Sooner or later the ThegreatDCburgercaper was going to find itself at a burger hub known more for its celebrity chef than the product itself... After "throwing it down" across the United States for the past few years, Bobby Flay took his craft to DC back in August when he opened the first Bobby's Burger Palace (BBP) in the DMV. Bobby chose a K Street location in Foggy Bottom for his District location. When it opened, the DC location served as the sixth BBP location and the first outside of the Mid-Atlantic. BBP's are spreading like wildfire though as Terrapins got there own Bobby Flay burger joint last month in College Park, while another opened in New Jersey earlier this month.
The Burger: DARN IT! I'm going to have to forgo my Throwup! with Bobby Flay joke that I was itching to break out. The Palace Classic Burger, with its yellow American cheese, lettuce and red onion, was unexpectedly amazing. To keep the basic ingredients as standardized as possible, the slimy red tomato was removed and replaced with a couple nice slabs of thick, crispy bacon. Juices oozed out of the medium-cooked burger as I took my first bite into the sesame seed bun. Flay's ingredients are the opposite of a melee. They all blend together quite well without any one item overpowering another. That's not to say that you can't taste the cheese, bacon or nicely-seasoned certified angus beef. They all take part in the main feature. The size of the burger is what one would expect: not too large and not too small. Unlike most burger joints, BBP does not put a signature sauce on their main burger.
The Fries: The mayo chili pepper sauce that accompanies the fries is blended perfectly. It would no doubt be great on the onion rings, sweet potato fries or even most of the burgers. Clearly, the fries are no good or I would have described them in the first sentence. McDonalds fries that have been sitting for an hour after cooking might be a fair description.
Free Fixins: Since you had to actually purchase the fries to get the mayo chili pepper sauce, it may be unfair to assess them in this category. Nonetheless, that sauce deserves as many mentions as I can muster. BBP did have a number of sauces though. Besides the ketchup and mustard, a chipotle ketchup, jalapeno hot sauce and a A-1-esque burger sauce are featured on every table. All three of the special sauces were fine, but the mayo chili pepper sauce takes the cake.
Atmosphere: While the interior design might be labeled modern, the orange and green tints seemed like something out of the 70's. Still, it all seemed to mesh together well, just like the burger. The canvas art was pretty clever. Everything had a burger theme. A large counter area like you would find at a bar or a dinner was also featured. The place was about half full on a Sunday evening, which is pretty good considering the location. Young professionals were the dominant demographic; however, a mixture of families, older folk and GW students were also sprinkled throughout.
Cost: $7.75 for the burger with the bacon added and $3.00 for the fries.
Overall: The Palace makes you feel like a king. To clarify the earlier statement about the burger being unexpectedly good, it has been a long time since we ventured to BGR. We haven't had a burger this good in some time.
Burger:
The Burger Joint
Bobby's Burger Palace
Good Stuff Eatery
Elevation Burger
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Shake Shack
Z Burger
Desperados
Fries:
The Burger Joint
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Elevation Burger
Good Stuff Eatery
Shake Shack
Bobby's Burger Palace
Z Burger
Desperados
Free Fixins:
Good Stuff Eatery
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Bobby's Burger Palace
Z Burger
Elevation Burger
The Burger Joint
Desperados
Shake Shack
Atmosphere:
The Burger Joint
Shake Shack
Bobby's Burger Palace
Good Stuff Eatery
Desperados
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Elevation Burger
Z Burger
Cost:
Elevation Burger $3.99/$2.59
Z Burger $4.38/$2.59
Shake Shack $4.75/$2.65
Desperados $9.00
Good Stuff Eatery $6.69/$3.69
Bobby's Burger Palace $7.75/$3.00
The Burger Joint $8.99/$2.89
Ray's Hell Burger Too $10.50/$2.50
Overall:
The Burger Joint
Bobby's Burger Palace
Good Stuff Eatery
Elevation Burger
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Shake Shack
Z Burger
Desperados
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Shack Attack
While ThegreatDCburgercaper went into food hibernation for much of 2011, new burger restaurants sprouted throughout the District. This fall, we'll venture out to these new-to-DC establishments. First up, Shake Shack. Born in 2004 within Manhattan's Madison Square Park, the Shake Shack franchise left home last year and has quickly spread throughout the East Coast and the Middle East. Indeed, both Kuwait and Dubai boast a Shake Shack. The DC eatery opened in Dupont Circle back in May to much fanfare.
