Candidates All Rated As Five-Star On-Airport Establishments

Each year the 54,000 private pilot subscribers of the $100 Hamburger website are asked to put forth their candidates for the top FlyIn restaurants in the United States. To be considered, a restaurant must be reviewed in the just released book The $100 Hamburger -2014/15 edition, which means they are located on an airport, close doesn’t count and they have earned our five star rating.

$100 Hamburger is pilot slang for the practice of flying away for the sole purpose of grabbing a bite at a distant airport. The check for the meal is modest but the costs of flying your own plane to get to it are often high. The joy of these pilots’ passion for flight is shared by the countless patrons who fill airport restaurants to watch them arrive and depart and to dream that one day they too could be at the controls.

"Please join me in congratulating the twenty-six that made the 2014 Best of the Best," said site owner John Purner. "All tastes are served and every imagination fulfilled. Some are very, very impressive, high dollar, white table cloth, uptown style cafes; others are downhome, family spots. Each is special. They are presented in alphabetical order by state and city within state, followed by the name and three letter identifier of the airport that hosts them."

Best of the $100 Hamburgers:

• The Mesa Grill SEDONA, AZ (SEDONA - SEZ)
• Gaston's Restaurant LAKEVIEW, AR (GASTONS - 3M0)
• Harris Ranch Restaurant COALINGA, CA (HARRIS RANCH - 3O8)
• Izzy's Steakhouse SAN CARLOS, CA (SAN CARLOS - SQL)
• The Perfect Landing DENVER, CO (CENTENNIAL - APA)
• 121 Restaurant and Bar OXFORD, CT (WATERBURY-OXFORD - OXC)
• Jet Runway Cafe FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (FT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE - FXE)
• Jekyll Island Club Grand Dining Room JEKYLL ISLAND, GA (JEKYLL ISLAND - 09J)
• Pilot Pete's CHICAGO/SCHAUMBURG, IL (SCHAUMBURG RGNL - 06C)
• The Airport Steak House HUTCHINSON, KS (HUTCHINSON MUNI - HUT)
• Bistro Le Relais LOUISVILLE, KY (BOWMAN FIELD - LOU)
• Nick's Airport Inn HAGERSTOWN, MD (HAGERSTOWN RGNL - HGR)
• Nancy's Air Field Cafe STOW, MA (MINUTE MAN AIR FIELD - 6B6)
• Rick's Crabby Cowboy  MONTAUK, NY (MONTAUK - MTP)
• Pik N Pig BBQ  CARTHAGE, NC (GILLIAM - MC CONNELL AIRFIELD - 5NC3)
• Sky Galley Inn  CINCINNATI, OH (LUNKEN FIELD - LUK)
• Tin Goose Diner  PORT CLINTON, OH (CARL R KELLER FIELD - PCW)
• Jake's Joint ARDMORE, OK (ARDMORE MUNI - ADM)
• Enrique's Mexican Restaurant PONCA CITY, OK (PONCA CITY RGNL - PNC)
• DeNunzio's Italian Chophouse and Sinatra Bar LATROBE, PA (ARNOLD PALMER RGNL - LBE)
• Ryan’s Hangar Restaurant & Ace Lounge HURON, SD (HURON RGNL - HON)
• Southern Flyer Diner BRENHAM, TX (BRENHAM MUNI - 11R)
• The Hard Eight STEPHENVILLE, TX (CLARK FIELD MUNI - SEP)
• Rickenbacker’s Bistro OGDEN, UT (OGDEN-HINCKLEY - OGD)
• The Basin Harbor Resort VERGENNES, VT (BASIN HARBOR - B06)
• Airport Diner  BREMERTON, WA (BREMERTON NATIONAL - PWT)

Everyone sing along now ... "Cheeseburger in paradise ... Medium rare with mustard be nice...

FMI: www.100dollarhamburger.com