It’s almost a fantastic experience at Washing Square Tavern, the menu is familiar but as clever as it needs to be, everything priced just a bit less than it should be, except the burger, which at $14 seems a little high. But the vibe is perfect, not too loud, not too quiet, with attentive servers and an extensive beer list. It’s the type of place, despite my thinking I’m a big shot, probably doesn’t care there’s a burger blog out there and could care less if theirs is considered the best or not. And that’s what I love about it, nobody is boasting about the quality of the food, no awards hanging anywhere, it is what it is. And it’s a great burger, flawed for sure, but great. continue reading »
Archive for November, 2010
Washington Square Tavern
Atwoods Tavern
I don’t know how to figure the burger at Atwoods Tavern, it’s the ultimate two-face burger, a few good biters here and there, and a few rather offensive bites in between. It bursts with juice immediately, almost violently and slightly painful on my wrist and onto the plate, which is fine for some, but me, I like my juice in the burger and not on the plate. Yes, leave it to me to complain about a juicy burger, but a little resting of the burger before it’s sent out and those juices will naturally redistribute back into the meat and not onto my wrist and plate. But the meat is flavorful, grass-fed and local, it can be sweet and luscious, which it was partly, and then inexplicably tasted of liver, and not the good way liver can taste when medium-rare, but that nasty, chalky taste of over-cooked liver. Is this a grass-fed quality or the cuts of beef used? Either way, it’s incredibly unpleasant and unflattering, all due to inconsistent cooking. The parts that are cooked to a medium-rare are lovely, otherwise it’s a roller-coaster of tastebuds and it’s not a good experience. continue reading »
Coda
I was hoping the Coda burger would be different enough from The Common Ground burger that I would at least have something to say about it. Owned by the same people, the burger is eerily similar, but I was hoping for a little more South End-finesse as opposed to a rugged Allston burger, location is everything. It’s the same black pepper brioche, the same char-grilled just in a cleaner setting. But whatever worked for me in Allston did not work for me in the South End. Nicely cooked meat became over-cooked dry beef that was over-charred and lackluster. Although the over-char actually made for a nice crust, the nice crust really just turned into too bitter a final product. Those who prefer the grill over a griddle are just crazy, but what do I know. continue reading »
Stoddard’s
What determines the price of a burger? Is it the cut of beef, the type of cheese, bun, or just the words on the menu? At Stoddard’s, it seems to be a bit of everything, the beef (Meyer Ranch) is excellent, the bun (brioche) is what it is, and of course they have “chiffonade lettuce.” For the uninformed, chiffonade refers to thinly cut strips of flat, leafy foods, usually reserved for basil and mint, not so often with lettuce. Why? Because it’s just so stupid, I mean seriously, who describes or constructs a menu and thinks of chiffonade lettuce? Well apparently the good people at Stoddard’s did, and I guess that’s the difference between what should be a $12 burger and ultimately a $14 burger, it’s all about the wording. continue reading »
Art Bar
Located at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, Art Bar somehow landed on my “master burger list.” I say somehow because I’ve completely lost track of the origins of these suggestions, but one way or another, someone told me to check it out and so I did, with the infamous Mike Isman. It’s a $14 burger and I don’t know why, maybe because there’s Art on the walls? Food I get, but art is a world I know nothing about, combine the two in a restaurant setting and I can’t quite piece it together. It’s snobby, but no less so than The Four Seasons, the type of place that very well could have a good burger, but sadly does not. It’s a $14 burger disguised as a $7 burger, as they use the dreaded combination of ground Sirloin and Brioche, two automatic fails in my mind. continue reading »
The Bristol Lounge
A great burger will stay with you for days, you wont be able to stop thinking about it, you’ll want to keep coming back again and again, no matter the cost (both in the wallet and in the waistline) and you can’t wait to tell everyone all about it. The famed burger at The Bristol Lounge, in Boston’s Four Seasons, hits on many marks, and it is a great burger. I don’t throw greatness around too often with my burgers, even a “good” burger is pretty hard to come by, but I can’t say it’s the best. We’ve talked a lot about price with burgers lately, and with good reason, as expensive burgers are abundant these days, the burger at The Bristol Lounge is a whopping $21, but I say, so what, let’s just think of it as a satisfying meal. Is $21 normally too much for a meal? I say no, but with burgers, we don’t expect to pay more than $6, $9, or maybe $12 for the traditional “combo” meal. Unnecessary quotes aside, if we ignore the price for a moment, I don’t have to work very hard to convince you this is a damn good burger. It’s thick, juicy, seasoned perfectly, has fully melted Vermont Cheddar cheese, and is great to the last bite. continue reading »
Lord Hobo
Despite having one of the worst names for a restaurant I’ve ever heard, Lord Hobo makes a pretty good burger. Dining with my now former Pastry Chef, Jenni, who was enjoying her last American burger before she heads to greater things in Paris, I’m glad it was worthwhile. I must be getting old though, because the noise level in there is just unpleasant, why go out if you can’t even hear what your friends are saying to you? It’s a mildly pretentious atmosphere, with the usual round-up of Cambridge hipsters and too-cool-for-school servers and hostesses. But the menu is pretty solid, if not overly priced in spots, and smaller than deserving portion sizes. The burger, ground from the traditional Chuck, arrives on a soft bun that’s in the neighborhood of brioche, not quite as “bread-y” as a brioche, a little less buttery, but glistening and an overall good fit for the beef despite being a tad too large. It may be dark, but I can tell my burger is over-cooked, not enough pink in this burger, and unevenly cooked. But the flavor is good, if not a little lean, there is some beef flavor present, and seasoned quite nicely. But it’s too dry because it’s more of a medium than a medium-rare, but again, a higher fat content might make the juiciness more forgiving, instead there’s barely a hint of moisture, despite the proper seasonings.
The fries, on the other hand, are a delight, and very memorable. I promise, all it takes is some salt and most fries would rank much higher on my list, these are perfectly fried and seasoned to perfection.They literally only taste of salt and potato, and that’s the way it should be. Look, I realize salt is a personal thing, but fries deserve to be salted liberally, something that must be done as soon as they come out of the fryer, not at the table. The fries at Lord Hobo aren’t ambitious or unique, they’re just good, I just wish there was more of them.
While the burger is good enough, and perhaps on a different day it’s even better when cooked the preferred medium-rare, the noise level is so bothersome to me I feel like a bitter old man even thinking about making that complaint. But to someone who is clearly less of a loser than I am, and someone who enjoys an extensive beer list and water served in a Mason Jar, this might be the place for you.
Overall Score: 83
The Abbey
Maybe my standards are too high. Or maybe most burgers, really are, “just burgers.” But the last few, or really the vast majority are kind of boring, run of the mill beef, standard bun, lettuce, tomato, raw onion, repeat. I’m fully aware I’m a self-described burger purist, I love the simplicity of burgers, when they act like the beautiful burger they’re supposed to be. The problem with anything outside of the stripped down version is that no one ever focuses on the beef itself, they just concentrate on loading it up with as many condiments and toppings as imaginable. But the classic, straight-forward burger can be mundane, if not treated properly, much like the burger with all the bells and whistles. Listen, it’s all about the ingredients, whether it be a couple or dozens, but the cheeseburger with just lettuce, tomato, and cheese almost has nowhere to hide, that’s why I always order it so simple. But truth be told most places have no imagination, there’s no excitement, but I am secretly dying for a burger that can balance the classic approach with some new twists and turns. Wishful thinking maybe, but I yearn for the day that happens. continue reading »
