San Diego Burger Club went to Recess Food Truck on Eastgate Mall today.  The Eastgate Mall location is in the middle of an office park.  Parking was accessible and there were a number of outdoor tables (most with umbrellas for shade) at which to eat.

We arrived around 11:45am and there was a decent line at that time.  The line got longer and longer over time, though we only had to wait a few minutes to order and a few more minutes for our food since we beat most of the crowd.  Here is an important tip if you plan to eat at Recess — you can order online (you must order by 11am), pay by PayPal, set a pickup time, and avoid the line and the wait.  We didn’t try that, but if you plan to arrive there during the lunch rush, ordering online might be the way to go.

Now as to whether you should actually eat there … we were not very impressed.  The clever burger names and dressed-up tater tots — which include a variant on nachos made with tots and appropriately named “Totchos” — did nothing to save this place.  One of us was impressed by their burger, but three of us thought the burgers mostly tasted like the sauce on them and nothing else, one of the orders of tots was not sufficiently crispy, one of the burgers did not fill the bun (resulting is several bites that were all bun and fillings with no burger), one burger was not sufficiently cooked, and one burger was unevenly cooked.  Inconsistency is the name of the game here, and the result was that only one meal out of four turned out well.  Also, there is no dessert at Recess.  When Stuffed Burgers Food Truck with their Fried Oreos is your competition, coming to the game with no dessert at all seems a bit anemic.

Somehow Recess eked out a B rating, but it’s not a very enthusiastic B.  For the same price (around $11), I would much rather cross La Jolla Village Drive and head over to Five Guys Burgers and Fries, even though Five Guys also received a B rating.

San Diego Burger Club went to Anny’s Fine Burger on Kearny Villa for “National Hamburger Day” this week.  Surprisingly, they were not very crowded at lunch on “National Hamburger Day”.  Perhaps that’s because they got a “B” rating from us, and other patrons already knew they merited that rating.

On the plus side, Anny’s has a wide variety of hamburgers and fries on the menu.  There is something for everyone on that menu.  It’s kind of odd though that they have 9 kinds of fries (including waffle fries), two kinds of onion rings, assorted other sides (e.g., fried dill pickles), but no tater tots on the menu.  Step it up and get some tots Anny!

I had the Pastrami Burger and the pastrami was quite good.  It was crispy but not overdone, and very flavorful.  Unfortunately the burger itself was kind of plain.  Another member had a burger with cole slaw and other toppings and also really liked the toppings but thought the burger itself was kind of average.  Service was kind of slow for that member’s burger as well, with someone in our group who ordered well after him being served first.

Then there were the fries, onion rings, and waffle fries we ordered.  I thought they were “okay” but tasted a bit off.  One of our members commented that he thought the fries must have been cooked in the same oil as the fried fish and had picked up a fishy taste.  There was some debate over that but the consensus was that was probably correct.

Bottom line — Anny’s has promise but failed to live up to its potential.  They have lots of burger choices with good toppings, but the burgers themselves are pretty average.  They have lots of potato choices, but oddly they do not have tots and they seem to cook their fries in the same oil as their fish, giving the fries an odd taste.  In one instance, service was a bit slow.  I guess I got my $11.60 worth out of the meal, and I might eat there again if I was in the area, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to go back.

San Diego Burger Club went to Karl Strauss on Scranton today.  Many of us work at Qualcomm so we were overdue for rating “Building K”.

The bottom line is that the burgers got a B/B-.  We think you should go there for the atmosphere, beer, and mac and cheese (not necessarily in that order), rather than the burger.

This area cries out for restaurants like Karl Strauss and there is a lot of good food on their menu and plenty of different beers plus a nice atmosphere to keep you entertained.  The burger just isn’t a signature dish there.  It looks good on the plate, but it is very plain.  So are the fries.  There also were a couple of slip-ups with our order:  one burger was missing bacon (that was later rectified), and one burger was ordered with no cheese yet it had some cheese on it.

Speaking of cheese, the mac and cheese at Karl Strauss is where it’s at.  Their menu describes it as follows:  “Our Mac and Cheese is kind of a big deal. Made with large elbow noodles, gorgonzola, gruyere, cheddar cheese, and a crispy parmesan breadcrumb topping, it could quite possibly change your life.”  That might not be far off, actually.

Bottom line:  I wouldn’t go to Karl Strauss for the burgers.  Go for the beer, atmosphere, and mac and cheese.

