Photo courtesy seriouseats.comSo while I was looking for those weird 1970’s McDonald’s commercials featuring Mayor McCheese over at A Hamburger Today (the Serious Eats all-burger channel), what did I stumble across but a full-fledged review of Seattle’s own Mickey D’s analog, Dick’s Drive-In. It was written by part-time PNW burger stringer (and full-time pizza addict) Adam Lindsley, and is part one of a two-part package which should culminate with a counter-review of Red Mill Burgers at some later date.Now as for me, I fully appreciate the role that Dick’s plays in Seattle’s burger ecology. But what did Mr. Lindsley think? Here’s his take on the Dick’s Deluxe:”Two wafer-thin patties from the MacDonald Meat Co. are griddled until a lovely crust of salt envelopes the beef, then placed on a soft Franz Bakery bun and topped with shredded iceberg lettuce, mayo, mustard, chopped pickles, and gooey American cheese. The mustard comes through strongest of all, followed closely by the surprisingly sweet pickles. It’s a nice pair of flavors. The whole affair is smashed flat like a McDonald’s hamburger, making for one thoroughly non-photogenic sandwich, but it’s definitely a (single) step up in overall quality.”So that means he liked it . . . right?Sorta. Lindsley understands that the target market for the Dick’s experience generally arrives in a state where the appreciation of the finer points of the burgermaker’s art might be hampered by any number of chemicals coursing through the bloodstream. He gets that this is the burger stand of choice for broke-ass college kids (and journalists). He knows there’s a generational loyalty here that accounts for a large proportion of Dick’s business. But his fondness seems to remain lukewarm at best. He goes on to say “Dick’s burgers are a stupendous value, but don’t drive up expecting a life-changing experience. You won’t get it. Instead, you’ll get a gratifying, unchallenging burger that hits the spot and does so without draining your college fund. As a meat, cheese, and salt-delivery device, it succeeds marvelously.”What he really hated were the fries (and rightly so). Despite the fact that they are hand-cut, it takes extraordinary luck to get an order of Dick’s fries that are any better than edible, and what one generally gets is much worse.Still, the best part about the whole thing was one tossed-off line about how Dick’s “No-frills fast food-style burgers are satisfying and big on value, but aren’t likely to win any awards.” This contention was rather speedily answered by commenter jkdrummer, who went to the trouble of curating all the awards that Dick’s has actually won over the years (including a few from us). I’ll reprint the comment here in its entirety:”Adam, you might want retract this:’No-frills fast food-style burgers are satisfying and big on value, but aren’t likely to win any awards’Dick’s Awards so far:2010Best Roadside DinerEvening Magazine’sBest of Western Washington 2010Best Restaurants AwardsSeattle Magazine’sBest Cheap Eats 2010Best Takeout 20102009Best Greasy SpoonEvening Magazine’sBest of Western Washington 1998Best Restaurants AwardsSeattle Magazine’sPeople’s Choice Awards, 20092008Best Cheap EatsSeattle Magazine’sPeople’s Choice Awards, 2008Best Cheap EatsNWSource.com people’s choice, 2008Best BurgerNWSource.com people’s choice, 20082007Best BurgerAOL Cityguide best of 2007Best Cheap EatsAOL Cityguide, 20072006Best of Citysearch 2006Best Fast Food – Citysearch 20061999Best Fries in Seattle”Stringy, salty, and bursting with real potato flavor, the French Fries at Dick’s Drive-Ins whomped the competition in a spud landslide.”Seattle Weekly 1999Finalist for Best Take-OutSeattle Magazine Reader’s Choice Awards 19991988-1992Best Greasy SpoonEvening Magazine’s Best of Western Washington 1998Best Place to Eat Dinner for Under $5Seattle Weekly Readers Poll, 1994Best Great Restaurant That Won’t Set You BackSeattle Weekly Readers Poll, 1993Best Food To Eat On The RunSeattle Weekly, 1992″And even with this impressive bit of awards curation, jkdrummer managed to miss this one: Best Burgers for Drunks, from our 2010 Best Of Seattle issue.I’ll be waiting to see what Lindsley has to say about Red Mill when that review goes live.