Burgers Ordered: White Truffle Burger, Bash Burger, Classic Burger & Shroom n’ Gruyere Burger.
The Experience: Burger & Barrel has quite the reputation. It has won the Blue Moon Burger Bash three years in a row, and its Bash Burger is almost always on Best Burger in New York lists. On top of that, Burgermeister Brad ate a Bash Burger at Lure, which is also associated with Bash Burger creator Josh Capon, and enjoyed it immensely.
So Brad rounded up five Guest Burgermeisters and made a reservation at Burger and Barrel. The place was packed when they arrived, so they ordered a few (not so cheap) drinks at the bar. After a short wait they were seated, met at the table by the specials menu. Brad was immediately peer pressured into getting the White Truffle Burger special, which now holds the dubious distinction of being the most expensive burger ordered by a Burgermeister to date, at $50. Luckily for Brad, frequent Guest Burgermeister Simon agreed to split both the White Truffle Burger and a Bash Burger with Brad, bringing the average price each Burgermeister paid down a bit.
The Taste: The meal started with the table all mooching off of Toby’s bacon & brussel sprout appetizer. Everyone agreed that it was a fine way to begin the meal. Toby, ever a purist, ordered the only Classic Burger at the table. Perhaps in a bad mood (he spent a lot of time criticizing the perfectly acceptable and often fun music) he was initially disappointed that the patty was too small and salty, that the bun was nothing special. He liked the veggies and specal sauce well enough, but not enough to justify spending 15 dollars on a burger. Brad would later rage when comparing Toby’s burger price to that of the White Truffle Burger.
Pete didn’t love the bacon jam on the Bash Burger, but that was the only complaint the Bash Burger eaters had the entire night. He liked the way it was cooked and really enjoyed the special sauce. Simon thought the Bash Burger had a good flavor. He and Brad both felt that the burger would have tasted better had they not also eaten half a White Truffle Burger each and forced themselves to compare the two.
Of the White Truffle Burger, Brad remarked that it might have been the most fancy tasting burger he’s ever had, cooked perfectly. The bun wasn’t much to talk about, but all attention was on patty, the outsides of which had most flavor, and the truffle oil. He chewed every bite to mush so as to savor each moment. Both he and Simon agreed that the truffle aioli was fantastic and both quite enjoyed the onion rings that come on every burger. They reminded Brad of tempura, while Simon harkened them to funnel cake.
Kate and Cassidy both ordered the Mushroom and Gruyere Burger. Cassidy, having only recently started eating meat again after a long stint as a vegetarian, ordered hers medium well and wish she’d gone less grill happy. Kate, who only recently started ordering her burgers medium rare, said that the change helped the burger to hit the spot. She called it a perfect blend between meats and veggies and that the bun was a perfectly underwhelming complement to the tasty patty. Cassidy found the onion rings to be a pleasant surprise.
As for sides, Simon loved sweet potato fries, Kate thought her tater tots were amazing, Pete and Toby found their fries to be standard fare, and Brad went insane for the rosemary tater tots.
The Verdict: Though everyone, especially Brad and Simon, had a bit of buyer’s remorse after this expensive meal, they all left satisfied and far from overstuffed thanks to the conservatively sized patties. The Classic Burger won’t win any awards anytime soon, but the Bash and Mushroom & Gruyere Burgers were very well received. And if you’re REALLY in the mood to treat yourself or a loved one, call ahead and see if they’re serving the White Truffle Burger… it’s worth it.
