Not Much of a Saloon but the Burger Ain't Bad

Venue: Industrial Cafe and Saloon

Location: 2572 NW Vaughn St., Portland, OR

Burger: Spicy Bacon Burger

Average Score: 6.7
Price Range: $$$$$

Tom:  This little Portland café is located right where the trendy, condo filled NW neighborhood meets the rundown warehouse buildings of the industrial riverfront.  The Industrial Café and Saloon tries to bridge both sides of the street by offering high quality dining for the upper end condo owners, as well as toting cheap beer for the thousands of industrial workers across the way.  Besides their proud declaration of French Limousin cattle (the Toyota Prius of the beef world due to their high feed conversion efficiency), 100% grass fed, hormone free beef, the item on the menu that caught my eye was the fried jalapenos.  What was this interesting mexicano twist?  My curiosity had gotten the better of me and I ordered the Spicy Bacon Burger.  I had to specifically request my burger to be cooked mid-rare, which was a bit annoying coming from a restaurant that is obviously proud of the quality of its meat.  The burger arrived in a timely manner and the meat was delicious (seems all the bragging paid off).  It came with the standard fare, toasted sesame seed bun, standard green leaf lettuce, slice of tomato, way over cooked bacon, and a modest dollop of mayo.  The fun came with the pickled onion, which added a bit of tartness to the mild spice, the thick and stringy pepper jack cheese, and the fried jalapeno peppers.  I am totally sold on fried jalapenos and would happily place them on almost any burger.  The spice is negligible, but the crunch and tang almost rivals a standard pickle for the added flavor burst.  I also feel compelled to mention their sweet potato fries due to their perfection.  First of all, these were true sweet potato fries and not the orange yams that often get incorrectly labeled as sweet potatoes.  Not that I find them any less delicious, but more because I am a stickler for giving credit where it is due.  These fries were a thin cut crispy bit of heaven that were well worth the $2.00 upgrade.  All in all the golden jalapeno medallions and the true cut sweet potatoes elevate this standard burger a couple rungs on the ladder to burger perfection.

Would You Like Fries with That?

Venue: 67 Burger

Location: 67 Lafayette St.., Brooklyn, NY

Date of Visit: Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Burger: The 67 Burger

Average Score: 7.0
Price Range: $$$$$

Mike: Last week we continued our tour of Fort Greene by sampling the offerings of 67 Burger. For those of you who are unfamiliar, 67 Burger is what one might call a “burger joint” (not to be confused with “A Burger Joint”). Burgers are their business, and business is good! Their menu offers up thirteen different “styles,” numerous sides and salads, and a plethora of extra toppings and cheeses. But, in staying true to our mission, we opted for “The 67 Burger.”

Their signature sandwich is stacked with a 7oz. grass fed beef patty, creamy blue cheese, and crispy bacon. All of their burgers come on a toasted sesame bun with tomatoes, red onion, lettuce, and garlic pickles. I ordered my burger medium rare with a side of sweet potato fries. Now, these burgers don’t come with a side, so if you want fries, you’ll have to fork out a little extra. Not to stray too far off topic; but, 67 Burger serves up three different types of fries, as well as onion rings. They’re all top-notch in my book, so it’s worth the additional cost; however, the portions are pretty hearty, so it’s advisable to split them with a friend.

As I get back to the burger, I should mention that my opinion might hold bias; I find the pairing of bacon and blue cheese to be one of the greatest flavor combinations one could throw on a burger. This burger was cooked to perfection! It came with topped with a generous dollop of creamy blue cheese and chopped bacon on the bottom between the beef and the lower half of the bun. In my mind, they did this right! I was impressed that the bacon was chopped rather than left in strips, which ensured an equal amount of bacon with each bite. One might assume that the potent flavors packed by the bacon and blue cheese might mask the flavors of the beef. This was not the case with “The 67 Burger.” The size of the patty was the right proportion, and seasoned well enough to prevent it from getting lost among the other flavors. As I mentioned before, this burger had a lot going in the flavor department; but it was equally abundant in texture as well. This was mostly due to the chopped bacon and creamy blue cheese.

In all fairness, and as few of them as there were, I am compelled to mention this burger’s shortcomings. Though the bun was a suitable size, a sesame bun was a bit lackluster for my taste. I would have preferred something a little more on the sweeter side to complement the abundance of savory flavors—the tomato just wasn’t enough on its own. This was, in part, why I ordered the sweet potato fries. Also, the toppings could have been fresher; is it really that time consuming to cut a tomato to order? To wrap up, I was rather satisfied with 67 Burger, albeit a bit overpriced; I look forward to trying some of the other burgers on their menu.