San Diego Burger Club recently visited In-N-Out Burger.  This was the first Burger Club meeting that was attended by our Summer Intern, and initially we assigned her the task of writing the review.  However, knowing how fervent some people are in their affinity for In-N-Out Burger, I decided it might be good if her first assignment was something other than dissing a San Diego institution.  Therefore, I am writing the review, with input from her summary.

There is no easy way to break this to the In-N-Out fans, so I am just going to come out and say it — it’s a B burger folks.  Dress it up any way you want, order off the secret menu, whatever — it’s still a B.  That was the consensus of our group, and I have to say I agree.  In the words of our Summer Intern, “the honorable burger experts gave it a B, despite a couple ratings of a D from Californians who probably don’t want to be named for fear of being called traitors to their homeland’s burger cult”.

I have tried and tried to like In-N-Out Burger, because a lot of people rave about it.  I find their regular burger very ordinary though — like, it reminds me of McDonald’s.  People say the fries are good because they are cut fresh on-the-spot when you order.  Fresh does not always equal good though.  In my opinion the fries are too potato-ey.  You can really taste the potato in there, kind of like when you eat a thick steak fry.  That may be good for some people, but years of eating burgers and fries have trained my taste buds to like the fried taste.  As a result, tater tots, curly fries, waffle fries, and yes, McDonald’s fries are all to my liking.  But In-N-Out fries — pretty ordinary.  We even tried the “well done” fries off their not-so-secret “secret menu”.  The verdict?  The “well done” fries taste like … cardboard.  Yes, really.

We did have some fun with the secret menu, with one member ordering a “Flying Dutchman”, at least one ordering their burger “Animal Style”, at least one “Animal Style” fries, and several of us ordering “well done fries”.  I also tried to order my burger with a “Donut Bun”, but the cashier at the Mira Mesa In-N-Out Burger said they did not have “Donut Buns” there.

I know there will be some people in San Diego who will take exception to this review, but it is what it is.  I have eaten enough burgers and eaten at In-N-Out enough times to have confidence this is a reasonable assessment, even though I know In-N-Out has a significant following.  Our view:  Go there if you are in a hurry and/or don’t want to spend a lot on a burger.  If you are an In-N-Out fan, that’s great — it’s hard to beat fast, cheap, and good.  If you don’t have any predisposition in favor of In-N-Out, we think you will find it fast, cheap, and average.

San Diego Burger Club went to the Hard Rock Cafe on 4th Avenue on June 12.  We had some mobile / smartphone 2-for-1 coupons and decided to give Hard Rock a try.  Mistake.

Right away Hard Rock started losing points for ambience.  We parked a few blocks away and it wasn’t long before a crazy woman started walking behind us shouting something about “blue bloods” and other things I won’t mention and didn’t understand.  She wasn’t the only crazy-looking-apparently-homeless-person who found that area to be a nice place to hang out either, though she seemed to be the most vocal.

So we arrive at Hard Rock and they immediately ask if we are with a convention.  Apparently they think no one goes there unless they are with a convention.  By the time the experience was over, we understood why.

The restaurant was not crowded.  Service was not particularly quick but it wasn’t too bad either.  The food?  Basically we gave them a B-/C+, which was probably generous.  The fries were good.  The burgers were so-so.  Even with 2-for-1 coupons, it cost around $13 each.  NO WAY is it worth double that.

I have to call it like it is.  With Burger Lounge and Hodad’s in the vicinity, Hard Rock is not really a place you want to go for a burger.

San Diego Burger Club went to Stuffed! Burgers Food Truck on June 11.  The location of the truck changes daily and you have to go to their website (http://stuffedsd.com/calendar/, or follow them on Twitter / friend them on Facebook)  to find out where they will be on any given day.  Also it appears that some days they are only out at dinner and not lunch, so having the truck accessible for lunch is something of a treat.  We walked a little over a mile to get to the truck.  That was good because it helped us work off the fried Oreos.  

We were a bit concerned that there might not be anywhere to eat once we got our food, but we found the truck at the Sequence Drive location and there are some nice outdoor tables there.  We shared a table with some strangers and that worked out fine.  Also, if your vision of a food truck is that they are greasy and unclean, wipe that thought from your mind.  This truck was presentable and any restaurant should be proud to serve food that good.

