Fare thee well, shake shack

Burgerquest! Bobby’s Burger Palace - Philadelphia PA

Dallas Burger

Spice Crusted/Coleslaw/Monterrey Jack/BBQ Sauce/Pickles

Cooking Style/Temp: griddled/medium rare

Additions/Subtractions:  none

Burger: 

I was completely and happliy surprised at how perfectly medium rare the burger was. The meat tasted fresh and had the light texture that you get from freshly ground and properly handled beef. The seasoning was a bit overpowering to the rest of the toppings, but for whatever reason, it went outward into the toppings, letting the beef stand on it’s own.

Bun: 

Toasted sesame seed bun, soft overall, and while I could tell it was toasted, I might argue it wasn’t toasted enough. It made it 95% of the way, before falling apart.

Toppings

The coleslaw added a good crunchy texture but didn’t have any flavor at all, the other stuff, while fresh also blended into the background, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, because the meat was so good. The pickles were awesome.

Accoutrements: 

I ordered onion rings. The super thick type they serve is the total opposite of how I like my onion rings, so I’ll withold scathing judgement, they tasted pretty good though. If I go again, I’ll def try out the sweet potato fries with honey mustard horseradish sauce. They also have milkshakes, grilled cheeses and beer. The burger comes with a crisp spicy half pickle, that was also really good. You also have an array of condiments to choose from: Ketchup, Chipotle Ketchup, Yellow Mustard, “Burger Sauce” (which is kind of like A-1) and Jalapeño Hot Sauce. They pretty much checked off all the boxes of “burger joint”, and thats a good thing.

Atmosphere

One word: slick. This place is definitely the work of a well-oiled machine. The interior has all the charm of a burger place at Disneyworld. It’s like a burger counter transported itself from the 70’s, with the avocado and orange color motif and mid-century swivel chairs. The service was awesome, friendly and efficient.

Overall

A decidedly positive experience, when I thought it might be kind of a let-down. Even the prices were ok. The best part was definitely the perfectly cooked burger. Everything tasted good, the service was good, there’s really no complaints. The only thing I might watch out for are some dickheads from the Wharton School of Business, since it’s right across the street.

Grilled burger w american, pickles, shaved red onions & fancy sauce

Local Burger: Free Range Beef Burger with Red Onion, Boursin Cheese & Bacon on a Sesame Bun $11.5 

Cooking Style/Temp: n/a, medium

Additions/Subtractions: added bleu cheese after the waitress brought some to the table on accident

Burger: 3.5

About 8oz if I had to guess, the meat was well-seasoned, but was definitely cooked to medium well, not a trace of pink anywhere. Stupid me for ordering medium.  

Bun: 4

The bun was clearly fresh and toasted and held up good under the weight of everything even until the end.  

Toppings: 4

The toppings were in good proportion to the burger and all of them provided a unique addition of flavor to the whole thing. I was esp a fan of the candied bacon

Accoutrements: 3

The side salad had a super delicate vinaigrette that didnt even register, so I added some bleu cheese dressing and that helped things out. The fries were so close to being excellent, but were a little soggy. If Lavomatic could get them crunchier, they would be fantastic. The pickle was fresh crisp and spicy. We wanted to order some home made tater tots, but they were out. Bummer.

Atmosphere: 3.5

During the day, Lavomatic is mostly business lunches, but in the evening its a much cooler vibe, much more relaxed and cozy. They also have one of the few rooftop dining areas in town, although unfortunately there isn’t much of a view, being stuck between two taller buildings.

 Overall: 3.6

Lavomatic as a restaurant as a whole is one of the more infuriating spots in town, because it’s so inconsistent. One time the food will be great and the next time mediocre. This time it was the service. Our waitress was very friendly and nice, but our lunch took nearly an hour and a half, and we were the only ones sitting upstairs, which was freezing cold. We turned the heat up on our own while going 15-20 minutes at a time without being checked on. That being said, the burger was really good and if you find yourself here, getting a burger and a high-end beer wouldn’t be the worst thing you could try.

HAMBURGERS AND VEGGIE BURGERS 
Burgers are 1/3 # and char grilled. Served on a char grilled bakery bun with mayo, lettuce and onions. Tomato available upon request at no charge. Served with a side of fries.

