Bison Burgers: Tatanka Take-Out in Ruston makes burger indulgence a not-so-guilty thing

If you want to eat a burger, but not feel like you swallowed a small grease factory, then you should point your car toward Ruston for a trip to Tatanka take-out. Bison is the specialty here. The restaurant makes five burgers and a dip with bison patties.

The restaurant bills bison as America’s original health food and I’d agree after looking at the nutritional information on Tatanka’s menu – the signature bison burger weighs in at 360 calories (unless you add cheese). The bison patty is lean and beefy, with just enough juiciness to make it tasty, palatable. I had a difficult time believing something so flavorful and unctuous has half the calories of beef, but it does.

I like that the bison burger ($8.45) came on a fresh, fluffy wheat bun. Shredded green leaf lettuce was a nice change from iceberg. The tomatoes and onions were both thick cut (the onions were so thick, they were on the verge of overwhelming the burger). The patty gets lost in all those veggies. A smear of fat-free Thousand Island with a light puckery taste dripped down over the burger, making it just a bit of a watery mess. I didn’t care, though, it was tasty. Fried red potatoes ($1.99) were crispy around the edges, with a punch of salty seasoning. In keeping with the healthy theme, Tatanka uses very little oil in frying the potatoes.

Other bison menu items looked intriguing – bison tacos, burritos and a bison burger dip. The restaurant also has a long list of vegetarian items. Tatanka also lists free-range chicken on the menu. I love that Tatanka offers nutritional information for everything it serves. A-Plus mom stamp of approval.

Tatanka Take-OutWhere: 4915 N. Pearl St., RustonPhone: 253-752-8778Hours: 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Thursday-Monday. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

This story was originally published March 30, 2011 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Bison Burgers: Tatanka Take-Out in Ruston makes burger indulgence a not-so-guilty thing."