Four mile Mike and the Lamb Sliders – Only Burger Durham

A friend of mine from the gym, Mike, has a hard and fast rule: he will not travel more than four miles for a meal, regardless of how good it might be.

Now, of course regular visitors to this space know I will travel an hour and a half in each direction for a really good burger; that ninety minutes of travel, even for a sloppy example of cholesterol laden paleo-burger is in no way too over the top. That supporting such retro haunts is one of the things true gourmands should indulge. He, of course, thinks my sojourns are silly (not that he would ever say that to my face) and would never embark on such a lark. And besides, it would violate his four mile rule.

In theory, he makes sense. These Calvinist times have chastened most. Traveling hours for even the best of hamburgers may come off as decadent, no matter how delicious. It makes sense to obtain some of the joys of life closer to home. As my father once opined, "one should take pleasure from one's own backyard, however humble".

The wages of such a temperate existence could very well be a life a rutted routine. Traveling well trodden trails to the same joints over and over again can become maddeningly mundane. Banality and boredom, walking hand in hand, cancel any culinary adventures. Perhaps, I should just stay home and cook spa cuisine, basking in the reflected genius of my own photogenic foodie creations.

Nah. Can't do it. There's too much good food just down the road.

And just down the road in Durham is something that has to be tasted to be believed: the lamb slider with tzatziki sauce and feta cheese at Only Burger. Brian and his staff have been the recipients of much attention before and not just from me. Her Imperial Majesty and I were big fans when he was just a food truck with an avid following. Apparently, the avid following has grown and he's added a brick and mortar location to augment his mobile empire.

Non-four mile Mike the Expediter, making sure everything
comes out right.

We popped in one recent Saturday and found the joint packed with a line out the door. We sidled up the counter (sort of like a bar) and watched his crack staff work their magic. Fries were done the right way, cooked twice in true Belgium tradition. The onion rings are enormous. And the lamb sliders?  They are, in a word, awesome. 

What always worked in a gyro, works even better in burger form. The balance of the tzatziki sauce with pungent feta against the lamb is incredible. They were also serving a Reuben burger with corned beef, slaw, pickle and Russian dressing which was good. The addition of the pickle, which is not traditionally on a Reuben sandwich, was a nice touch and added a bit of acid to balance the flavor.

But the lamb, oh the lamb. So good, so perfect, we're going back again this week. It's that good.

It is 21.86 miles from our gym to Only Burger in Durham. And while I know Mike won't venture out beyond his self-imposed four mile limit, I hope he does. Because it's that good.

Only Burger

Hope Valley Square 3710 Shannon Road,

Suite 118

Durham, NC

TEL 919-937-9377


Cuisine: Beautiful burgers

Rating: *****

Prices: $

Atmosphere: Crowded with local foodies who know

Noise level: Quick service crowded

Open: MON. - SAT. 11:00AM-9PM; SUN. 11AM-8PM

Reservations: Are you crazy?

Other: Cash, Visa and MC only – no AmEx.

We rank restaurants in five categories: Extraordinary***** Excellent**** Above average*** Average** Fair*