Bites Nearby: Meat, on a Bun

One of my favorite shows on television is NBC's Parks and Recreation, which features a burly character by the name of Ron Swanson.

Ron is a straight-shooting liberatarian with an affection for fine steak and whiskey. There's a great scene in the show where he finds himself in a cook-off against a colleague to determine who makes the best hamburger.

While his opponent messed around with a turkey burger and various seasonings and toppings, Ron keeps it simple.

"It's a hamburger made out of meat, on a bun with nothing," he says. "Add ketchup if you wish, I couldn't care less."

Ron, of course, is the unanimous winner.

My point in telling you this is that everyone likes a good burger.

As the Odenton Town Center starts to get built out, there is some hope that we'll get a solid sit-down restaurant with great ground beef on buns. Something like a Fuddruckers or Ruby Tuesday's.

But until that happens, it's hard to complain about in the Odenton Shopping Center. The meat is fresh, the buns are great and if you order a burger with fries you'll get far more than you can eat in one sitting. I like to get one with lettuce, tomato, mushrooms and A1 sauce, but there are plenty of other topping options, all of which are included at no cost.

Here's what other Patch editors have to say about the burgers in their towns.

Annapolis— in Hillsmere may not be one of the first places that comes to mind when you think of going to get a great burger, but it should. You may know and love the eclectic spot for breakfast. If that's the case, just get the burger with the fried egg on it to make you feel more at home. Yeah, you read that right: a fried egg on a burger.

Edgewater—When it comes to south county, I know I’ve got a lot to learn but my current favorite place to grab a burger is . Their endless topping options and pure beef patties leave me full without feeling it—most of the time.

Broadneck— offers, as one of our users put it, "the best bacon cheeseburger in town." Definitely worth checking out if you get a chance, and are in the Cape St. Claire area around lunchtime.

Pasadena—While personally, I am not a big burger fan, I did recently visit The  and the people I went with really seemed to enjoy their new stuffed burgers. You can pick from a burger stuffed with bacon and cheddar, pepperoni and cheese, spicy jack, or ham and Swiss. I was told that having the flavors stuffed into the patty adds a whole new taste to a delicious burger.

Bowie—If you like a classic burger, the Old Town Burger at the  offers a half pound of Angus beef with your choice of toppings. If you like sliders or mini-burgers, try the T.J. Slammies at . Some places feature specialty toppings that range from burgers with mac and cheese on top at  to burgers marinated in teriyaki sauce and topped with grilled pineapple and cheddar cheese at .