San Diego Burger Club went to Fuddruckers on Mira Mesa today.  We wanted to take advantage of their Fat Tuesday “3-Pound Burger Challenge”, which promised 2 free meals, a t-shirt, and “undeniable respect from friends, family and colleagues” if you could finish the burger and a pound of fries in an hour.  Alas, the burgers got the best of us.  Along the way, Fuddruckers earned a C+ rating.

I would be remiss if I did not point out that there will always be a soft spot in my heart for Fuddruckers.  My son and I used to visit Fuddruckers frequently — always getting a 2/3 pound burger medium-well, playing Galaga, and sitting in the “King Booth”.  Ah, those were the days …

I have to confess, the “fries” at Fuddruckers have always been a disappointment.  They are really more like potato wedges.  They have nice seasonings on them, but they are too thick and are not crispy enough.  With whom exactly is this kind of potato supposed to be popular?  Please — Fuddruckers — bring in some thin fries, or waffle fries, or curly fries, or tater tots!  We found ourselves pining for some Smashburger fries instead of Fuddruckers’ faux fries.

As for the burgers, most people found them to be nothing special.  One member thought there was not enough burger for their bun.  Those of us who tried the three pound burgers found the buns to be too doughy.  Also the three pound burger was undercooked for my taste.  They do not ask how you want the three pound burger cooked — presumably because they want to make sure it is cooked through.  I would say mine was medium in the middle, which is fine, but generally I prefer medium-well.  The three pound burgers were really thick, too.  Not so thick that you couldn’t get your mouth around it, but thick enough to totally fill your mouth when you got a bite.  That made them challenging to eat.

Two of us tried the three pound burger challenge, and both of us finished about half of our burgers and maybe, being generous, we could say half the fries.  I actually found myself about halfway done with a little more than 30 minutes remaining.  However, having tried the Nicky Rottens Ultimate Burga Challenge, I knew I was standing on the edge of a precipice at that point — either you go all-in and force the rest down and feel terrible for the rest of the day, or you call it quits and have some semblance of being able to function in the afternoon.  Standing on that precipice, uncertain whether my stomach would hold the rest, I opted for the safer but much less glorious path, as did the other member who tried the challenge.  The manager told us that the last time they held a three pound burger challenge, 27 people tried the challenge and only 2 finished the burger and fries in an hour.

Most votes were for a C+ so that’s what Fuddruckers gets today.  I was unable to defend my sentimental favorite, as the giant burger wasn’t that great, the bun was doughy, and the fries were Fuddruckers’ usual not-so-good fries.  At least we got to sit in the King Booth though!  I’ll be back due to fond memories and due to my personal affinity for their 2/3 pound burger.  I’m not certain I can get my Burger Club friends to join me there though …

San Diego Burger Club went to Legacy Brewing Company Tap & Kitchen on Miramar today.  Legacy earned a B for “good enough” burgers and fries, neither of which really stood out.

Legacy’s Miramar location is a bit hard to find.  It’s in the back of a shopping center at 7060 Miramar Road.  If you weren’t specifically looking for it, you would be unlikely to find it.  That goes for their website too!  At this time, if you go to www.legacybrewingco.com, you will be hard pressed to find information about any location other than the one on Airport Road in Oceanside.  Perhaps that helps explain the small number of patrons there today.

Legacy has four burgers on the menu — a “Classic Burger” (pictured on the left above), a “Legacy Burger” (pictured on the right above — pretzel bun, fried egg, and “Hellfire bacon jam”), a “Spicy Burger” (serrano, chili aioli, avocado, and provolone), and they recently added a lamb burger.  We sampled all four burgers and they all rated a B.  The burgers were fine — they just weren’t super juicy or flavorful.  Also, in my case the bun on my Classic Burger was quite a bit bigger than the burger, giving rise to a too-high bun-to-burger ratio (the burger was decent sized though so I won’t charge them with a “where’s the beef?” violation …).  In the case of the Spicy Burger, it was not actually that spicy.  The Legacy Burgers were very sloppy (the egg dripped everywhere and created a mess) and came with too much bacon jam.  The lamb burger seemed to be fine — it just didn’t stand out.  Also there is the matter of the fries — they were a bit … limp.  They tasted okay, but they would have been better if they were crispier.

If you are looking for some fun outside the bun, Legacy has some enticing non-burger offerings.  They seem to have won many awards for their house-brewed beers, and their menu has a number of alluring appetizers — “poutine” (duck confit, cheese curds, fries, and gravy), “bacon dates” (with blue cheese, almond, and truffle honey), duck eggrolls, crispy brussel sprouts, chicken wings, spicy cauliflower (with queso fresco, green onion, and toasted bread crumbs), fish and pork tacos, “pork bun” (pork belly, chili aoili, and pickled vegetables), and soft pretzels (with “blonde beer cheese” and “that guava mustard”).

Bottom line:  The burgers are okay but if you go a few blocks down the street and cross the 805 you can get a better burger for less at Five Guys (or there is Eureka in the same area).  If you are going there for the award-winning beer though and also want to get a meal, the burger at Legacy makes a perfectly acceptable meal.