Overall Rating: 7.1

Kenneth: After walking past 67 Burger for the last 5 years, I always assumed it was a sit down and order with a waiter kind of place; so I was shocked when I had to order at the register. I ordered their 67 Burger medium; and this signature burger comes with spreadable blue cheese, bacon, lettuce, red onions and a pickle on the side. Everything sounded great except the blue cheese. I’ve had an aversion to it ever since I was little, after trying it in a cheese tasting in elementary. Due to the cheese, I was not completely excited about this burger; but when it arrived that changed. This burger is HUGE! The veggies came on the side, so you can add them if you like; and the spreadable blue cheese was on the top of patty, while the bacon came under the burger in a million little pieces. Not strips, but a lot of little pieces of bacon, which filled every single bite of this burger with the wonderful taste of bacon. The bun was fresh, the patty was cooked well, and the toppings were very fresh. I enjoyed this burger even if I had to scrape the blue cheese off half way through the burger. The blue cheese was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be, but I am going to go back and have a cheddar bacon burger. The tiny pieces of bacon have me hooked.




Rating 7.7

Jeff:  I’ve been to 67 Burger before. I couldn’t recall my impressions of it as I sat outside and it was some time ago. On this occasion, I ordered their trademark burger medium rare with sweet potato fries and was given a table stand with an order number card on top. I was number 78.

The fries arrived shortly after sitting; and again I was taken aback. Why? I’m someone who loves chips and salsa before the main meal; I like appetizers, but to me, fries should still arrive with the burger. That said, the sweet potato fries were good; I wish more places offered them.
       

The burger arrived and it looked good. It had a broad thick patty, the lettuce and tomato looked fresh, and the red onions were sliced just right. My first bite was ok, and by ok, I mean it definitely wasn’t bad. The patty wasn’t medium rare but it was juicy. The blue cheese was creamy versus crumbly so that was an eyebrow raiser as well. Where’s the blue? The bacon was diced and spread out. I’m not a fan of diced bacon on burgers, salads maybe, but not burgers. I’m used to it occurring in fast food chains, so this was a strange occurrence for me. Maybe it shouldn’t be, as I did place my order at the counter and was given a number on a metal stand. The diced bacon was nice in that a bit of bacon was in every bite, but I missed the texture and meatiness that whole strips can provide. As I continue to eat, I can’t help but take in the decor. This place is sort of distracting. It made me feel as though I was at a food court in a mall. I am by no means a snob against malls. Having grown up in the Northwest, malls are quite alright by me, but this has a food court feel to me and food courts are definitely something I’m not down with.

      The bun didn’t hold up too well. A third of the way through, the bottom bun had disintegrated and the top bun had collapsed considerably without much flavor. I thought the bun had been toasted a bit but that was not the case. Yeah, it’s feeling more like a food court experience with every bite. In the end the burger was ok, not spectacular, but not bad either. It would definitely pass as a decent burger if made at home, but I wasn’t home.  I was out and left somewhat indifferent to the whole thing.

Rating: 6.2

World's Greatest

Venue: Stanich's

Location: 4915 Northeast Fremont St., Portland, OR

Burger: The Special

Average Score: 8.8
Price Range: $$$$$

Tom: Let me preface this review by disclosing that I did, and always will, approach this burger with a HUGE bias.  Stanich’s has long been one of, if not my absolute favorite burgers… in the world.  For your dollar, I do not believe you can find a better deal anywhere; but, I will always accept challenges thrown down by fellow reviewers.  From the grease stained pendants of nearly every college and sports team known to humanity covering the walls to the ancient and wizened burger yielding staff, Stanich’s proudly totes the old-timey neighborhood bar/diner feel that makes me all warm and fuzzy when I walk in the doors.  To combat my obvious “10/10 burger” rating of their magnificent creation, I decided it was prudent to employ four other burger judges to broaden taste palates for a more accurate analysis.  Five burgers display on the menu, but I highly recommend their flagship burger, the humbly titled “World’s Greatest” or “Special.” The special comes with a fresh ground chuck patty, American cheese, crispy white onions, shredded iceberg lettuce, tomato, ham, bacon, and a fried egg deliciously stacked on a toasted sesame seed bun.  The true brilliance of this burger, besides the perfect blend of flavors that will set your head spinning, is the condiment mix.  There must be some special seasoning or ingredient because I have never sampled a ketchup/relish/mayo blend that tastes so good.  Many times I have kept a covert eye on the open grill to see if there is some undisclosed bucket or a blank seasoning shaker that quickly makes an appearance to dash out bit of burger bliss before scuttling back to the secret recesses of the kitchen.  But alas, I have not uncovered any secret truths and must accept that they have mastered the blend of otherwise common ingredients.  If there had to be a flaw with this experience, it was in the inconsistency of the fries.  They’re cut fresh daily, but it is a complete roll of the dice whether you will get a batch of perfectly browned and tender fries or an under cooked mass of floppy potatoes that I inevitably eat while grumbling under my breath.  In the end there are few burger places that elicit an instant desire to continue eating and completely ignore the rest of my day though my stomach is pleading with me to stop.  Stanich’s IS one of those places!

