Maybe it’s the way they slide down your throat.
Whatever the case, the tiny burger known as a slider has been making its way down people’s gullets since 1921.
That’s when the king of the slider, White Castle, introduced a 5-cent version in Wichita, Kan.
Sliders now cost 51 cents on average in White Castles nationwide. There are no White Castle restaurants in Arizona, but you can order them at the Harkins Tucson Spectrum 18. You can also get them frozen at grocery stores such as Fry’s, Albertsons and Safeway.
White Castle has held a U.S trademark on “slyders” since 1994 because the traditional spelling was taken. Now the company is in the process of trademarking “original slider.”
“When you say ‘sliders,’ you think of White Castle,” said Debbie Cline, spokeswoman for the Columbus, Ohio-based White Castle. “We are very aware there are lots of others, too.”
People are also reading…
“Others” include sliders not just made of hamburger meat. There are crab-cake sliders, salmon sliders and prime-rib sliders, among others.
Use our guide in Thursday's Caliente to find a variety of slider options in Tucson restaurants.
Some local places that serve sliders
• Bistro 44, 6761 E. Tanque Verde Road, 298-2233: Three 3-ounce Angus beef sliders ($9.95) are nestled in 1-ounce potato buns created for them by Bakehouse Bread, and topped with lettuce, tomato, onions and garlic aïoli. For 50 cents a topping, add cheese, bacon, mushrooms or onions. Shoestring fries come on the side.
From 3 to 7 p.m. daily, take $3 off the sliders’ price and other appetizers.
• Montana Avenue, 6390 E. Grant Road, 298-2020: Twin 4-ounce Kobe-style burgers ($10), come with red onion, sliced pickle, bib lettuce, Wisconsin Cheddar, mayo, ketchup and tomato on mini challah buns. Fresh veggies or fries come on the side.
As water lifeline evaporates, Arizona faces a cultural change over water use
