Burger joint of the week: Frostop.

• GRAV WELDON
• A BURGER FOR SHARING: Frostop's one pound Big Daddy burger

I’ve rambled on about my memories of Frostop and how great the root beer is. What I haven’t shared with you is the awesomeness of the Big Daddy Burger.

A quick recap for those who haven’t read my Tie Dye Travels piece on Frostop. When I was a kid there was a location over by UAMS with a big root beer barrel sign out front. The location moved across the river to North Little Rock and has been in one building after another. Today it’s in a strip mall next to a rug shop along JFK.

On the jump… the burger that makes Frostop worthy, and my daughter’s first reaction to root beer.

• GRAV WELDON

I made a special trip back to Frostop for this story. I’ve enjoyed their shakes, their gyros, their crab cake sandwiches and their Frito Chili Pie. They know me on sight when I go in, and one of these days I’ll actually remember to take in one of those free cheese stick coupons Joe Garah sends out to the folks on the restaurant’s mailing list. And I’ve even had the regular burger before.

But the Big Daddy… now, that’s a big burger. It’s a one-pounder. It’s on a big bun. And I was going to try it.

Hunter came along for the ride that day. Now, you have to understand — while I expose Hunter to all sorts of food,

• GRAV WELDON

I’ve kept careful rein on what she drinks. She doesn’t drink cola, sweetened tea or such yet. I’m trying to keep her from developing a strong sweet tooth early on, and for the most part she does fine. It’s not just sodas — she takes her waffles without syrup and drinks tea straight. I do let her grandparents spoil her a little, but at home that’s the usual plan.

I’ve kept her away from soda because of the corn syrup, the sweetness and the caffeine. But root beer has no caffeine… and Frostop makes their own, so I decided it was all right for her to try some.

I think the photos say it all. She finished off my mug (fortunately they bring you more at Frostop) and asked for more. She also a lot of the burger… which I should get to now.

• KAT ROBINSON

• GRAV WELDON

The Big Daddy Burger comes dressed on a big buttered eight inch seeded bun. Buttered bun? You’re darn tootin’. The meat is spiced generously with Greek seasoning, nice and savory. The burger patty is flat and juicy, griddle-fried and somehow smashed — they must have a very large spatula to turn that puppy. A generous amount of American cheese is applied to the meat and nicely melted. Pickles go under the patty which give it a certain signature flavor and tang. On top, there’s several tomato slices to cover the whole surface of the burger and a fluffy pile of shredded lettuce. I had them hold the mustard and onions but both usually come with the burger.

• KAT ROBINSON

This is a cut-it-in-half burger. It fed three people — me, my daughter and my photographer. Easily. We had leftover fries — which is something, since Frostop does fries right with the nice double-fry and great seasoning.

Now here’s where I let you in on the big secret. A regular burger deal with fries and a drink is $7.95. The Big Daddy Burger combo came out to $11.20. We also added cheese for 75 cents and upgraded to a larger order of fries for 50 cents… add in the extra root beer and our total tab with tax came to $14.76. It turned out to be cheaper to get one burger and share.

And man, did Hunter eat her share.

I can gladly recommend a Frostop burger of any size. But if you don’t order a root beer you’re missing the full experience.

Frostop is located at 4131 John F. Kennedy Boulevard in North Little Rock. (501) 758-4535 or check out the Facebook fan page.