One of the many places recommended by Hamburger America is Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage in Cambridge – right across the street from Harvard University.

Open since 1960, they’ve got this serving-burgers-to-the-masses thing going on. To the right, Madison and I are giving our orders to someone outside as we’re in line so that we can get our choice of burger once we get inside.

Starting with a seven ounce patty, anything and everything can be added to a burger to give it that celebrity bump, with a menu that changes with the political times (the Ted Kennedy – “a plump, liberal amount of burger w/ cheddar cheese, grilled mushrooms & french fries” / the Sarah Palain – “(more guns than brains) with grilled onions & cheese sauce w/ french fries”).

In this photo, from inside, you can see how crowded the place is. It is like a sports bar, without the bar part. Pick your burger and don’t make a choice between the frappe (milkshake) and the raspberry lime rickey. Have both.