Burger crawl

BROOKLINE — A couple weeks ago, I sat alone at the bar at the Publick House here drinking a beer and digging into a hamburger and french fries. The bun was soft and a little sweet, the meat juicy and beefy, just salty enough, and smothered in melted cheddar. The fries, with flaky bits of skin, actually tasted like potatoes with every bite. A cheeseburger is more than just a sandwich. It gives you everything you want all at once: salt, sweet, grease, cheese. Just roll up your sleeves, pick it up in your hands, and chew.

At its most basic — and in the case of burgers and fries, the more basic the better — a hamburger is a tough cut of beef passed through a grinder and then tucked inside a roll. However it’s made, it should be juicy, beefy, cheap, and satisfying. There are many variations: flat or round, hand formed or machine pressed, grilled or griddled. Grinding makes a fatty and gristly cut of meat, usually chuck or round, as tender as filet mignon. But chuck is cheap meat, which means plenty of fat, and the flavor is in the fat. That’s why even budget burgers taste good and why stuffing a luxurious patty with expensive foie gras misses the point.

We went in search of burgers that hit the mark every time, with freshly ground meat shaped into patties on the premises, were just lifted out of their fat baths onto the plate. But what’s a great burger if the setting detracts from the experience? In the end, some good burgers were a real bargain, and others — like the one at Publick House — cost a little more, but the atmosphere made up for it.

But back to the essentials, like the bun. This should be soft and sweet, which usually beats crusty and bulky. After all, the bun is nothing more than a carrier for the meat, something to soak up the juices and help the patty get from the plate to your mouth. Without a bun a hamburger is just Salisbury steak without the cream-of-mushroom-soup sauce. A slice of cheese is all the topping you need. Why burden a perfect meal with out-of-season tomatoes and lettuce that turn limp when they hit the hot meat?

Everyone longs for great fries, crisp on the outside and light as air inside. Ideally, they’re cut at the restaurant from real potatoes and fried when your order gets to the kitchen. Frozen fries are never really good. Actually, frozen fries are usually terrible.

In Boston, a good burger is not hard to find. Everywhere from hotel room service to the local diner offers a version of the classic. In the end, a burger should be so enjoyable that you forget about where you’re eating it. As for the health factor, you have to think, ‘‘This is gonna bust my belt and clog my arteries. I’ll need some Maalox before bed. But bring it on.’’