Kozy place for comfort burgers

Photo

Photo by: Katie Rickman

The Viking Burger at the Kozy Kitchen in Warren where the Burger Guyz met Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2014. The Viking Burger is a 20oz. burger with cheese, bacon, grilled onion and mushrooms and is 10.99.

By Anthony M. FUDA

mvbrb@hotmail.com

If you don’t have the time, or just want to have someone else do the cooking, head down to the Kozy Kitchen and have them do all the work for you, especially if what you want is a tasty made-to-order burger.

We traveled down to Parkman Road and did just that. It was a cold, miserable day and we all wanted a nice meal and a friendly environment to readjust our personal settings.

The Kozy Kitchen is a nice little restaurant where you feel like you’re walking in your own front door, ready to open that fridge and feed your fancy.

We opened the Kitchen’s front door and found a modern-looking diner with an inviting setting. After choosing a table for our group to conduct our business, we settled in for our meals.

Our waitress, Veronica Marriotti, made our Kozy Kitchen experience pleasant and enjoyable with her witty banter and over-the-top service. She made sure nobody saw the bottom of their cup and was ready with any condiment we wanted. We thought we might be getting special treatment, but we watched her treat all her patrons the same way.

We were hungry, so we opened our menus and were ready for some good burgers.

The menu offers 12 burgers to choose from, each hand-made and a hefty 10 ounces: Cheeseburger; Hamburger; Bacon Cheeseburger; Texas Burger (bacon, cheese, barbecue sauce on Texas toast); Kozy Burger (cheese, grilled onions, mushrooms, bacon); Southwestern Burger (pepper strips, pepper jack cheese); Viking Burger (two 10-ounce patties, cheese, bacon, grilled onions, mushrooms); Greek Burger (with hot Feta cheese); Cordon Bleu Burger (cheese, slice of ham, bleu cheese sauce); Philly Steak Burger (lean Philly meat, pepper strips, onions, cheese); and Atomic Burger (hot sauce, hot pepper cheese).

The final burger was a true monster, called the Triple Decker Burger. It is 2 pounds of meat, topped with cheese, bacon, grilled onions, pepper strips and mushrooms. Kozy owner Ali Davis said numerous people have tried this burger, but she has seen only four people finish it. Chiz said he was up for the task as he attempted to take down this monster.

The burgers were sided with your choice of fresh-cut fries or soup and were nestled between a nicely toasted roll.

After making our final decisions, we commenced to eating and watching Chiz attack the monster.

Chiz made a valiant attempt but could not finish it all. He put a huge dent in it and enjoyed what he did finish, saying: “I arrived at the Kozy Kitchen a little late. Immediately, my burger buddies confided in me to take down the monster known as the “Triple Decker” challenge. I confidently accepted the challenge. Then it showed up, and it hit me that I was in over my head in beefy goodness.

“This three patty, 32-ounce behemoth came topped with lots of cheese, bacon, grilled onions, peppers and mushrooms. I immediately regretted my decision when it hit the table. Then I took my first bite, and all of that juicy tastiness went all over the place. This sandwich was bigger than my two fists stacked one on another. I took only a few bites before I realized I needed to chop it down and try to inhale it this way. This was one of the more quality buns I have had, a strong, juice-absorbing complement to this giant.

“After the first bite, I took back all regret. It was delightful from beginning, to almost end, as I finished about three quarters of it. This Wednesday, David did not take down Goliath. This burger manhandled me, and I’d suggest that only serious, competitive eaters try this. Although it did make for a tasty snack for lunch the next day. Kozy Korner turned out to be another hidden gem, and an establishment I will visit again,” Chiz said.

I had the Viking Burger, and this two-pattied, 20-ounce little monster was something a Viking would eat before heading to battle. The burgers came out exactly medium with a good flavor, and each bite was very juicy. The toppings were cooked perfectly and added a nice blend of flavors — between the gently seasoned beef, the grilled onions and mushrooms and the healthy sheet of melted cheese. The toasted bun soaked in the flavors and rewarded me as I put the finishing touches on my feast.

Eric, our resident heat expert, said: “It took no time for my eyes to find the “Atomic Burger” among the list of choices on the menu. The name alone called to me, as if to be daring me to try it, and I wasn’t about to back down.

“The beef itself kicked off with a great seasoned flavor, and I was able to tell it was fresh and cooked perfect to my liking. The burger came with two toppings, specialty hot sauce and pepper jack cheese. These complemented the overall flavor nicely, not too hot to ruin the flavor, but still hot enough that it will appeal to anyone who enjoys the hot and spicy cuisine as I do.

“Once I experienced the burger in its intended form, I kicked it up a notch with more hot sauce and hot pepper seeds, which is when the heat really kicked in and had me dipping my hand-cut french fries into the homemade buttermilk ranch dressing for a counter punch. I can easily say this burger definitely keeps true to its name, and my thumbs up.”

After a long, hard day’s work, stop by this Kozy Kitchen and send the day’s troubles away with one of their delicious burgers.

Keep reading the Valley food section each Wednesday for the best food the Valley has to offer. If you know of a burger that should be on our hit list, send the info to mvbrb@hotmail.com, or on our Facebook page BurgerGuyz.