Ronda’s Way… Spicy Chipolte Cranberry and Pepperjack Cheese

Cooking Style/Temp: char-grilled, no choice

Additions/Subtractions: none

Burger: 2

Small patty, square shaped (I thought it might be a JTM, not sure if it was, but the inside didnt seem like it was) not much flavor besides char on the outside. 

Bun: 2

was toasted, but still really chewy. might’ve been a bit stale. not a fan. 

Toppings: 3.5

the chipotle cranberry mayo was good, the pepperjack couldve been melted a little more. the lettuce was fresh and i liked how thin the red onions were sliced.

Accoutrements: 2.75

The fries were decent, kind of reminiscent of Burger King’s fries, but better. Came with a housemade ketchup that had an italian kick to it. Potato salad was available too.

Atmosphere: 4.5

Arnold’s is one of the best bars in Cincinnati. They have great beer on tap, a sheppard fairey mural in the adjoining alley, a chill atmosphere and an awesome back patio. I always have a good time when I come here, whether I’m there for lunch, a couple drinks or all night.

Overall: 2.95

The lunchtime burgers are not really worth getting, you’re better off going for almost any of their other offerings at lunch. Apparently they’re supposed to be known for their Italian food (who knew?) Either way, don’t let this burger review stop you from visiting this Cincinnati landmark. Great place, weak burger.

Pressing forth into the brave new world of social media, burgers, the google and myplacebook, 4food in NYC is creating a new burger experience.

One of the cooler points is you can create your own burger, tweet it or whatever, and if someone likes your creation and buys it, you get a 25¢ credit, so theoretically you could get lots of free burgers. At $12 a pop though, you won’t be getting many. 

Spotted laying around the office was a copy of TimeOut New York, only this issue was THREE DIMENSIONS. Im not big on the wave of 3D stuff going on these days, from movies to sports, now to magazines, but i did have to catch a glimpse of what NYC looks like in the future.

And sure enough, if youre talking about nyc youre talking about food, and if youre talking about food in nyc, burgers will probably be mentioned. So here’s my attempt to show you a juicy lucy in 3D!

normal view

3D BURGER TASTE EXPLOSION!

Home Burger #5 - The Basic

Ground Chuck, American Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Red Onion & an approximation of The Rookwood’s “Fry Sauce” (ketchup, mayo, Sriracha, relish, garlic powder) on the best simple bun you can get, Butternut Golden Honey Egg Buns.

I also made some red-skin potato salad and mixed in some of the extra fry sauce. tasty.

I am a zip’s fan, but not a fanboy. I can see why some people don’t get all hot and bothered, but I dont get offended when someone says they don’t like it. Burgerquest continues.

Zip Burger
Cooking Style/Temp: all burgers prepared medium-well, griddled
Additions/Subtractions: with cheese

Burger: 4
about 6oz, hand formed and cooked to a juicy medium well, great beefy flavor and texture. its just the right size that you feel satisfied after eating but not overstuffed. Ive only had one bad burger from here, and it was overcooked because they were slow that night.

Bun: 3
egg buns that you can buy at the grocery store, so they’re noting special, but they’re the perfect size and complement for a zipburger 

Toppings: 3
fresh toppings, perfectly sliced tomato, chopped lettuce. some burgers you need to disassemble the onions or reduce the lettuce, everything here is perfectly proportioned, notice on the plate, theres no extra greenery.

Accoutrements: 4
simple menu. amazing onion rings.(best in town actually)  the fries are so-so shoestrings. i always wish they had krinkle cut fries. great beers on tap. this time we had a fantastic seasonal Great Lakes Lake Erie Monster Imperial IPA.

Atmosphere: 4
this place is almost always crowded, its a super small and unique space, you’re lucky if you get one of the few booths. there is a back room with a bar and one or 2 tables. a great place to get lunch on a saturday in the wintertime. just a laid-back neighborhood joint, except everyone in town goes there. 

Overall: 3.6
a lot of people’s favorite for best burger in town and it’s hard to argue. there’s nothing fancy or over the top about zip’s. it’s just the best “homemade” burger you’ve ever eaten and always consistently delicious, perfectly proportioned and for what you get in quality, reasonably priced. this is the everyman burger at it’s finest.