A Beautiful Mess
Burgers Ordered: Brad & Andrea – The Burger Deluxe
The Experience: With Matt still on his early summer Burger Weekly hiatus, Brad recruited regular Guest Burgermeister Andrea to join him on his quest to knock the Upcoming Adventures list down a little bit.
Though Brad made a reservation at the always-busy restaurant, upon arriving to the Smith, the Burgermeisters found that even a wait there is pretty much inevitable. Brad and Andrea managed to snag a seat at the bar and decided that it was as good a place to eat their hamburgers as any. Their flexibility proved rewarding when a neighbor at the bar offered the Burgermeisters all of her chips! If you thought Burger Weekly was above eating a whole plate full of someone else’s chips, you were mistaken.
You can always depend on the kindness of strangers.
Ordering from the bar can be tricky, especially on a busy night. Bartenders seem more interested in patrons who drink and don’t eat because, well, that’s who they’re paid to take care of. Even so the food was delivered quickly and, without asking, Brad and Andrea were given all the condiments they could possibly ask for.
A beautiful burger & a troubling puddle.
The Taste: Both Burgermeisters ordered their Burger Deluxe medium rare. The Smith’s burger is served with special sauce, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion. Brad got his with bacon, Andrea did not.
Brad noticed immediately that the juices from the sirloin burger had leaked through its bottom bun and before the plate had even reached the bar. The top bun had held up well and was positively delicious, but the bottom bun was a ruin. In the end Brad ended up eating the juice-soaked bun first and treated the rest of the burger like an open-faced sandwich. The bacon was flavorful but there was not enough of it. The burger was quite tasty, but this was ultimately an unbelievably messy way to have to eat.
Almost perfect.
Andrea is typically wary of ordering burgers medium rare, presumably because she’s been served some live cows before. However, she found this burger to be perfectly cooked. She agreed with Brad though that the bun, while appropriately tasty, was not big or absorbent enough on the bottom to handle the juice. She found the burger tasty but inconveniently messy, which hurt her enjoyment. She thought the special sauce was awesome, especially in conjunction to the spicy mustard she asked for on the side. She called her fries the icing on the cake.
Aftermath.
The Verdict: Though they needed way more than a few napkins to clean themselves off after their meal, Brad and Andrea were both more than satisfied by the taste and heft of their burgers. The fries were excellent as well. If you venture to the Smith for a burger, think about whether or not you can handle ordering it medium or else be prepared to need a bib.
The Smith is located at 55 3rd Avenue between 10th Street and 11th Street.
