Two to three ounces of mild white cheddar cheese oozes over a quarter pound of fresh ground beef -- steamed to a crescendo of mouth watering juiciness -- and erupts out of a kaiser roll.

The menu at Red's Steamed Cheeseburgers, 906 W. College Ave., is sparse, which is why owner Erik Weiss has staked his reputation as a burger lover and restaurateur on the merits of his favorite $4 food.

So what is a steamed cheeseburger and why is it so good? Well, to dispel some myths, this is no soggy meatball in hot water.

The steamer, itself, is a piece of cooking equipment with boiling water in the bottom creating low-pressure steam.

Burgers and cheese are loaded into stainless steel trays and sit in grooves in the steamer, where up to six burgers can cook at a time in about ten minutes.

The meat is ground fresh daily, and delivered to Red's from across the street, where it is produced by OW Houts & Son, 120 N. Buckhout Street.

The buns are also baked fresh, these coming a little farther distance, from Pacifico Bakery, Altoona. There is no microwave because nothing in or on the burger is ever frozen.

And then there's the cheese, which is purchased in 10-pound bricks and steamed in trays along side the burger with which it will soon be united.

Warning: for those unprepared to behold the sight of three ounces of gushing cheese pouring over a quarter-pound steamy globule of ground beef, avert your eyes before they bug out of your head.

This is a CHEESEBURGER with capital letters.

Weiss first learned of the steamed cheeseburger when he went to college in Connecticut, and he based his recipe and the décor for Red's on his image of the original steamed cheeseburger joints.

Following tradition, the owner shied away from naming or numbering the burgers, implying, basically, the burger speaks for itself.

Inside, the ambiance reflects the simplistic approach to the food; featuring fifties style gray booths, tables, a black and white checkered floor and an open kitchen circumscribed by a counter and stools.

On the walls, images from popular Quentin Tarantino films intermingle with themed signs, like "Thin Ice" and "US Route 66."

After living and working in New York for several years, Weiss recently moved to State College with his wife, Chrissy Weiss -- for whom the restaurant is named, referring to an old nickname -- and set up shop. Thus, the steamed burger could be returned to a new generation and locale of college consumers.

Ironically, the college crowd is not yet the heart of the consumer base. Due to its self-proclaimed status of "locationally challenged," the word-of-mouth buzz has brought in a majority of workers and a surprising minority of student.

Most people who see the white one story building with red trim probably don't know or comprehend what's going on inside.

Yet, with all new businesses with product of this quality, there is an air of inevitability that, once the word is out, there will be no going back to any other burger places.

The location is, in fact, optimal considering that Weiss used to drive a half hour past dozens of other burger joints to get a steamed burger when he was in college, and now students only have to drive for half a minute to get theirs.

The menu is limited and those who return dig the burger. Few do not return. If the burgers weren't this good, nobody would come.

Bacon and chili cost extra, but other fix-ins including lettuce, tomato, pickles and others are free. Without cheese the burgers go for $2.75. Steamed hotdogs, fried onion rings and fries, and coke products fill out the rest of the menu, and range from $1.50-$4.00.

It's not waiter service, it's not fast food and Red's does about half of its business in take out. It is delicious. The restaurant has been open since last November and recently extended its hours to run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday.