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