Cheap eats: Sonny's

Safet Sabanagic, left, owner of Sonny's Three Meat Burger, and his wife, Dervisa, work together in the kitchen. He named the restaurant after their son. (Credit: Jeff Swinger | Metromix)

In between rain showers on a recent Monday night, my wife and I made a trek to the east side of town to sample one of the area’s newest burger joints. Sonny’s Three Meat Burger sounded audacious and intriguing.

The mood: Sonny’s sits in a white building on the south side of Beechmont Avenue, just before the intersection of Witt Road. Parking is ample, especially behind the restaurant.

The dining area is straightforward: large windows augmented by a couple of pieces of art on the wall. It’s simple, friendly, and casual. We ordered and paid for our meal at the counter, got a number and found a spot in view of a flat-screen.

The food: Obviously a visit to a place with “meat” in the name of the restaurant warranted an order of one of its namesake hamburgers. Sonny’s hamburgers are made up of beef, chicken and lamb – a combination I’d never seen anywhere else – so I dove right in with their specialty: the Double Three-Meat burger ($6.89).

There are 18 toppings to choose from, but I kept it basic with lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and Sonny’s House Sauce – an all-vegetable, red pepper based sauce that sounded intriguing.

My burger was enormous. The two patties sat between the giant sesame seed bun were as monstrous as they were delicious. The three meats provided a tasty, vaguely Mediterranean flavor, and the burgers were moist and reminiscent of a gyro. And their house sauce added just the right amount of kick.

Erica ordered the baked fish sandwich ($7.49) on rye – with the house sauce, lettuce, tomato and onion. The fish came piled high between the two slabs of thick rye, and although difficult to eat without falling apart, it had a simple, comforting appeal to it. I’m not sure the house sauce worked as well on this dish, but it was good and filling.

Each sandwich comes with a side order, so I ordered their French fries. They were ample, fresh, and had a double-fried characteristic about them that was mind-numbingly delicious.

Erica went with the chili as her side, which had a consistency similar to Cincinnati-style, but with the addition of small beans and a more exotic flavor. She loved it and said she’d come back just for the chili.

The drinks: They don’t serve alcohol, so we both ordered a Coke Zero ($1.73) in hopes of counteracting the massive amount of calories we’d just consumed.

The bill: $19 even (plus tip).

The verdict: Sonny’s is a great spot for a unique burger experience. It’s well worth the trip to Anderson, and if you already live in the area, consider yourself lucky. Their specialty burger is inexpensive, delicious and different than a run-of-the mill burger joint. It’s a good spot for families, and they even serve breakfast until 2 p.m.