This can't be. Is it possible that my mouth is still watering six hours after finishing one of the most amazing beef patties of my life? A stone throw away from Dupont Circle's namesake sits BGR The Burger Joint. One of four locations, The Burger Joint's NW location could, from the outside, be mistaken by tourists or some Real World cast members as a trendy nightclub. Ok, ok the giant neon light burger in front of the building might quash this possibility; however, the inside of the eatery takes the scene of a club with vibrant dark blue walls, stage lights and blown up pictures of rock and roll album covers from Def Leppard to Prince. vh1 classics was featured on two flat screens to give you an idea of what type of music BGR would play if it were in fact a club. After walking into BGR, we realized it was no typical burger joint. Soon we discovered that they don't serve your typical burger.
"The Burger": comes with lettuce, tomato*, onion, pickle and mojo sauce. American cheese (or three other kinds can be added along with Applewood Smoked Bacon. Served on a personal size pizza tray, the thick burger exploded out of the toasted, but almost fake looking, bun. The first bite brought the sense of enjoyment and satisfaction that we were looking for when we first conceived of this burger odyssey. The meat itself made the first impression - served medium, but seasoned well. Then the huge chunk of onion and crispy pickle made their marks along with the cheese. It wasn't until the third bite that I realized that it came without ketchup or mustard. At that point, there was no screwing up an amazing thing with condiments. The mojo sauce was on their anyway, even if unnoticeable with everything else going on with the burger. One of the only downsides was that the burger was served in two pieces, which helped it to fall apart rather easily. Ultimately, the burger was so good that it wasn't until I was only my last bite that I realized they omitted the bacon.
The Fries: named "The Gold Standard" these amazing spuds might find themselves with a medal by the end of this journey. They look about as average as possible; however, they taste like every fry should. Perfectly fried and salted, these guys didn't need any ketchup or mustard either.
Free Fixins: there was no major condiment bar; however, Grey Poupon mustard, ketchup, A1 Sauce and vinegar were on each of the tables.
Atmosphere: Every table was full of families or young professionals, although no one ever seemed to be waiting for an empty one. In addition to what was mentioned above, each table was surfaced with mosaic tile and there were funky Lego like lights.
Cost: The burger was $7.99 (it would have been $8.99 if they remembered the bacon). The fries were $2.89.
Overall: Instead of visiting all of the burger joints in DC, it may be a tastier idea to try every item on The Burger Joint's menu. The bar has been set and it's pretty high.
Burger
The Burger Joint
Z Burger
Fries
The Burger Joint
Z Burger
Free Fixins
Z Burger
The Burger Joint
Atmosphere
The Burger Joint
Z Burger
Cost
Z Burger - $4.39/$2.59
The Burger Joint - $8.99/$2.89
Overall
The Burger Joint
Z Burger
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
ZZZzzzzz Burger
The quest began at Z Burger in Tenleytown. The glorified fast food joint was filled with families and some holdover AU students. I suspect the nest is filled with Eagles during the school year as it is a good place to get your AVERAGE burger. Indeed, everything about Z burger was fairly typical of what you would expect of a burger and burger joint.
The Burger: Z's single bacon (American) cheeseburger comes with mayo, lettuce, tomato*, pickles, fried onion, sauteed mushrooms*, fried onions, mushrooms and ketchup - not a bad list of toppings for a regular burger. The burger came wrapped in tinfoil and when unraveled appeared to be rather normal. The bun and burger size were fairly common, although the former was toasted. The bacon was crispy and it tasted fine. Nothing was overpowering or unbearable.
The Fries: the fries were seasoned with what appeared to be three or four spices. They had a decent amount of flavor, but nothing special. Their presentation was best. They came in a cup within a larger bag. The cup was overflowing with the deep fried taters with about 30 or so scattered among the bag.
Free fixins: this is where Z burger may end up with some bonus points. You can ask for up to 11 additional toppings including banana peppers, red crushed peppers and Z sauce.
Atmosphere: as stated above, a glorified burger joint with families and hungry college students. After you eat, you leave. Nothing to it.
Cost: $4.39 for the burger and another $2.59 for the fries.
Overall: average, average, average. In fact, the most notable item was one that isn't being judged: the onion rings. I'd go back for these beasts, which come with a yummy special-mayo sauce.
*Omitted ingredients
The Burger: Z's single bacon (American) cheeseburger comes with mayo, lettuce, tomato*, pickles, fried onion, sauteed mushrooms*, fried onions, mushrooms and ketchup - not a bad list of toppings for a regular burger. The burger came wrapped in tinfoil and when unraveled appeared to be rather normal. The bun and burger size were fairly common, although the former was toasted. The bacon was crispy and it tasted fine. Nothing was overpowering or unbearable.
The Fries: the fries were seasoned with what appeared to be three or four spices. They had a decent amount of flavor, but nothing special. Their presentation was best. They came in a cup within a larger bag. The cup was overflowing with the deep fried taters with about 30 or so scattered among the bag.
Free fixins: this is where Z burger may end up with some bonus points. You can ask for up to 11 additional toppings including banana peppers, red crushed peppers and Z sauce.
Atmosphere: as stated above, a glorified burger joint with families and hungry college students. After you eat, you leave. Nothing to it.
Cost: $4.39 for the burger and another $2.59 for the fries.
Overall: average, average, average. In fact, the most notable item was one that isn't being judged: the onion rings. I'd go back for these beasts, which come with a yummy special-mayo sauce.
*Omitted ingredients
The Great DC Burger Caper
DC is known for history, politics, and its plethora of lobbying groups. It's time for our nation's capital to be known for something a bit tastier and what's better than a meaty burger and fries? Tony "The Italian Rock" Fescina and I are out to find the best burger that the DC Metro area has to offer. We'll stop at no lengths to find the greasiest, cheesiest, fattest molded hunk of ground beef (or turkey or pork combo) in the DMV. What burger is good enough to steal and go to jail for? It's time to find out.
The Great Burger Caper excursion will take us to at least thirteen glutton palaces. Each burger joint will be graded on the following: burger, fries, atmosphere, cost, free fixins and overall experience. The regular single bacon cheeseburger will be judged along with the regular fries. Whatever fixins, spices or cheese that come on a regular will be ordered. If there is no regular cheese, American will be the default. Because they are gross and would ruin the experience for all, mushrooms and tomatoes will not be consumed at any time except in the form of ketchup.
Let the games begin!
The Great Burger Caper excursion will take us to at least thirteen glutton palaces. Each burger joint will be graded on the following: burger, fries, atmosphere, cost, free fixins and overall experience. The regular single bacon cheeseburger will be judged along with the regular fries. Whatever fixins, spices or cheese that come on a regular will be ordered. If there is no regular cheese, American will be the default. Because they are gross and would ruin the experience for all, mushrooms and tomatoes will not be consumed at any time except in the form of ketchup.
Let the games begin!
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