Royale w/ Cheese Report- Stomps Burger Joint Bacliff, Texas

 You've spent all day sweating it out as you work in the hot and cramped bowels of your boat. You are tired. And hungry. What to do? Get in the car, hitch a ride, take a 3 mile hike South on Hwy 146- whatever it takes to get to Bacliff. Why would you skip all the glittery, close at hand boardwalk restaurants of Kemah to ensconce yourself on a hard bench in a tiny, over crowded building? You would do this because you want a really great burger and a cold beer at about half the cost of what is available in Kemah. You do this because Stomp's Burger Joint is worth the trip.

Burger Score- 8
Big, handformed, never frozen beef. These burgers are huge and available topped with just about anything you can imagine- blue cheese w/ wing sauce, refried beans and crushed Fritos, cream cheese and jalapenos, marinated and cooked in wine (you get the idea). They lose points for not having freshly baked buns and serving them on the cool side, which could be fixed easily.

Side Dish-7
We ordered a plate of half and half. Half fries, half onion rings. Next time we know- skip the french fries until they quit using frozen fries and up their game with hand cut ones. Get the rings. Order them double dipped. Do not think about cholesterol or fat, just enjoy the onion ring makers art because that is what they do- raise onion ring making to an art.

Ambiance- 10
While Stomp's is crowded and the seating isn't exactly comfortable and they lack an awesome jukebox  to really take it over the top I am giving them a 10. The reasons for this are two fold. First and foremost, the waitstaff here is fantastic. Mark still doesn't always embrace the American custom of tipping waitstaff for doing the basics. The staff is so helpful and friendly while not being overbearing that Mark tipped happily. This speaks volumes about the quality of the staff. When the Scotsman parts with money in a cheerful manner, you know that the service is first rate.

 I also had to figure out a way to give points for value. We had 3 huge burgers, a plate of half and half, a kids meal, drinks and 3 beers. The wait staff even gave the kids Bluebell ice cream- gratis. Our grand total with tip was $34 and change. You can not do dinner for four in Kemah for even close to that and while you would pay more, it wouldn't be half as good.

Total Score- 25
 Stomp's Burger Joint is the best burger going on Galveston Bay. We will be back.