CT 06040
860-649-4245 | MON–SAT 7 AM–10:30 PM
SUN 10:30 AM–10:30 PM
T he inside of the Shady Glen looks like a cheeseburger. The yellow-striped wallpaper, warm lighting, and low brown Formica countertops mimic the colors of their famous cheeseburger concoction. Ice cream may be the number-one seller at this Manchester, Connecticut institution, but the cheeseburger is what has made them famous. In 1949, Bernice Rieg invented the “Bernice Original,” which became an immediate success and still accounts for 80 percent of their sandwich sales today. The
four-ounce cheeseburger comes with four slices of cheese. The cheese is not just stacked atop the burger; it is symmetrically placed, centered on the burger as it cooks on the hot griddle. An understandably large portion of this cheese makes direct contact with the griddle. When the cheese cooks through it is curled skyward by the deft grillman until it resembles a cheese crown. Amazingly, I watched burger after burger leave the grill with the same dramatic cheese. The same burger, over and over, since 1949.
“It’s a special cheese, but that’s all I can tell you,” Michael the manager smiled. Michael started working at the Shady Glen over two decades ago as a dishwasher. “At 22 years, I’m still the new kid on the block.” Shady Glen is a very busy place. There are more than 15 employees in constant motion, waitresses in little ruffled aprons and grillmen in paper caps and black bow-ties. This is the real deal, not a mock-up like Johnny Rockets.
There are no menus at the Shady Glen, just wall menus, and they are basic. You can order a “cheeseburger” or a “big cheeseburger;” the latter comes with the four slices of cheese. The smaller “cheeseburger” comes with only three slices. It’s served on a white squishy bun and delivered to your spot at the counter with your own personal condiment tray of relish, raw onion, mustard, and ketchup. The Shady Glen can sell up to 4,000 Bernice Originals on a busy week. That’s a lot of cheese sculpture.
The Bernice Original
I stood by the grill and watched closely—the cheese, which looked like a house-sliced mild cheddar, really does not stick. One of the grill men offered some shaky science. “The carbon, uh, buildup on the griddle over the years acts sort of like Teflon.” I think he’s right. I had a hard time trying to figure out what do with my cheese wings once I had my burger in front of me. Two guys sitting near me at the counter had opposing views. One told me, “Fold the crisps onto the burger and eat it that way.” “Not me,” said the other, “I like to break them off and eat them separately.” A girl sitting on the other side of me was chewing on some cheese crown crisps with no burger in sight. “This is an order of Crispy Cheese,” she told me. This guilty pleasure is served on a bed of lettuce and is not on the menu.
In 2008 Bernice passed away and a longtime employee Bill Hoch and his wife, Annette, became owners of the 62-year-old restaurant. They did not change a single thing about the place, probably because Bill started working at Shady Glen in 1954. He told me with a chuckle, “I’ve been a lifer here.”
At first I was concerned about the large mural that spans the entire west end of the restaurant. It depicts strange elves having a picnic of burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream. As I left the restaurant I looked again at the mural and fully understood its significance—the Shady Glen is a necessary fantasy. I hope it never goes away.
TED’S RESTAURANT
1044 BROAD ST | MERIDEN, CT 06450
203-237-6660 | WWW.TEDSRESTAURANT.COM
MON–SAT 11 AM–10 PM | SUN 11 AM–8 PM
I f you are looking for a truly unique hamburger experience,
SHADY GLEN
840 EAST MIDDLE TRNPK | MANCHESTER, CT 06040
860-649-4245 | MON–SAT 7 AM–10:30 PM
SUN 10:30 AM–10:30 PM
T he inside of the Shady Glen looks like a cheeseburger. The yellow-striped wallpaper, warm lighting, and low brown Formica countertops mimic the colors of their famous cheeseburger concoction. Ice cream may be the number-one seller at this Manchester, Connecticut institution, but the cheeseburger is what has made them famous. In 1949, Bernice Rieg invented the “Bernice Original,” which became an immediate success and still accounts for 80 percent of their sandwich sales today. The
four-ounce cheeseburger comes with four slices of cheese. The cheese is not just stacked atop the burger; it is symmetrically placed, centered on the burger as it cooks on the hot griddle. An understandably large portion of this cheese makes direct contact with the griddle. When the cheese cooks through it is curled skyward by the deft grillman until it resembles a cheese crown. Amazingly, I watched burger after burger leave the grill with the same dramatic cheese. The same burger, over and over, since 1949.
“It’s a special cheese, but that’s all I can tell you,” Michael the manager smiled. Michael started working at the Shady Glen over two decades ago as a dishwasher. “At 22 years, I’m still the new kid on the block.” Shady Glen is a very busy place. There are more than 15 employees in constant motion, waitresses in little ruffled aprons and grillmen in paper caps and black bow-ties. This is the real deal, not a mock-up like Johnny Rockets.
There are no menus at the Shady Glen, just wall menus, and they are basic. You can order a “cheeseburger” or a “big cheeseburger;” the latter comes with the four slices of cheese. The smaller “cheeseburger” comes with only three slices. It’s served on a white squishy bun and delivered to your spot at the counter with your own personal condiment tray of relish, raw onion, mustard, and ketchup. The Shady Glen can sell up to 4,000 Bernice Originals on a busy week. That’s a lot of cheese sculpture.
The Bernice Original
I stood by the grill and watched closely—the cheese, which looked like a house-sliced mild cheddar, really does not stick. One of the grill men offered some shaky science. “The carbon, uh, buildup on the griddle over the years acts sort of like Teflon.” I think he’s right. I had a hard time trying to figure out what do with my cheese wings once I had my burger in front of me. Two guys sitting near me at the counter had opposing views. One told me, “Fold the crisps onto the burger and eat it that way.” “Not me,” said the other, “I like to break them off and eat them separately.” A girl sitting on the other side of me was chewing on some cheese crown crisps with no burger in sight. “This is an order of Crispy Cheese,” she told me. This guilty pleasure is served on a bed of lettuce and is not on the menu.
In 2008 Bernice passed away and a longtime employee Bill Hoch and his wife, Annette, became owners of the 62-year-old restaurant. They did not change a single thing about the place, probably because Bill started working at Shady Glen in 1954. He told me with a chuckle, “I’ve been a lifer here.”
At first I was concerned about the large mural that spans the entire west end of the restaurant. It depicts strange elves having a picnic of burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream. As I left the restaurant I looked again at the mural and fully understood its significance—the Shady Glen is a necessary fantasy. I hope it never goes away.
TED’S RESTAURANT
1044 BROAD ST | MERIDEN, CT 06450
203-237-6660 | WWW.TEDSRESTAURANT.COM
MON–SAT 11 AM–10 PM | SUN 11 AM–8 PM
I f you are looking for a truly unique hamburger experience,
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