In 1982, NBC launched an American sitcom called “Cheers.”  The show featured Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson and a long list ofpopular 80’s television stars.  The program was centered in a Boston bar where locals came to visit, drink and relax after a stressful day at work.  The show’s theme song features the now famous tagline “Sometimes you wanna go – where everybody knows your name.”

The Oval Office in Milton is hands down-the “Cheers” of Northwest Florida.

It’s a place where all guests are treated like family, the laughs are loud and often, and time seems to stand still while you visit with friends over a great burger and a tall,cold drink.

The star of their menu is the “Myrtle Burger,” a ½ lb. patty topped with a generous pile of sautéed onions.  Because we’re only permitted traditional veggies on the Tour (lettuce, tomato, pickles, raw onion) we had to pass on the Myrtle Burger and order the traditional cheeseburger.

The burger arrives with the lid on (top bun in place) and a stack of “extras” on the side; Iceberg lettuce, tomato, slice of onion, pickles and a shot of mayonnaise that has been carefully (and beautifully) presented in a small, plastic container.

Since all the extrasare presentedon the side- you get to choose exactly what you want on your burger.  Frankly, you’d be a fool not to place the entire stack of extras on your burger- but it’s your call.

The tomato is sliced thick, perfectly ripened and the pickles were called “best pickles of the tour” by several.  The onion is a giant cross section of one yellow onion- sweet and delicious.  Our Accountant writes“If you like onion- this burger wins.”

The beef in this burger is a nice 80/20 mix that they’ll cook to your desired temperature.  It received high marks from some, but was thought by others to be short on flavor and could have used a pinch of salt and pepper.  It’s topped with a nice slice of American cheese that’s melted perfectly.

The beef hangs over the edge of the bun guaranteeing a beefy first bite- a characteristic that was considered a positive by some Panel Members- but a negative to others.

The sesame seed bun- although fresh and soft- received low marks from most Panel Members-thishad a strong impact on the burger’s overall score.  The patty is so juicy that the bottom bun becomes a sponge beneath the heavy ½ lb. patty.  A grilled treatment of the bun would have added flavor and kept the bun from becoming too soggy.

In all, the burger received very high marks and finished with a final score of 8.20.  This puts the Oval Office in second place (four tenths of a point behind our first place burger- the Blue Dot.)

So, visit the Oval Office.  Say hello to Al and Deb while you’re there.  Within a few short minutes you’ll feel like part of the family.  Oh, and give Patsy a hard time; she’s the charm that keeps much of the lunch crowd coming back.  Order their burger and let us know what you think.  It’s a place where “they’re always glad you came.”

Once you’ve done that, check back with us next week as the NWFL Burger Tour, rolls on.