Ballast Point Burger

“Super Freekeh” Veggie Burger

San Diego Burger Club went to Ballast Point on Carroll Way for lunch today.  To sum it up — pretty plain burger, very good veggie burger, very good fries, not-so-good salad, great atmosphere, and good beer selection (we did not sample the beer at lunch, though many of us have previously tried their beer).

There are only two burgers on the menu at Ballast Point — the Ballast Point Burger and the “Super Freekeh” Veggie Burger.  One of us ordered the veggie burger and it received an “A”.  The rest of us ordered the Ballast Point Burger and we universally felt the Ballast Point Burger was lacking in flavor.  The Ballast Point Burger is made from grass fed beef, which in my opinion typically is more lean than beef from cows that are fed hay, grains, soy, corn, etc.  I ordered my burger medium-well and for me the end result was a very dry burger.  Those who ordered their burgers medium felt their burgers were more juicy.  All of us agreed though that the burger was kind of plain and would have benefited from some spices.  There also were some comments about the tomato slices being overly thick, and I thought there were far too many onions on my burger.  The fries, on the other hand, were quite good.  They appeared to be beer battered fries and they were cooked perfectly — crispy and delicious.  Some people opted for salad instead of fries, and the general feeling about the salad was that it consisted of lettuce on the side of the burger with little to no dressing.  In general those who ordered salad wished they had ordered fries instead.

The Ballast Point on Carroll Way appears to be relatively new, and has very high ceilings, wood tables, and generally modern decor.  We felt the restaurant had a good atmosphere and that we would come back for the atmosphere and the beer, even though the beef burgers were not that good.

Fair warning — the restaurant was fairly crowded for a weekday lunch, and on weekends the place can be very packed.  They have a decent size parking lot but parking still was somewhat sparse today, and on weekends you most likely will have to park on the street and may end up parking a few blocks away.

Bottom line — go to Ballast Point for the beer and the atmosphere, and maybe for some of their food such as the “Super Freekeh” Veggie Burger.  If you are just out for a beef burger though, there are plenty of better (and less expensive) options in the area.