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Hunger Burger: Patties for a cause at Reading Terminal Market

Hunger Burger replaces the Tokyo sushi stand, right smack in the middle of center court. It joins George and Kim Mickel's By George, their Italian shop on the Filbert Street side (1990), and Mezze, the Mediterranean take-away toward the center of the market (2003).

George and Kim Mickel have just opened their third stand at Reading Terminal Market.

Hunger Burger replaces the Tokyo sushi stand, right smack in the middle of center court. It joins the couple's By George, their Italian shop on the Filbert Street side (1990), and Mezze, the Mediterranean take-away toward the center of the market (2003, which just closed).

The name refers more to the Mickels' mission than to a customer's belly. They went to El Salvador with their church to work with King's Castle Ministries, supporting feeding programs. They're setting aside a portion of profits from the stand to send to hunger-relief groups.

Menu is built around grilled Black Angus burgers from Creekstone Farms and served on Martin's potato rolls ($4.50 and up); milkshakes ($5.50) made with Bassetts Ice Cream from the other side of the market; breakfast burgers (such as the breakfast sausage burger with sausage, fried egg and creamy potatoes on an English muffin, $6.25), and sides such as scalloped potatoes, mac and cheese, lobster mac and cheese, and chili. Specialty sauces, such as sriracha mayo, pineapple habanero, curry ketchup and garlic lemon aioli, are available for fries and onion rings.

You have to love George's being a good sport. When I wrote about this project last August, I noted that a guy named George Mickel opening a burger shop should serve a WHamburger. And it's on the menu; that's the basic burger, topped with green leaf lettuce, tomato and special sauce.