Uncle Sam's, 288 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield
IF you added up all the miles travelled by the little train which runs around the track suspended from the ceiling at Uncle Sam's burger bar since it opened on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, in 1972, it would stretch to the moon.
OK I've just made that bit up but I bet I'm not far out.
The train is the first thing all of Sheffield knows or remembers about the place – the first American-style burger joint.
Thirty-seven years is a heck of a long time and I'd not been in for yonks. The closest I got was at Yankees last year – and compared to Uncle Sam's that's a young 'un.
So the first thing I did was to check if the train was still running.
Yes it was, loco 210 was still going strong. Wonder whether it's the original?
Uncle Sam's is deceptive. It looks quite small from the outside but when you go through the door you see there's another room with a bar. And you're in a time warp.
Above the wooden panelling on the deep red walls the same pictures are still there, a sort of shrine to the Fifties and early Sixties with photos of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elvis, James Dean, John Wayne and James Dean. Oh and there are a couple of Beatles posters for a modern touch.
That's fine by me. There's nothing wrong with a big dollop of nostalgia every now and again. For what Uncle Sam sells as much as burgers are memories.
Memories to be taken out and polished when people, like me, come back to eat after years away. Memories for people who bring their kids to eat. Memories for the kids who bring their parents 30 odd years on. And memories in the making for that two-year-old in the family group who later make such a racket you can hear them in the toilets.
For me, sometime in the late 1970s, Uncle Sam's was where I first encountered sweetcorn relish.
Even then I didn't get out much...
Uncle Sam's does eight different burgers, which each come in two sizes, grills, 'dinosaur ribs,' steaks and a dash of Tex-Mex such as tostados and tortillas as well as pizzas, hot dogs and BLT.
I'm going to have a burger, of course, but first I want to really guzzle so I order the chicken wings (3.85) with a BBQ dip.
There are nine of them and the dip helps the flavour but it's the icky stickiness you buy them for and they're enjoyable.
My wife has the mozzarella sticks and dip (3.10), a new one on us, which are fried, bland, breadcrumbed sticks of soft cheese.
We have a glass of beer (it's John Smith's fizzy) and a glass of wine with our meal but I'm looking at the bloke at the next who ordered a
milkshake. That's what I should have done.
I have a large 230g or half pound cheese burger (8.30) and my wife points out I could equally have had a smaller, cheaper one. Like an MP caught with his hand in the till, I burble it's within the rules.
As a burger, it is not quite the experience I wanted to have. It's OK but not remarkable, the meat a loosely made pattie. I'm not sure I really want the white gooey cheese but my wife likes it.
On an impulse I have ordered a side dish of onion rings (3.10). Nice but they, like the chips, are out of a packet.
My wife has ordered tostados (8.25), tortillas filled with mince and red beans with a baked potato. It looks like it was assembled by throwing everything into the air and catching it on the plate. "Tastes better than it looks," she says.
The waitresses at Uncle Sam's are pretty and smile a lot but are not very good at remembering to bring the relish tray, wiping down tables between courses or asking if you want dessert. I suspect it was because boss Sue Crossland, who has run the place since 1986, was on holiday.
I want to relive my teens with a knickerbocker glory (4.25) but am waiting to be asked. My wife eventually gets fed up and, unknown to me, looks meaningfully at a waitress and beams her over.
The table is not cleaned but the Knickerbocker Glory is all that I want – various ices, fresh cream, sauces, mixed nut and cream, it says on the menu. Very, very naughty but quite the best bit of the meal.
We paid 31.55 for food.
Uncle Sam's
298 Ecclesall Road, Sheffield.
Telephone: 0114 266 8588.
Open Mon 12-10pm, Tues-Thur 12-11.30, Fri-Sat 12pm-12am, Sun 12-10.30pm. Credit cards. Lively music. Disabled access and toilets. Street parking.
My star ratings (out of five):
Food HHH
Atmosphere HHHH
Service HH
Value HHH
Theme bar category. Do not compare ratings between places of different style or price.
What do you think? Add your comment below.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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