Enough of the background — what about the food?  Surprisingly good!  This place gets an A-/B+.  Everyone liked their burger.  This food truck also is right up my alley because there is only one option for potatoes — tots!  Yes!  The tots are good too!  The were cooked just right and nicely spiced — a bit peppery for my taste but good!  And then there are the fried Oreos … .  What can I say?  I had never tried a fried Oreo before but now I am a believer.  Nicely fried — neither too crispy nor too soft — with the Oreo softened by the frying but not mushy.  To me, it tasted like a nicely sweetened funnel cake.  One attendee compared it to a Del Mar Fair funnel cake though and said it was much better.

Will I go back?  Absolutely!  I actually went back the following week and have been watching their schedule to plan another return trip.  Recommended!

San Diego Burger Club went to Smashburger in Del Mar yesterday (Friday, May 9, 2014).  For many attendees, it was their first visit to a Smashburger.  Judging from the reaction, it won’t be their last!  We got interesting reviews of Smashburger.  Overall we give it a “B++ with a high standard deviation”.  Six people attended, and 3 gave it an A-, 1 gave it a B+, and 2 gave it a B.  We all agreed the fries were very good, with many proclaiming them the best of any burger joint to date.  I have to agree that skinny fries in general (and Smashburger’s version in particular) are awesome — among other things, you have to really botch things up to undercook them.    We also all enjoyed the ambience at the Del Mar Smashburger, despite the initial bout of biplanes flying overhead for an airshow this weekend and despite the fact that the patio where we sat is right on the sidewalk by the 101.  It was a beautiful day and we were one block east of the Del Mar beach with a great view of the ocean.  That’s hard to beat.  The place where there was some disagreement though was about the burgers themselves.  For me personally, the taste of a “Big Smash” harkens back to the burgers of my youth — you can really taste the ground beef and in my opinion it’s simply juicy and delicious.  Others commented that the “Classic” bun is quite good as well.  One of the attendees who gave it a B rating though noted that their burger was messy — with the bun sliding around and things dripping out the sides — and compared the bun to Wonder Bread (a sentiment that a number of others did not share).  The other attendee who gave it a B ordered the “Veggie Frites” (flash fried asparagus spears, carrot sticks and green beans) and noted, correctly, that their veggies were quite greasy.  I have to say that I have sampled “Veggie Frites” that others ordered at different Smashburger locations, and they were not as greasy as those served yesterday in Del Mar.  But, Smashburger in Del Mar blew it with the “Veggie Frites” yesterday.  Too greasy people — up your game!  My Big Smash, fries, and soda cost $11.20.  That’s not the cheapest quick service burger in town, but it may be one of the best …

Yesterday’s San Diego Burger Club adventure took us to The Habit Burger Grill on Lomas Santa Fe Drive, a Santa Barbara staple that has expanded to over 50 locations in California, Arizona, and Utah.  And they’ve achieved that level of expansion for good reason; I think all in attendance agreed that they’re doing something right.

Right off the bat, The Habit got points for both speed and accuracy.  Our meals were ready quickly and to our specifications, including one off-menu order of half fries half onion rings.  Between the six members in attendance, we got a fair sampling of their offerings, including one lettuce-wrapped burger and a couple orders of their tempura-fried green beans (yum!).  I myself opted for a wheat bun, which is a nice alternative when making a feeble attempt to justify to yourself that you’re actually doing something healty…at a burger joint.

Although I’d put The Habit in the same general strata of establishment as Five Guys and In ‘n’ Out, they stand out in a couple of important ways.  Firstly, although it’s in the “fully-cooked patty” family, I find the burger itself to be a bit more flavorful and juicy.  Secondly, the breadth of their menu gives diners a number of options if they’re looking for a unique experience.  In addition to the green beans and bun/lettuce options noted above, they offer sweet potato fries, shakes (sadly unsampled this visit), various chicken sandwich options, a veggie burger, tuna burger, and a few salads.  So next time you’re going out with an overly health-conscious diner, fret not.  The Habit can meet your burger needs while providing greenery to your less daring partner.

The experience received high marks all around.  The fries were noted as being better than our return visitors had remembered, and well-salted…possibly too well in one case.  The burgers themselves were well-seasoned and juicy, and were complemented by appropriate amounts of lettuce, tomato, pickle, and grilled onion.  The only thing you may want to watch out for is the standard addition of mayo.  While I myself am an ardent supporter of a healthy helping of mayo on a burger, it is not for everyone, so make sure to note that in your order.  From everything I saw, they’ll be only too happy to accomodate whatever changes or substitutions you can throw at them.  Our overall grading of the meal worked out to a solid B+, though I may personally shade a bit higher, if only for nostalgic purposes, being a Santa Barbara native.

