Haunted Hamburger (Jerome)

By Beverly Lehnhardt | Sedona.biz

(Cottonwood, Arizona) - Eric and Michelle Jurisin have hit Lucky Number 7 and plan to quit while they’re ahead. They currently own four restaurants: The Haunted Hamburger, The Jerome Brewery, Nick’s Italian Steak & Crab House, and The Grille Tavern— the last is their seventh in a list of very successful and well-known restaurants.  Eric said that the first three restaurants are “…all ancient history…” They were located in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area and have since been torn down to make way for shopping centers and condo complexes. I guess that’s progress….?

As a young man, Eric began washing dishes in a restaurant and worked his way up through the ranks; Michelle’s family owned a deli. When the two tied the knot, it was a natural next step for them to open a restaurant of their own. Eric’s people skills, managerial talents, and business acumen and Michelle’s genius in the kitchen created a culinary “dynamic duo” that’s been flourishing ever since.

When asked how he and Michelle come up with the menus and/or themes for their restaurants, Eric jokingly answered, “We fight about it nearly until the restaurant opens.” Evidently, circumstances and the buildings themselves ‘tell’ the Jurisins what they will be—The Haunted Hamburger, the Brewery, and Nick’s were all slated to be something entirely different. But once the decision is made, it seems they are unstoppable.

Michelle is their secret ingredient—she creates the menus and the recipes and oversees the kitchens; Eric lures the best managers to his restaurants and trusts them to handle business as he would. He spends one evening a week at Nick's; one evening tending bar at The Haunted Hamburger; and often walks through The Jerome Brewery and The Grille Tavern, meeting and greeting the regulars and out-of-towners dining there.

People come from all over the world to visit the Sedona area and one of the most popular attractions is The Haunted Hamburger. The Jurisin’s first restaurant in this area, it was originally intended to be a Mexican restaurant, but they changed their minds shortly before opening day. Due to several strange and unexplainable incidents that occurred during renovations, a contractor friend asked Eric, “So….how’s that haunted hamburger joint coming along?” Catchy, the name stuck and the menu, instead of Mexican, offers everything from gourmet burgers to prime rib, salads to seductive desserts. Diners can enjoy the casual atmosphere at inside tables, relax on the outdoor deck, or enjoy a drink at the Palace bar. The chocolate cake is simply ‘to die for’ and the breathtaking view of the valley creates an enticing combination that draws locals as well as visitors back again and again. The Chamber of Commerce says “How do I get to The Haunted Hamburger?” is one of the top three questions people ask when they stop in for area information. Featured on various television food and travel shows, it has quite a far-flung reputation! By the way, the Haunted Hamburger is located at 410 N. Clark Street in Jerome.

Also in Jerome, kitty-corner from the Post Office, is The Jerome Brewery—the renovated old Jerome Firehouse. This restaurant was going to be a bakery, but once again Fate, Serendipity, whatever-you-want-to-call-it, intervened and a brewery was born. A lunchtime favorite, the Brewery offers a great selection of old Italian favorites including salads and sandwiches along with unique appetizers served with freshly brewed beer; they also serve delicious homemade desserts and terrific pizza! My entire life I believed that pizza should consist of tomato sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and an assortment of other “pizza-ish” toppings…then I discovered the Brewery’s Greek Pizza! Feta cheese, spinach, and black olives suddenly became the ‘ideal pizza’ and every month or so I make a short journey to Jerome to fulfill a deep gastronomical need.

Nick’s Italian Steak & Crab House is located on 925 North Main Street in Old Town Cottonwood. Instead of the cowboy-ish, “yee-haw!”-type steak joint the Jurisin’s had originally envisioned, Nick’s morphed into a Chicago-style restaurant with low lighting, dark woods, mouth-watering aromas, and a distinctly un-Cottonwood-like feel—and that only scratches the surface when trying to describe Nick’s. Opening at 5:00p.m. each night and not taking reservations means that people line up on the sidewalk out front to get an early seat. This restaurant has absolutely THE best steaks anywhere. The menu says “Steaks Grilled Tuscan Style” in various sizes and weights; but however you order your steak you can bet it will be done to perfection. And if you request the grilled onions and mushrooms, you’ll have to burrow into the mountain on your plate to locate your steak—enough mushrooms and onions for every single bite! But the menu contains much more than just steak, offering delicious, attractively-served meals at reasonable prices—a great value for the money. In fact, there are 8 meals for under $10.00 each.

Nearly across the street from Nick’s in Old Town Cottonwood is The Grille Tavern. Totally different in décor, ambiance, and menu, The Grille also offers great food with a casual atmosphere. Salads, wraps, sandwiches, dinners—and a crème Brule that is not only beautiful enough to photograph but is reasonably priced, served in generous portions, and absolutely delicious. The Grille Tavern is the Jurisin’s seventh restaurant—Lucky Number 7—and is their last endeavor. They call Old Town Cottonwood home and are raising their children there with no plans to move on; although Eric did say, “Give me a funky, old, condemned building and I’m all over it!” Hopefully, he’s redone his last funky building and continues to offer Verde Valley residents and visitors a great selection of dining pleasures.

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