Restaurants, Dining - Burgers, Fries, Hot Dogs

Canyon Grille, Beaverton. Bevy of hot sandwich specialties, like their signature Grand Canyon (smoke sirloin, grilled onions, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, cheese and their Canyon sauce); or others with barbecue pork loin, chicken breast and pineapple, or chicken with Wild Bill Buffalo sauce. Hot dogs, turkey –bacon-avocado or the monstrous burrito that’s filled with homemade pork verde. Hamburgers are the flagship dish, with huge, thick and juicy patties, come with bacon, mushroom/Swiss, Hawaiian-style, Canyon sauce or bleu cheese. There’s also buffalo meat, salmon, veggie or the huge chili cheese fries burger. Usually about $5 - $7. A large array of salads and milkshakes with real fruit chunks in them round out the specialties. Breakfast are huge and hearty (weekends only – around $7), including waffles, French toast, chicken fried steak, massive omelets and a homemade country gravy to die for. 8825 SW Canyon Road, Beaverton, Oregon. 503-292-5131. http://www.thecanyongrill.com

Zach's Shack. Gourmet hot dogs in a bar setting are the rule, in this grown-ups only place that appeals to the kid in all of us. Most dogs are around $4 or under, or you can build your own from a list that includes: olives, Jalapenos, peperoncini, salsa, cucumbers, sour cream, green relish, red relish, dill relish, sport peppers, cream cheese, onions, mayo, ketchup, brown mustard, chili, tomato slices, cheddar cheese, veggie chili or saurkraut. Hot dogs come with nifty rock ‘n’ roll influenced names, like the New York Dog, Sgt. Peppers, Syd Dog, Scorpians Dog, Los Lobos, or the Dylan. Fat sausages include the very spicy one with pork and beef, a cheese filled dog, or some fancy Sausage of the Day. Extras include fries, cheddar fries, chili fries, mozzarella sticks and Jalapeno peppers. Wine and beer – open late for the bar crowd. 4611 SE Hawthorne Blvd. Portland, Oregon. 503-233-4616. www.zachsshack.com

Salty's on the Columbia. Famous views of the river from one of Portland’s longtime upscale restaurant stalwarts. Some burgers. For lunch, seafood is the rule for appetizers. Soups and salads, combos (about $15) include blackened salmon Caesar, half prime rib. Entrees ($17 - $27) boast Alaskan cod fish ‘n’ chips, prawns, crab and shrimp Louie, Dungeness stuff salmon. Burgers and tacos too. Dinnertime brings big steaks (around $35) or surf and turf dishes (about $50). Around $15 are steamed clams in chardonnay with veggies, coconut-crusted prawns, a spicy calamari, crab cakes, Korean style ribs. Oysters on the half shell or prawns are cold and around $19. Share a large plate of seafood sampler that includes many seafoods above. A massive sampler ($69) includes salmon lox, chilled prawns, raw oysters, Alaskan king crab and more. Various other seafood dishes, and non-seafood plates include chicken and burgers. 3839 N.E. Marine Drive. Portland, Oregon. (503) 288-4444. www.saltys.com/portland/

Glisan Burger Barn and Grill. So many burger choices, so little time. Major family destination. Most burgers are in the $8 - $10 range and absolutely enormous as well as loaded to the point of overflowing with their ingredients. Simple cheeseburgers to more complex items like the Hawaiian (pineapple, ham and teriyaki), Cock-A-Doodle doo (ham and fried egg), Black 'n Blue (bacon with the blue cheese pecan spread), the Hanoi (peanut sauce, lettuce and cucumber), Fitty Fitty (half cheddar and half pepperjack), The Barn Club (grilled ham, smoked pepper turkey, bacon), a lush patty melt, or the spicy Sweet Heat (chipotle peppers, grilled onions and a chipotle sauce). Other specialties include the Yosemite Sam (cheeseburger with an onion ring and BBQ sauce), or the monstrous Chilli CheeseFries Burger with a burger, chili and fries all kind of piled together. Interesting chicken specialties, a salmon burger and a veggie burger too. Huge hot sandwiches served on 10-inch baguettes include sirloin, chicken, hotdogs, pastrami and more. Incredible homemade shakes and soups. Gluten free options. Located on the Northeast corner of 79th Ave and NE Glisan St. Portland, Oregon. (503) 254-4285. www.glisanburgerbarn.com