Articles tagged ‘aioli’

Hillstone

April 13th, 2012 by Richard Chudy

Hillstone has a vintage feel; part of a chain of restaurants that includes Houston’s, it sits right in Faneuil Hall but is far more appealing on the exterior and the interior than many of the tourist-trap establishments surrounding it. $16 will buy you a burger, seemingly of the straight-forward variety, consisting of cheddar, tomato, lettuce and onion. It’s freshly ground Chuck on a homemade bun, and you guessed it, another Big Mac model. It makes sense, it’s a riff on the most popular burger in the world, but not as cleverly done as I’d like it to be. If you think about it, most burgers these days are different versions of the fast food model, after all that’s where it all started. But the missed opportunity here was the chance to elevate that classic burger, start with beef and add the usual condiments, but why not try to spin them in a unique direction instead of just re-hashing what we’ve already consumed a billion (trillion?) times over. But maybe that’s not the name of the game at Hillstone, it speaks to the classic look of the restaurant and they aren’t out to re-create the burger wheel.  continue reading »

Bergamot

November 7th, 2011 by Richard Chudy

I’m done with expectations, the next time I hear great things about a supposed great burger I’m going to ignore it. The problem with mostly eating burgers is that in the case of a higher end restaurant, the burger is a perfect barometer to judge any future meals at the same establishment. Fair or unfair, if they can’t properly cook a burger, what hopes do they have to cook any other dish? Served only at the bar, the Bergamot burger is rumored to be a beef blend consisting of marrow and brisket, but it was so salty and cooked so poorly I could have been eating a turkey burger. Ironically, we waited close to an hour for what was promised to be a very thin, medium cooked, and incredibly juicy burger. For such a slim patty, which should have taken mere moments to cook, the wait was far too long, but that’s what happens when you’re banished to the bar, our backs turned to the rest of the dining room. continue reading »

5 Napkin Burger

May 14th, 2011 by Richard Chudy

Has there ever been so much hype revolving around one burger? Trust me when I say it affects me and it definitely affects you. 5 Napkin Burger opened with an incredible amount of fanfare. I’ve never been asked by so many random people if I had been and what I thought of it. The bloggers, the media, and general burger lovers everywhere were coming out of the woodwork for this one, and for the vast majority all were signing praises to the Burger Gods. It’s humorous to me me how predictable people are; all I’ve been hearing are great things about 5 Napkin, if I write a favorable review I get nothing but confirmation, if my review is less than generous I’ll hear all about how overrated it is. The average blogger will go immediately when the restaurant opens just so they can say that they went. The problem is they don’t know if it’s any good or not, they just think it’s supposed to be great, hence all the buzz that follows. Here’s what I know: 5 Napkin makes a good burger, but it’s flawed, and something billed as the greatest before most have even been makes it more of a flaw. Phew. continue reading »

Ten Tables

March 18th, 2011 by Richard Chudy

In the ultimate too much of a good thing can ruin a burger scenario, Ten Tables in Jamaica Plain fires on all cylinders. Unless of course you subscribe to the theory that the burger is flawed, seriously flawed regardless, it won’t make much of a difference. I secretly love places like this though, in that underground, hidden burger destination that no one is aware of, this is not the typical spot for a burger, kind of in that Craigie mold without it actually being any good. But that’s kind of a major difference. It would have been superb if it were actually superb, but don’t be fooled by the atmosphere, the intimacy, or the cheffy tricks they try to pull. This burger is done-in by a dreadful bun that is about five times the size of the patty itself, and far too many components that all get muddled together. Bacon aioli and A-10 Sauce sound great, and on their own they taste great, but when you pile them onto an already monstrous burger with caramelized onions, cheese and lettuce, it’s too much to handle. Literally. continue reading »

Sel de la Terre

August 2nd, 2010 by Richard Chudy

I always wonder how a burger makes a given menu. Is it just the most universal food item and thus appeals to the masses? The trend for “upscale” burgers isn’t new, I guess I’m still trying to understand the reasoning behind it all, but one way or another it seems to be here to stay. We dined at Sel de la Terre (we being the coolest burger posse ever) which is as nice a restaurant as a group of our stature can feel comfortable in, it’s just burgers, who needs fancy anyway? Well, the $14 Sel de la Terre burger is kind of fancy, aioli and pancetta join the burger party, but we’ve seen those ingredients before. It’s the right balance I’d say, of appealing to the masses but making it special enough that it feels right. I wasn’t blown away, but categorically speaking it fit the bill. continue reading »