The Town Pump in Clear Lake, Iowa (see map) is one of my more favorite places to stop and get a burger when I'm traveling to and from the Twin Cities. It's in downtown Clear Lake, just north of the lake, itself. It's kind of an older place, sort of rustic, but the place is clean, a lot of locals eat there, and the burgers are good.
They went through a change of ownership in 2004 and even though the burgers are still pretty good, I don't think they're as good as when the previous owners ran the place. Under the previous regime, the burgers would come with a little condiment holder where you could generously dish on as much onions or pickles as you like. The new owners just throw an onion and a couple pickles on when you order it with everything.
Not that there isn't anything wrong with that. Like I say the burgers are still good. One thing I did notice after the new owners took over is that the buns don't seem to be as light and fresh as they were before. A lot of people don't realize that buns are what really make a good hamburger. And for the longest time I thought the Town Pump had the best burgers I'd ever tasted. They're still good but not the best.
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