The Burger: The traditional Shack Burger contains lettuce, tomato, American cheese and "special" Shack Sauce. Alas, bacon is not an option. The main burger is served on a toasted potato roll, which may be the best part about the sandwich. The modest-sized roll was soft, yet held together quite well and was anything but soggy. The patty itself was cooked to medium perfection. Nonetheless, it was pretty small and did not have any distinctive flavor. The cheese and sauce blended in to the point where they were hard to notice. Similar to Elevation Burger, the patties are small enough that a double burger is likely a must. In the end, there is nothing good or bad about the burger. It just is.
The Fries: Not a drop of grease was found on the golden brown crinkle cut fries. While they contained a fair amount of salt and were cooked properly, they were underwhelming and reminiscent of something you might find in the frozen food aisle of Giant - McCain/Ore-Ida.
Free Fixins: Basic of the basic - ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise.
Atmosphere: While not crowded at 6:00 pm on a Sunday evening, most of the tables were full at the ample-sized seating area of the burger joint. The modern industrial interior made for a laid back setting. Exposed brick and a contemporary wood theme permeated the dining space. NFL highlights were featured on the two flat screen TVs, while top 40 blared from the speakers.
Cost: $4.75 for the burger and $2.65 for the fries.
Overall: This would be the perfect location to close out a night of fun in Dupont. High class and affordable late night food? Without doubt! Amazing burger joint? Not so much.
Burger:
The Burger Joint
Good Stuff Eatery
Elevation Burger
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Shake Shack
Z Burger
Desperados
Fries:
The Burger Joint
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Elevation Burger
Good Stuff Eatery
Shake Shack
Z Burger
Desperados
Free Fixins:
Good Stuff Eatery
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Z Burger
Elevation Burger
The Burger Joint
Desperados
Shake Shack
Atmosphere:
The Burger Joint
Shake Shack
Good Stuff Eatery
Desperados
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Elevation Burger
Z Burger
Cost:
Elevation Burger $3.99/$2.59
Z Burger $4.38/$2.59
Shack Shake $4.75/$2.65
Desperados $9.50
Good Stuff Eatery $6.69/$3.69
The Burger Joint $8.99/$2.89
Ray's Hell Burger Too $10.50/$2.50
Overall:
The Burger Joint
Good Stuff Eatery
Elevation Burger
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Shake Shack
Z Burger
Desperados
The Burger: The traditional Shack Burger contains lettuce, tomato, American cheese and "special" Shack Sauce. Alas, bacon is not an option. The main burger is served on a toasted potato roll, which may be the best part about the sandwich. The modest-sized roll was soft, yet held together quite well and was anything but soggy. The patty itself was cooked to medium perfection. Nonetheless, it was pretty small and did not have any distinctive flavor. The cheese and sauce blended in to the point where they were hard to notice. Similar to Elevation Burger, the patties are small enough that a double burger is likely a must. In the end, there is nothing good or bad about the burger. It just is.
The Fries: Not a drop of grease was found on the golden brown crinkle cut fries. While they contained a fair amount of salt and were cooked properly, they were underwhelming and reminiscent of something you might find in the frozen food aisle of Giant - McCain/Ore-Ida.
Free Fixins: Basic of the basic - ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise.
Atmosphere: While not crowded at 6:00 pm on a Sunday evening, most of the tables were full at the ample-sized seating area of the burger joint. The modern industrial interior made for a laid back setting. Exposed brick and a contemporary wood theme permeated the dining space. NFL highlights were featured on the two flat screen TVs, while top 40 blared from the speakers.
Cost: $4.75 for the burger and $2.65 for the fries.
Overall: This would be the perfect location to close out a night of fun in Dupont. High class and affordable late night food? Without doubt! Amazing burger joint? Not so much.