San Diego Burger Club went to Buddies Burgers in PB today.  Buddies is in the same location where Fatburger used to be — right near the pier, Kono’s, and (oh … yeah!!!) The Baked Bear.

Everyone enjoyed their burgers though the ratings varied significantly (from B to A).  In the end we settled on B+/A-.  I got a Double Buddie on brioche with Buddie Tots and it was very satisfying.  I would say it was not quite as juicy as some burgers I have had, but it was quite good.  Also, kudos to Buddies for having tots on the menu — too few places do!  In fact, Buddies has an excellent variety of potatoes on the menu, including Buddie Fries (beer-battered fries that are really quite good), Good Ol’ Fries (they reminded me of In-N-Out fries), Buddie Tots, Sweet Potato Fries, Chili Cheese Fries, Buddie Rings, and Buddie Chips (described as “Potato chips, only better!”).  They also have a Freestyle Coke Machine, though it was not well cared for so several soda options were empty and the spout came off while one of us was getting his soda (we later observed it being reinserted — bare handed and questionably hygienic — back onto the machine).  With soda, my meal came to $10.85.  That’s a lot of satisfaction for the money.  We also noted that the burgers were well proportioned — even the burgers with lots of accoutrements were easy to pick up and held together well during the meal without spilling out the side when one bit into them.

This location also holds the distinction of being a few steps from The Baked Bear, where we retired after our burgers to get some custom ice cream sandwiches.  And, it’s all right near the boardwalk along PB, so if you have the time, you can walk it all off along the boardwalk while enjoying the sunshine, beach, and waves.  There is a lot to enjoy in this area, and Buddies is an excellent addition to the neighborhood!

A quick personal review:  I went to Kono’s in PB this past weekend.  Kono’s almost always has a really long line, so when I passed by at 3pm and there was only one person in line, I decided this was my chance to try Kono’s.  All I can say is:  DON’T GO TO KONO’S FOR THE BURGER!  I give them a C at best.  If you are going there for a burger and fries about the best thing you will get out of the experience is the nice view shown above.  The burger was not very flavorful, it had too much mustard on it, the pickles were sliced very unevenly so some were extra-thick (and were most of what you tasted in that bite), the bun was an onion roll (if it said that on the menu and if there were other options, I missed it) and it was a bit too onion-y, there are no condiments outside so you have to make sure to get them before you leave the indoors part of the restaurant (lesson learned), they only accept cash, and about half of those too-thick fries were so undercooked that I decided not to continue hunting for properly-cooked french fries and just abandoned them altogether.  Kono’s seems to specialize in breakfast dishes and maybe their breakfast is good.  Certainly their almost omnipresent line-out-the-door suggests they have something good going on there.  It’s not their burger though.

San Diego Burger Club went to Green Acre at Campus Point today.  Four of us went and opinions were very divided, with two members rating the burger an A- and two rating it a B.  We compromised and agreed we would rate it a “B+ with a high standard deviation”.    I was one of the B raters and in my particular case I think a B is generous.  In fairness I like my burgers relatively plain though (pickles, ketchup, and mustard only in most cases) and here they had pickles, some kind of custom ketchup formulation that was not to my liking, and no mustard in sight (maybe they had mustard in the back — I didn’t ask).  Also, in my opinion my burger was overcooked, kind of dry, and not that flavorful.  On the other hand, the two A- ratings came from people who ordered the “Fancy” burger, which comes with brie, slow-roasted tomato, leek, and, in one case, bacon.  So, with respect to the burgers, maybe Green Acre is a good place to go if you like a “Fancy” burger.  Those of us who ordered the “Classic” burger were less impressed.

Fries:  Okay let’s talk about the fries for a minute.  It may not be obvious from the picture, but their only form of fries are something they call “root fries” which consist of three kinds of potatoes — purple, sweet, and kennebec.  In my opinion there are four acceptable forms of potato to go with a burger, but sadly for Green Acre purple and sweet are not among them.  My list consists of kennebec, curly, waffle, and tot.    Putting that aside, several of us felt that the fries were undercooked / not crispy enough.

