Meaty Burgers Slay Mighty Hunger At Ground Round

The sign in front of The Ground Round in Coeur d’Alene tells only half the story. It reads “famous for burgers.”

Let’s not forget about the kitchen sink. That’s the name of the gut-busting omelette jam-packed with everything but the said sink.

And that’s the dish polished off by my big-eating buddy who introduced me to this mostly locals hangout. (“Did you notice all the pickups in the parking lot?” he asked. Yeah, and all the guys wearing ballcaps inside.)

My friend calls the grub at the Ground Round “good food and lots of it.”

The Ground Round has been filling folks up for 20 years with its famous burgers and omelettes. It was launched by Dale Nosworthy, a former pro football player. (Well, he played briefly in the CFL in 1971.) He chalked up the enduring appeal of the place to the “extremely large portions at a good price.”

Indeed, everything is big at the Ground Round. The drinks come in quart-sized goblets. Meals don’t come on plates, but on platters. Enormous trophy animals seem to watch every bite from their spots on the wall.

The rest of the wall space is dedicated to all manner of sports memorabilia, including a section devoted to local heroes. Some of the pennants are dusty and the clippings have faded, but that adds to the place’s down home feel.

Upstairs in a loft that has a view of the dining room, a pool table and video games are usually occupied by kids. (Despite having pickled eggs on the menu, the Ground Round doesn’t attract much of a bar crowd.)

There’s a big rock fireplace in the corner of the dining room, but it was dark on the rainy afternoon I visited. The TV above it was switched off, too. In fact, the only background noise was that of customers eating and talking.

Settle in and study the extensive menu, which consists of all sorts of burgers and omelettes. (Twenty-one variations in each category.)

The burgers are hand-formed patties made with fresh, not frozen, ground beef. It does make a big difference in taste.

I tried the basic burger (Big Al’s Delight, $2.95), the smallest sandwich on the list. Not because I was counting calories. No, I just wanted to leave room for that side of fries I ordered in addition to the potato salad that came with my burger.

Both spud selections hit the spot. (This is Idaho, after all.) Like the rest of the stuff on the menu, they’re made from scratch. Imagine french fries actually tasting like real potatoes.

The potato salad comes in the standard mayo-based dressing, except that it has a tangy twist, possibly from a shot of vinegar. That kick made it taste lighter than most potato salads. Still, I couldn’t finish it all.

French fries at Ground Round are a long way from crispy shoestrings. They are thick cut and fried a deep shade of brown. I usually like my fries crunchy, so I was turned off when I first picked one up and it was limp. But the fresh potato taste brought me around.

The burger was just fine, well-cooked with a good meaty flavor. It could have been juicier, but then the bun would have probably fallen apart even sooner than it did. (It’s hard to find a bun that can stand up to all those fixins.)

If you’re starving, try taking on King Kong. This behemoth stacks up with 1/3-pound patty, ham and two kinds of cheese. (Why don’t I just slap that directly onto my hips, thank you very much.) Another oft-ordered burger is dubbed the Sun Valley, which is adorned with avocado and sauteed mushrooms.

The offerings haven’t changed much since Ground Round flipped its first burger, but a few years ago, some sandwiches and salads were added. It might be the only restaurant in the universe to list nachos under its salad selection.

In the omelette department, my pal made quick work of his Kitchen Sink ($6.95), enthusing about its nicely sauteed mushrooms, onions and green peppers. It also contained enough cheese to top a pizza and both ground beef and sausage. Top that with sour cream and avocado.

It easily filled half a platter.

Yowza.

On the other half was a big pile of hash browns, crispy and light, not too greasy. You can order them with brown gravy - why not? - that’s seasoned just right.

I found the names of other omelettes amusing. The Nature Boy contains ‘shrooms, American cheese and tomatoes. (What, no sprouts?) The St. Patrick’s special features corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. You can’t refuse the Godfather with Italian sausage, olives, mozzarella, mushrooms and marinara. The “Jock” Cousteau is stuffed with crab. (It’s the most expensive entree on the menu at $7.25.)

Not surprisingly, the Ground Round is packed on the weekends with the breakfast crowd.

The menu prefaces its breakfast selections by calling them “very, very large portions” in bold type. Omelettes are served all day long, but pancakes and French toast are available only until 10:30 a.m.

This isn’t a place to come if you’re watching your cholesterol or counting calories. Too many trips here might have you looking like half the restaurant’s name - round.

But if you’ve got a powerful hunger, this is a spot where you can stuff yourself silly.

The Ground Round is located at 4045 Government Way in Coeur d’Alene. The phone number is (208) 664-6161. It’s open daily.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map of location of The Ground Round

MEMO: Under $8 features reviews of inexpensive restaurants in the Inland Northwest. Leslie Kelly can be contacted via E-mail at lesliek@spokesman.com or regular mail to Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.

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