Spicy Lame Burger

Venue: Chez Oskar

Location: 211 Dekalb Ave., Brooklyn, NY

Date of Visit: Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Burger: Spicy Lamburger

Average Score: 4.3
Price Range: $$$$$

Mike: Our Fort Greene tour continued last week; this time, lamb was on the menu. Our destination: Chez Oskar, for their “Spicy Lamburger.” Chez Oskar, a Harlem Renaissance and French bistro inspired eatery, claims to “crank out fine French cuisine jazzed up by Brooklyn's cultural diversity.” Well, I can neither confirm, nor deny that assertion; but, if I were to base my assessment solely on their lamb burger, I would have to strongly disagree.

For $13, you get a 6 oz. lamb burger with goat cheese, served with French fries and a salad. The menu made no mention of what kind of bun it comes on; I gathered this is because they used whatever was on sale at the local supermarket. I don’t often order lamb, so I asked to have mine prepared as the chef recommended, which turns out to be medium. Though, I think my burger was a bit overcooked, leaving it on the dry end. On the other hand, the dryness may have been a result of a freezing, which I gathered from the consistency and texture of the meat. The patty was, indeed, spicy; but the flavor, despite the goat cheese, completely dominated the sandwich, making the fact that it was lamb a moot point. It could have been any animal, really. As for the goat cheese, it had the consistency of that found from the grocery store. C’mon, is anything on this burger made fresh or in-house?! Frozen patty, bun from a bag, goat cheese from a jar—even the tomato looked like it was cut the day before. I should also add that my burger came with a small piece of the plastic bag the bun must have come in. Needless to say, this was not a good first impression.

To wrap this up, it’s pretty obvious how extremely disappointed I was with this lamb burger. The fries and salad couldn’t have saved this sinking ship, even if they were the best sides imaginable—which they were far from it. I would equate this meal with diner food; but that’s not exactly fair, seeing as I have had better diner experiences than this. Give me $13 and a shopping list and I could produce a better burger than what Chez Oskar is trying to pass off for one these days.

Overall Rating: 4.5

Kenneth: Lamb Burgers! I was very excited to try my first lamb burger; but I can’t let this single experience ruin all other upcoming lamb burgers. This burger was so highly spoken of by quite a few of my friends; I am truly shocked that it turned out so unexpectedly awful. I have to believe my friends who gave praise to this burger have not been back to Chez Oskar in quite some time. I consider this terrible burger a product of a new chef or new management that doesn’t care for this dish.

There were a few things I did like about the burger; the fresh goat cheese, the spiciness of the patty, and the bun to patty ratio. The spiciness of the burger was also the only flavor; I think it was so spicy to cover up for the lack flavor in the meat. The bun looked like an Arnold’s wheat hamburger bun from the local grocery story, and tasted just, well it wasn’t good. Having to consume almost all of my fries was the only way to help create some sense of satisfaction with my burger experience. I wish I had this lamb burger a few years back when it was so highly raved about.

Overall rating 4.7

Jeff:  Chez Oskar was one of the first places at which I had a good burger when I visited Brooklyn seven and a half years ago; and not just any burger, but a lamb burger. I have fond memories of that trip, and the burger; as it was while visiting graduate schools that I settled in this place after a long afternoon. This return visit would hopefully justify my memories of that afternoon.


        Whoa, what is this? This looks nothing like what I remember, and my memory for visual things is pretty good. The patty looks prepackaged.  Either that, or the cook spends a lot of time rounding out his patties for a perfect radius and thickness.  And what’s with the bun? Is this from a store bought package of 8 wheat buns for $1.99? It sure looks like it. The tomato doesn’t look that fresh either. What’s going on here? Did I have that lamb burger somewhere else? Restaurant management changes hands, I know, but why would they choose to serve their lamb burger like this?  

My first bite confirms my visual assessment. The bun is nothing but short of mediocre.  It’s not toasted, it’s bland, it’s dense, it looks like it’s been squished, and it’s dry.

Again, why is this on a lamb burger? Why would this be used on any burger?
  One function of the bun is to serve as the vehicle to deliver the patty. It carries the meat of a burger and should compliment the patty. This is bad, really bad, and I feel bad for suggesting we come here. The patty was flavorful, but I don’t taste too much lamb. I see ground lamb, but the seasoning of the patty is overwhelming. Their menu does state that it’s a spicy lamb burger, but where’s the flavor of the lamb? It might as well be a spicy (insert choice of substance) burger because the flavor of the meat is lacking. The patty’s texture also seems a little mealy. I take another bite and the result is the same, spicy; but I don’t taste much lamb. What happened? This is nothing like what I had back in 2004, and I always remember what tastes good. The only welcome flavor I had from this burger was from the goat cheese, but when paired with the mealy lamb and dry bun, it’s joy faded rather quickly.  I’m not going to mention the fries, why bother.


          You know, if all burgers tasted this poorly, I’d be vegetarian just for the sake of making sure the life of young sheep or cows wasn’t being wasted. They should just live on to graze on grass, provide milk and cheese, and be seen in petting zoos for children. Rest assured, I will not be recommending a burger of any kind from here.

Overall rating: 3.7