Other Sides:  Why oh why do they put a salad on your plate when you are ordering a burger and fries?  I mean, you didn’t exactly go for the low-calorie choice — are you really likely to want a salad?  (actually one of us did eat the salad — the rest picked at it or left it alone)  Also, I have always wondered why the thing pictured below is put in salads.  Don’t know what it is — don’t want to know — don’t want it on my plate.    One of our members looked at this and aptly quoted Ron Swanson from the TV show Parks and Recreation:  “There’s been a mistake.  You’ve accidentally given me the food that my food eats.”

Drinks:  No Coke Zero.  No Diet Coke.  They do have some kind of organic cola or something, but they don’t have a diet version of it.

Atmosphere:  For at least two of us this was our first time going to Green Acre, and it was hard to find.  There are several buildings with 10300 on them and we weren’t sure which one housed Green Acre or where Green Acre was within them.  After asking several people we managed to find it — it’s in the back of the northern-most 10300 building.  We arrived around 11:50am and it was not crowded at that time, but it did get pretty full during the lunch hour.  We sat outside and, while it was only supposed to be a high of 68 today, something caused it to get surprisingly hot over the course of the lunch hour.  Despite the forecast I think the temperature got to 70 or so, but also the direct sun exposure and possibly the fact that we were sheltered from wind caused the outdoor dining area to get uncomfortably hot during lunch.

Cost:  Some of our members work in the complex where Green Acre is located so we got a discount on our bill.  With tip our lunch ended up being about $10.50 each, which is pretty good for a burger in/near La Jolla.  Keep in mind though that we shared three orders of fries rather than each getting our own, and everyone had water to drink.  A “Fancy” burger is $10, “root fries” are $3, and if you want one of their fancy sodas or iced tea or something, I’m sure you have to add a few bucks more.  So, I’m guessing a typical order with tip and without discount will be more like $18.

As you might guess, Green Acre was not my favorite burger joint.  Our members who ordered “Fancy” burgers did really like their burgers though, so I hope they will chime in with additional comments.

San Diego Burger Club went to Burger Lounge today.  Our initial destination was The Corner — which we wanted to visit one last time before they closed permanently.  Sadly, The Corner was not open for lunch today.  Next, we headed to Hodad’s since we were in the neighborhood.  Strike two!  Of all things, a suicidal gunman with a rifle was in his apartment in the same building as Hodad’s, and the police had that block cordoned off (these details come to you courtesy of Jim).  So, we ended up at Burger Lounge (on 5th Ave. right near Nicky Rottens), which wins points for (a) being open, and (b) not having a gunman with a rifle in the building!  Also, they make a decent burger at Burger Lounge!  Everyone enjoyed their burger, with the consensus being that the burgers rated about a B+.  The fries were a big hit as well — cooked well and seasoned just right.  A couple people got milkshakes and they were a big hit too.  The cashiers were a little slow taking orders, but the food came reasonably fast and there was adequate seating in the restaurant despite the moderate line when we got there and the fact that it was in the middle of the lunch hour (12:25pm) by the time we went from The Corner to (near) Hodad’s and finally got to Burger Lounge and ordered.  A classic burger, fries, and a soda cost $14.25, which I would say is a little on the high side for a burger where you go up to the counter and order, but it was good.  If you are in the Gaslamp Quarter and are looking for a fast, good burger, give Burger Lounge a try.  But, if you have a little more time and don’t mind spending a little more money, walk 30 more steps down 5th Ave. and get an even better burger at Nicky Rottens.  

