Got together with some friends this weekend at Amnesia ^[1] on Mississippi prior to hitting the Clinton St. Theater ^[2] for some 3-D action (about which all I have to say is, “Ow, my eyes!”), and while I partook of a tasty burger there, a bit of a bad taste was left in my mouth at the price of said beefiness, as eight bucks for some meat and chips (not even fries, people, but chips!) seems to be a bit steep.

I don’t mind paying a bit more for service or even for atmosphere on occasion, but I gotta say that a five-buck burger plate seems a bit more reasonable to me considering the venue and such, even if it is in the middle of North Portland’s newest hipsterville.

Just as comparisons to other pub-type grub (in price if not flavor, as I’ve not been to all these places and leaving out the cheaper fast food varieties), Stanich’s ^[3] apparently will get you the World’s Greatest Hamburger ^[4] and some greasy fries for six bucks or so. A burger at any of the McMenamins ^[5] can be had (and with tots!) for anywhere between five and seven dollars. The Red Coach ^[6] downtown gets you burger/fries/soda for what Amnesia charges for their burger-n-chips plate.

Even on Mississippi itself, the Lovely Hula Hands ^[7] burger with fries or salad is the same price, but there you don’t have to order the thing yourself. And just a hop over on N. Williams, the supercool Fifth Quadrant ^[8] has an eight-buck burger and fries as well — they even offer smoked gouda as a cheese choice — which reminds me that I need to go back there soon.

I’m not trying to come down on Amnesia at all, as nobody forced me to buy the thing and I know people who swear it’s the best burger in town. I’m just saying it’s a wee bit overpriced for what you get. And that I’d be much more inclined to eat it more often if it was five or six bucks instead of eight, which in the long run would be better for the business, no? Especially since I’m sure most of the dinero made there has to do with the beer and not the grub, so how about giving us teetotalers a break, eh? I promise I’ll make my friends drink more to make up for it and get them home safely so they’ll live to drink another day.