Dining out: Britton's

SANDY — There's nothing subtle about the Hog Burger, one of the featured menu items at Britton's, a sit-down burger-and-shake joint at Sandy's Union Square, just off 9400 South and 700 East.

I'm talking about a burger that, in lieu of buns, uses two grilled-cheese sandwiches.

But subtlety isn't what they're going for at Britton's. They're aiming at turning out good, down-home food. Based on our recent weekend dinner, they're succeeding.

Britton's features one of those unpretentious, welcoming dining rooms that seems decorated with pictures of the owners' kids, a few floral touches and memorabilia picked up here and there. It's not a large space, and most of it is occupied by cushy booths, many of them large enough even for Utah-size families.

We started with the onion rings, which Britton's does right. I don't mind crumb-coated rings, but batter-dipped are my favorite, and these were nice, with a thin, crispy batter concealing tender and thick-cut onion slices. They were served with a fry sauce that's a couple of notches spicier than the normal stuff; I liked it, and the kids did, too.

Speaking of the kids: there's a huge children's menu offering breakfast, various types of sandwiches, even spaghetti. (Breakfast, by the way, is served all day at Britton's).

Two of our girls chose the pancakes, two plate-sized, fluffy cakes served with a fat link sausage. The other chose the spaghetti, a basic but tasty rendition with noodles covered in a tangy meat sauce.

My husband had the aforementioned Hog Burger, one of those dishes you don't quite believe until you see it. It's a thick, juicy half-pound beef patty with plenty of grilled onions, sandwiched between two whole grilled-cheese sandwiches.

That's not all. Each grilled-cheese sandwich has an extra ingredient. The usual way is one with bacon and cheese, and the other with tomato and cheese, but my husband dislikes tomatoes so he had his without them. Instead, and much to his delight, the cooks put bacon in the second sandwich, too. Hog Burger, indeed.

It's good, though — really, really good. One bite fills your mouth with rich, meaty, cheesy goodness, with the crisp-grilled bread and the sharp onions providing contrast and snap. The cheese is American, and though I usually prefer cheddar or jack or really anything else, in this application it makes the sandwich just as it should be: a huge, gooey indulgence.