Dan Soeder
SerpAPI
As an American, I'm usually embarrassed by what people in other countries think of as American culture. Our absolute worst export has got to be Hollywood movies followed by fast food franchises. So I'm used to seeing things like a Dunkin Donuts in Tokyo, or looking out my hotel window across Piccadilly Circle in Manchester, England and seeing a Burger King, McDonalds, and Starbucks all in one view. However, after an overnight flight from New York to Reykjavik and the better part of a day spent doing geology recon in the field, I decided I wanted something familiar for dinner. (I'm totally willing to experience Icelandic cuisine, but it would have been wasted on me this particular night.) I found American Style and decided to try their bacon cheeseburger, cleverly named after movie star Kevin Bacon (see, too much Hollywood!) They delivered a very good burger cooked to perfection and topped with two generous slices of bacon, melted cheese, onion, lettuce, and tomato. It actually came out of the kitchen piping hot, instead of lukewarm off a warming tray like most fast food burgers. There was also a slice of fresh cucumber on it, which in the States would have been a dill pickle. This might just be an Iceland thing. I found it odd but acceptable as a "non-pickled" pickle. There were no secret sauces or any other kind of condiments. My burger was great, even if a bit naked. They could step it up a notch by offering a condiments bar with steak sauce, BBQ sauce, horseradish sauce, regular and chipotle ketchup, several types of mustard and other toppings. The french fries were cut and fried properly, and were very good. Ketchup bottles were out on the tables for the fries (from the U.K. but it was still Heinz, a major American brand and tasted the same). There were also unlimited free refills on soft drinks like Coke, which a lot of places in America don't even do anymore. For a (mostly) authentic taste of the United States burger culture tucked into a strip mall in Reykjavik, and an all-around good restaurant, I highly recommend American Style.
