Meriden Ct- A Steamed Hamburger Society

K LaMay's Cheddar Lava

Thanks to an incredibly persistent guy named Ray, some of you might assume the hamburger was born in California. But the burger-on-bread combo traces its roots to a rustic brick lunch counter in New Haven, Connecticut. So, it only seems proper that the state that invented it has its own hyperlocal style tucked into the center of the map — the steamed cheeseburger.

If images of tiny sliders griddled over minced onions immediately popped into your mind, think again. This isn’t White Castle, where steam is a byproduct. In Meriden — the epicenter of this juicy burger — steam is the flame. Four ounces of seasoned chopped beef, cook in individual metal trays suspended above boiling water, while slabs of aged Wisconsin cheddar shvitz in their own chamber. The meat and molten cheese meet in a glorious matrimony, draping over a freshly baked Lupi’s Bakery roll. Like lava, the cheese firms as it cools, coating each bite with rich, unapologetic authority.

The Most Unknown Burger Style?

The steamed cheeseburger may predate the turn of the twentieth century, but most Connecticut lore points to a 15-year-old kid named Jack Fitzgerald as the one who made it legendary.

In the late 1920s, Fitzgerald started slinging them out of the back of a wagon before opening Jack’s Lunch in Middletown. For the next forty years, that little spot didn’t just serve burgers. It defined a style.

O’Rourke’s Diner put a version on their menu in 1941. Then in 1959, Ted Duberek brought the method to Meriden. Ted’s hasn’t just sold steamed cheeseburgers — it became the cathedral. The steam cabinets hiss. The cheese oozes. Young cooks learn the ritual and go on to build their own temples. That’s how a burger cooked over boiling water became a way of life in central Connecticut.

Kevin LaMay was one of those kids. He worked at Ted’s as a teenager, eventually working his way into his own small pub kitchen before landing at 690 East Main Street for the last 20 years. That messy creation, paired with a Foxon Park white birch, is a match made in heave

K LaMay’s runs a double-stacked BURG’R TEND’R steam chest — basically the Rolls Royce of steamers — that allows them to regulate temperature. You can get it rare, medium, or well. No grill marks. No flare-ups. Just controlled heat and patience. The beef is tender, deeply seasoned, and nationally recognized — landing on Thrillist’s “Best Burger in Every State” list.

More than ten spots in the area still serve this style —from Dawg House Bar & Grill right across from Ted’s to American Steamed Cheeseburgers in nearby Wallingford.

While the rest of America argues about smash burgers and secret sauces, Meriden has been consistently steaming away. It's time the rest of the country knows.