Lunch with the Press: K.C. Harris Burgers

By TEDDYE SNELL

TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS April 09, 2008 05:42 pm

— It’s an irresistible urge. Sometimes, you just have to have one: a genuine, old-fashioned, hand-pattied hamburger fresh off the griddle.
With the advent of McDonald’s, Burger King, Jack In The Box, et al, the home-style hamburger is becoming harder and harder to find.
Enter Kris “K.C.” Harris. After retiring from an illustrious career as choir director for Tahlequah Public Schools, Harris has perfected the art of the hamburger, in my opinion, hands down.
Located on the southeast corner of Water and Downing Streets, K.C. Harris Burgers has become a lunchtime haven for burger purists. Family owned and operated K.C. Harris Burgers highlights a family of strong women, from Kris’ mother, who still works daily in the kitchen making the hamburger patties, to Kris and her daughter, who take turns running the grill and greeting customers.
The restaurant offers the standard fare of burgers, fries, tater tots and soft drinks, as well as some unique specialties, including a nifty alternative to onion rings – onion straws – and, last I checked, fried asparagus. Diners also have a choice of a number of salads and wraps, all reasonably priced for lunch.
This day, however, I wanted a burger. While some may opt for Swiss cheese and mushrooms, jalapenos and bacon, or a double cheeseburger with chili and the works, I order mine pretty basic: a single-patty cheeseburger with mustard and pickles. As a side, I indulged in cheese fries, and had a soft drink to wash it all down. My lunch ran less than $10, which in today’s market seems to be the benchmark.
A new innovation at the restaurant is its drive-through window, which was a stroke of genius. In this business, we work on a pretty tight schedule, so I prefer to call my order in, then drive down to the window, where a doorbell awaits customers right outside. I rang the bell, and within seconds K.C. herself was standing there with my brown paper bag of homemade goodness.
In my numerous experiences at KC Harris, one of the best things about the burger is it’s always hot, even after driving the short distance back to work. I opened the paper wrapper, and immediately, someone from another department was standing next to my desk saying, “Man, that smells awesome.”
And awesome it is. The folks at KC Harris know what they’re doing when frying up a homemade burger. It’s perfect in size, the condiments are proportioned on the bun with care, and the cheese is really melted - like while it was cooking - just like my mom used to make.