A Combo Burger That Just Tugs at Your Heart

Rarely do I feel guilty about something I eat. Regrets, yes. Guilt, no.

Still, there are some things that are just so darned decadent that you feel you deserve a spanking for even thinking about eating them.

I’m talking about the Royal Burger here, folks.

The Red Robin restaurant makes this cholesterol-laden dream for those who either have nothing to lose or are just too tough to care.

A one-third pound ground-beef patty, three strips of deep-fried bacon, melted American cheese, shredded lettuce and tomato slices are stuffed between a sesame seed bun slathered with mayonnaise.

Did I mention they toss in a fried egg? Oh yeah, baby! That’s the secret ingredient--an extra-large, farm-fresh cackle berry, hot off the grill and oozing buttery yolk. I get angina just thinking about it.

Ah, but this is burger bliss; a perfect melding of beef, pork, dairy and poultry. Four key ingredients, each lending its own savory signature.

I order mine with the egg cooked over-easy so it’s sopping with rich, runny yolk. I like the bacon extra crisp, but if you really want to go over the top, have the cooks fry it tender so less of that yummy pork fat is rendered away.

But any way you have it, the Royal Burger is a feast that will have your taste buds crying for mercy and your cardiologist working overtime.

* Royal Burger--1,011 calories and 66 grams of fat. $6.95 at Red Robin restaurants. Locations in Brea, Garden Grove, La Habra, Orange, Santa Ana, Stanton and Tustin.

Got guilt? Send your ideas about treats you’d like to see featured to occalendar@latimes.com.