Headed north the other day, we got an opportunity to stop off in West Lafayette and try Triple XXX. Considering my Mom grew up in Lafayette, I was thinking how weird it was I had never been there. I spent quite a bit of time in Lafayette as a child at my Grandparents. Anyway, we were on our way to Chicago, and as we hit Lafayette were starting to get hungry, so we quickly figured out the address and plugged it into the GPS.
It really isn’t too far off the freeway, and once you get close to it, it is easy to spot the bright orange stripes on the building. We walked in at 11:30 on a Friday and found the place nearly full. Its curvy counter-only seating flows all the way around the interior of the restaurant. We found a couple of stools near the front, noticing that several of the college students eating were still partaking in the breakfast that is served all day. It looked pretty good. But I was there for a burger. This place is known for their burgers, and in fact was just featured in a USA Today article about the best burgers in the country, and a few years back was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives.
They call their burgers “chop steaks” because they grind 100% sirloin for them and add nothing else. Sounded good to me. And it was. I went with the “Barney Burger” which is a ¼ pound burger served with melted American cheese and grilled onions and a side of onion rings (described on the menu as “the real thing!) This burger was outstanding. One of the best I have had. Now, it isn’t the really thin crispy type that I tend to prefer, but a slightly thicker version. But the meat is so tender, it is unbelievable. And the cheese was properly melted across the meat with wonderfully cooked onions on top. They were cooked enough to take some of the rawness away, but not so much that there wasn’t still a bit of crunch. The onion rings were your basic onion rings, and yes, there was a real onion in there (as opposed to what, I am not sure), but I have my doubts as to whether they are making them in house. They did taste good though and had a nice flavor in the crust. I did make the mistake of not ordering the root beer (I totally spaced it) but that is where the name comes from (Triple XXX is the brand of root beer they serve). Next time for sure.
Hubby decided to try the pork tenderloin, and while he said it wasn’t bad, desperately wished he had ordered a burger after he had tried mine. Luckily for him, I am generous and shared a few bites with him so he knew what he was missing. Guaranteed, next time we go (and we will), we will both be ordering a burger. He also had the fries, which were fine, but again, not the reason you are coming to Triple XXX. This is an example of a place that is really living up to all the hype in my opinion, at least as far as the burgers go. I can’t wait to come up with an excuse to drive back up there and have another one.
Triple XXX
State Road 26 West & Salisbury
West Lafayette, IN
765-743-5373
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