Burger:
The Burger Joint
Good Stuff Eatery
Elevation Burger
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Shake Shack
Z Burger
Desperados
Fries:
The Burger Joint
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Elevation Burger
Good Stuff Eatery
Shake Shack
Z Burger
Desperados
Free Fixins:
Good Stuff Eatery
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Z Burger
Elevation Burger
The Burger Joint
Desperados
Shake Shack
Atmosphere:
The Burger Joint
Shake Shack
Good Stuff Eatery
Desperados
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Elevation Burger
Z Burger
Cost:
Elevation Burger $3.99/$2.59
Z Burger $4.38/$2.59
Shack Shake $4.75/$2.65
Desperados $9.50
Good Stuff Eatery $6.69/$3.69
The Burger Joint $8.99/$2.89
Ray's Hell Burger Too $10.50/$2.50
Overall:
The Burger Joint
Good Stuff Eatery
Elevation Burger
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Shake Shack
Z Burger
Desperados
Sunday, January 30, 2011
The Trip to Hades
From the beginning of our burger quest, we knew a trip to hell and back was inevitable and we were rather looking forward to it. Since opening in the summer of 2008, Ray's Hell Burger has arguably been the most talked about burger joint in the DMV. In fact, I've heard so much about it from burger aficionados and tourists alike that I thought it had been around longer. I guess a few visits from President Obama helped maintain a consistent buzz. Due to the restaurant's popularity, a second location was opened in the same Arlington strip mall last July. Dubbed Ray's Hell Burger Too, local beef Impresario Michael Landrum's sister burger joint is a sit down restaurant.
The Burger: Ray serves 100% premium steak cuts, which are hand trimmed and aged in house. The burger is prepared in four different ways: grilled, au poivre, blackened and diablo. Judging by the menu format, most people appear to create their own hell - burger. Still, many other "standard" options are available. Amusingly, many are named after 90's rappers such as the Big Punisher and Fat Joe. Heck, they even have the B.I.G. Poppa burger.
I ordered the Original Hell Burger grilled medium with American cheese and Applewood smoked bacon. I also asked for lettuce, grilled onions, a pickle and Ray's Heck Sauce (which they appropriately dubbed as tangy, zippy, but not spicy). The menu mentioned that "We are human and mistakes do occur." Well, they were human, indeed, on this occasion as the burger that arrived had a tomato and lacked the pickles and Heck Sauce.
Order issue aside, the burger was not as good as anticipated. Sure it had a steak-like seasoning and it was not a small chunk of meat. But, the toasted potato-brioche roll didn't appear to be very fresh at all and the bacon tasted like it may have been sitting in a big pile of other strips since mid-morning. Perhaps our high expectations got the best of us.
The Fries: The fries didn't quite make up for the burger letdown; however, they were some prize spuds. The initial appearance didn't raise any eyebrows. As Tony remarked, "they look like they came out of a frozen bag," and the amount provided seemed a bit lacking for a large order. Nonetheless, the unsalted fried potatoes were rather delicious. It tasted like they were fried in purity. Better yet, you could really taste the potato!
Free Fixins: Ray's offers some interesting free fixin options. Optional free burger additions include - lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, raw red onions, a pickle, BBQ sauce and mayo. Yeah, these are rather basic, but other options de gratis are charred jalapenos, cognac & sherry sauteed mushrooms, roasted garlic, Ray's Heck Sauce and fiery piranha sauce. The table offered ketchup, yellow and spicy brown mustard, A1 and Tabasco.
Atmosphere: This is a burger joint and the atmosphere of Ray's Too makes that clear. There are no frills or thrills at all inside the restaurant. In fact, nothing is even featured on the walls except two framed red t-shirts. One reads "Hot as Hell" and the other says "Go to Hell." The place was busy at lunchtime on a Sunday; however, there wasn't much of a line.
Cost: $10.50 for the burger and $2.50 for a large fry ($1.75 for a small).
Overall: Amazing fries aside, this was a letdown. There is nothing more to say.