San Diego Burger Club went to Nicky Rottens today.  We had planned to go to The Corner, but sadly The Corner was closed until 4pm and will be closing permanently in a month.    Needless to say we will try to hit up The Corner one last time before they close.  We had been to Nicky Rottens before and it is a contender for best burger in San Diego.  The consensus today was A-/A.  The restaurant was more crowded than the last time we were there and as a result the service was a bit slow.  Also, their consistency seemed to be a bit off today.  The last time I was there I had the pastrami burger and it was one of the best burgers I had ever eaten.  This time I ordered the pastrami burger again and it was a tad saltier than I would have liked.  Also, while I have to give them props for offering tater tots and even more props for their tater tots being better than most, my particular batch of tater tots was not as hot as it should have been.  Liz got tater tots too though and hers were hotter and fresh out of the fryer.  Everyone really enjoyed their burgers, which seemed really big — so big, in fact, that there were plenty of fries and tots left over and Liz couldn’t even finish her burger (wimp!).  Nicky Rottens is not the cheapest burger in town — my pastrami burger, tater tots ($2 to substitute them for fries), and Coke Zero cost over $21 with tax and tip (if you stick with regular fries and water, you can escape for around $15).  Add in $2.45 for street parking and you are approaching $25.  Speaking of $25, if you are up to it they have “Da Ultimate Burga Challenge!” for $24.95 — finish a 2-1/2 pound burger and fries in an hour and you get your name on the wall and a free t-shirt (finish it in a half hour and it’s free).  One of these days … I might have to try it … .  Bottom line — Nicky Rottens makes a great tasting big burger and has a good selection of sides.  A contender for best burger in San Diego, I definitely recommend Nicky Rottens!

I thought I would take a quick diversion and review a surprisingly decent hamburger that I had on a recent Delta Air Lines flight.  When you think of a hamburger being served on an airplane, you don’t exactly think about someone standing around near the cockpit cooking burgers on a grill.  Expectations are low because it has to be reheated – presumably in a microwave – and that should mean a flavorless burger and a soggy bun.  Well, it never ceases to amaze me how Delta manages to make the bun taste toasted, make the burger look like it was recently grilled, and preserves most of the burger taste.  This burger was decent!  It’s not anywhere near an “A” burger.  It’s more like a B- or a C+.  But honestly you would expect a burger on an airplane to be very disappointing and instead, this burger was very acceptable.  Let’s move on to the side.  Look at those pathetic looking scalloped potatoes.  I mean, who eats a burger with potatoes that are not fried?  But Delta has worked some kind of strange magic on the potatoes as well.  The potatoes are spiced nicely and are served just a tad al dente, giving them a nice flavor and texture.  It’s still just plain wrong to serve a burger without at least the option of getting a potato in the manner in which it was meant to be served (fried!), but if there is no option for french fries or tater tots, at least this second rate alternative tastes decent.  So there you have it – I certainly wouldn’t go out of my way to get this burger and if someone served it in a restaurant it wouldn’t stand out at all.  But, at 38,983 feet above the earth with no grill or fryer available, Delta has worked some magic to turn what could have been a sorry meal into a surprisingly acceptable burger experience.

San Diego Burger Club went to Five Guys in UTC today.  The consensus, with one contrary view, was that the burgers and fries were good and that Five Guys gets a B rating.  A regular burger, regular fries, and regular drink cost $12.93 with tax.  On the plus side, a regular burger comes with two patties and a regular order of fries is pretty big.  I would characterize the burger as “juicy and delicious” (which always reminds me of Cypher eating steak in The Matrix …), though there was one dissenting view.  Also, how can you go wrong with free peanuts (unless of course one is allergic to peanuts) and with those “Freestyle” Coke machines that have 100+ flavors of Coca-Cola products?  On the downside, the fries are more greasy than at many burger joints, and one of our members attempted to order off the “secret menu” and apparently this location does not participate in the “secret menu”.  There also were a few comments about the sometimes-surly-service, including the fact that the cashier neglected to provide one member with their cup for water.  We arrived at 11:45am and Five Guys was busy but the wait was short.  It was another beautiful day in San Diego and there was sufficient seating outside, so we were able to enjoy our burgers, fries, peanuts, and flavored soda in the sunny outdoors.  As The Governator says, “I’ll be back.”

San Diego Burger Club went to Bare Back Grill for our first meeting of 2014.  It was a beautiful day in Pacific Beach so the open air nature of the restaurant was fitting.  We got there about 11:45am and it was not very crowded, nor did it get crowded during the lunch hour.  People ordered a variety of burgers and the consensus was basically “good burgers, interesting/different spices (in a good way), probably about a B+/A-“.  The cost ended up being about $15 each (plus tip).  There were several comments about the spices standing out and making it hard to taste the burger flavor.  I got the Bare Burger pictured above, which is about as plain as they make a burger, and even I was trying to figure out what spices were in the burger that made it taste a bit different.  The fries were a little different too and ultimately we figured out (and the waitress verified) that the fries had sugar on them.  Everyone enjoyed their lunch and thought the burgers and fries were good — they just didn’t have the “pure burger taste” that we were expecting.  We enjoyed it though and I definitely would go back.