Have you ever watched a kid eat something that they are reallly enjoying? They will moan, squirm in their seat, and act super excited about whatever it is they are consuming.
This is the reaction I hope for out of myself whenever I am looking to eat...well, anything. Life is just too short to waste on mediocre food. Not when there is so much out there that is squirm-worthy. This is what I look for in burgers. I want to moan, squirm, and generally make Kurt slightly embarrassed to be seen with me.
When we walked into The Cafe Burlington, I was immediately charmed by its kitchy old-school interior which was delightfully contrasted with mediocre local art on the walls and blown glass shades above the tables and the counter.
We waited a bit for service, then were approached by what appeared to be a cook, who asked for our order, then forgot what it was as he was taking it. The place was busy, so we assumed they were short-handed. I ordered the 1/3 pound organic burger, M, and a chocolate shake. After he took our order, two places at the counter opened up and we moved there, mostly because the booth seat behind Kurt kept pushing him forward due to two large men sitting in the booth behind him.
As we sat at the counter, I couldn't help but notice the gigantic, wonderful-looking and heavenly-smelling cinnamon rolls sitting right next to me, and all through lunch, it took all of my focus to not reach over and grab one. I did prevail, but it left me to wondering, once again, is it better to regret something you have done, or something you have not done? Especially when it comes to home-made cinnamon rolls?
It took quite a while to get the shake that I ordered, but when I did, it arrived in a gigantic glass mug with a back-up shake tin. And my, it was delight in a glass. The burger arrived a bit later beautifully arranged on a large pink platter, snugly nestled next to a mound of fries and all the fixings for the burger: red onion, romaine lettuce, tomato and a pickle spear.
As I took the first bite, I noted that the burger had been cooked to MW, but did not suffer much for this, for the meat itself was seasoned subltly but nicely and there was still plenty of flavor to be had in the accoutrements. Our server turned out to be the owner, and when we asked him about his beef, he told us about going to the place once a year in Arlington where he gets it and speaking with the workers. He also told us that they bake their own buns, which was impressive, as the one around this burger was firm and had actual flavor to it. It was whole wheat and full of yummy gluten, just how I like it.
Kurt commented that the owner most likely introduced a certain bias to our critique, as he was very open to speaking about his business practices with us, and that is most certainly true, but I think this burger would have done well even without his enthusiastic input.
The scores were as follows:
KURT:
SARA:
Yes, this burger had charm, but if I could, I would have changed the onion. WAY too sharp for the subtle flavors of the burger. The pickle spear was also disappointing: mushy middle with a tough and stiff skin. Ick. Yeah. Really. Ick. At 10.99, the plate of food was a pretty good value, and overall, the burger was solid.
The burger and the place had charm, and my visit there convinced me that I must go back sometime for brunch...and maybe...a cinnamon roll. They looked squirm-worthy, and I am beginning to think that regretting something that I have not done is just too painful.
This is the reaction I hope for out of myself whenever I am looking to eat...well, anything. Life is just too short to waste on mediocre food. Not when there is so much out there that is squirm-worthy. This is what I look for in burgers. I want to moan, squirm, and generally make Kurt slightly embarrassed to be seen with me.
When we walked into The Cafe Burlington, I was immediately charmed by its kitchy old-school interior which was delightfully contrasted with mediocre local art on the walls and blown glass shades above the tables and the counter.
We waited a bit for service, then were approached by what appeared to be a cook, who asked for our order, then forgot what it was as he was taking it. The place was busy, so we assumed they were short-handed. I ordered the 1/3 pound organic burger, M, and a chocolate shake. After he took our order, two places at the counter opened up and we moved there, mostly because the booth seat behind Kurt kept pushing him forward due to two large men sitting in the booth behind him.
As we sat at the counter, I couldn't help but notice the gigantic, wonderful-looking and heavenly-smelling cinnamon rolls sitting right next to me, and all through lunch, it took all of my focus to not reach over and grab one. I did prevail, but it left me to wondering, once again, is it better to regret something you have done, or something you have not done? Especially when it comes to home-made cinnamon rolls?
It took quite a while to get the shake that I ordered, but when I did, it arrived in a gigantic glass mug with a back-up shake tin. And my, it was delight in a glass. The burger arrived a bit later beautifully arranged on a large pink platter, snugly nestled next to a mound of fries and all the fixings for the burger: red onion, romaine lettuce, tomato and a pickle spear.
As I took the first bite, I noted that the burger had been cooked to MW, but did not suffer much for this, for the meat itself was seasoned subltly but nicely and there was still plenty of flavor to be had in the accoutrements. Our server turned out to be the owner, and when we asked him about his beef, he told us about going to the place once a year in Arlington where he gets it and speaking with the workers. He also told us that they bake their own buns, which was impressive, as the one around this burger was firm and had actual flavor to it. It was whole wheat and full of yummy gluten, just how I like it.
Kurt commented that the owner most likely introduced a certain bias to our critique, as he was very open to speaking about his business practices with us, and that is most certainly true, but I think this burger would have done well even without his enthusiastic input.
The scores were as follows:
KURT:
- Flavor: 7
- Juiciness: 7
- Vegetables: 8.5
- Bun: 9
- Source: 9.5
- Synergy: 8
- Value: 8.5
SARA:
- Flavor: 7.5
- Juiciness: 8
- Vegetables: 7.5
- Bun: 9
- Source: 9.5
- Synergy: 8
- Value: 8.5
Yes, this burger had charm, but if I could, I would have changed the onion. WAY too sharp for the subtle flavors of the burger. The pickle spear was also disappointing: mushy middle with a tough and stiff skin. Ick. Yeah. Really. Ick. At 10.99, the plate of food was a pretty good value, and overall, the burger was solid.
The burger and the place had charm, and my visit there convinced me that I must go back sometime for brunch...and maybe...a cinnamon roll. They looked squirm-worthy, and I am beginning to think that regretting something that I have not done is just too painful.
Another week, another burger. You wanna share the love? It would be greatly appreciated by me, Kurt, and all those people out there looking for a good burger.
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