Burger:
The Burger Joint
Good Stuff Eatery
Elevation Burger
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Z Burger
Desperados
Fries
The Burger Joint
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Elevation Burger
Good Stuff Eatery
Z Burger
Desperados
Free Fixins
Good Stuff Eatery
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Z Burger
Elevation Burger
The Burger Joint
Desperados
Atmosphere
The Burger Joint
Good Stuff Eatery
Desperados
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Elevation Burger
Z Burger
Cost
Elevation Burger $3.99/$2.59
Z Burger $4.38/$2.59
Desperados $9.50
Good Stuff Eatery $6.69/$3.69
The Burger Joint $8.99/$2.89
Ray's Hell Burger Too $10.50/$2.50
Overall
The Burger Joint
Good Stuff Eatery
Elevation Burger
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Z Burger
Desperados
The Burger: Ray serves 100% premium steak cuts, which are hand trimmed and aged in house. The burger is prepared in four different ways: grilled, au poivre, blackened and diablo. Judging by the menu format, most people appear to create their own hell - burger. Still, many other "standard" options are available. Amusingly, many are named after 90's rappers such as the Big Punisher and Fat Joe. Heck, they even have the B.I.G. Poppa burger.
I ordered the Original Hell Burger grilled medium with American cheese and Applewood smoked bacon. I also asked for lettuce, grilled onions, a pickle and Ray's Heck Sauce (which they appropriately dubbed as tangy, zippy, but not spicy). The menu mentioned that "We are human and mistakes do occur." Well, they were human, indeed, on this occasion as the burger that arrived had a tomato and lacked the pickles and Heck Sauce.
Order issue aside, the burger was not as good as anticipated. Sure it had a steak-like seasoning and it was not a small chunk of meat. But, the toasted potato-brioche roll didn't appear to be very fresh at all and the bacon tasted like it may have been sitting in a big pile of other strips since mid-morning. Perhaps our high expectations got the best of us.
The Fries: The fries didn't quite make up for the burger letdown; however, they were some prize spuds. The initial appearance didn't raise any eyebrows. As Tony remarked, "they look like they came out of a frozen bag," and the amount provided seemed a bit lacking for a large order. Nonetheless, the unsalted fried potatoes were rather delicious. It tasted like they were fried in purity. Better yet, you could really taste the potato!
Free Fixins: Ray's offers some interesting free fixin options. Optional free burger additions include - lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, raw red onions, a pickle, BBQ sauce and mayo. Yeah, these are rather basic, but other options de gratis are charred jalapenos, cognac & sherry sauteed mushrooms, roasted garlic, Ray's Heck Sauce and fiery piranha sauce. The table offered ketchup, yellow and spicy brown mustard, A1 and Tabasco.
Atmosphere: This is a burger joint and the atmosphere of Ray's Too makes that clear. There are no frills or thrills at all inside the restaurant. In fact, nothing is even featured on the walls except two framed red t-shirts. One reads "Hot as Hell" and the other says "Go to Hell." The place was busy at lunchtime on a Sunday; however, there wasn't much of a line.
Cost: $10.50 for the burger and $2.50 for a large fry ($1.75 for a small).
Overall: Amazing fries aside, this was a letdown. There is nothing more to say.
Burger:
The Burger Joint
Good Stuff Eatery
Elevation Burger
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Z Burger
Desperados
Fries
The Burger Joint
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Elevation Burger
Good Stuff Eatery
Z Burger
Desperados
Free Fixins
Good Stuff Eatery
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Z Burger
Elevation Burger
The Burger Joint
Desperados
Atmosphere
The Burger Joint
Good Stuff Eatery
Desperados
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Elevation Burger
Z Burger
Cost
Elevation Burger $3.99/$2.59
Z Burger $4.38/$2.59
Desperados $9.50
Good Stuff Eatery $6.69/$3.69
The Burger Joint $8.99/$2.89
Ray's Hell Burger Too $10.50/$2.50
Overall
The Burger Joint
Good Stuff Eatery
Elevation Burger
Ray's Hell Burger Too
Z Burger
Desperados
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