Went in for the first time this evening. I was alone, so didn't try a huge range. All in all, they did a lot of things that made me really want to like them more than I did.
It was early and there were only maybe 2 other tables. Staff was friendly and knowledgeable. My waitress was both so competent and so relaxed about it that she managed the dreaded "have you dined with us before/let me explain the menu" routine without my cringing or wanting to commit mayhem, which is my usual response to that scenario.
As a middle-aged person trying half-heartedly to watch both portion size and red meat consumption, I like that they do the "diner style" 5oz. burger and offer a small or large fries portion. I like to treat myself to a good burger on occasion, but even then don't really want a 10oz. monstrosity with a pound of fries sending me into a coma. I like that all the burgers are $8, just keeping things simple. For those of younger and more vigorous appetite, you can double down with an extra patty, so I think the menu works nicely that way.
Very nice, thoughtfully selected beer and whiskey list as well.
The iced tea was rather over-hyped in the menu copy with "custom blended" "infused" tea leaves from 3 different countries and "Egyptian" lemon all adding up to not that much, really. But the comp. refill made it at least a decent value.
I had the #1 burger with aged cheddar, balsamic red onions and bacon. When it arrived, I was already happy with the service and the space, and the pricing, so it took me a while to notice that the burger itself wasn't all that much.
Loved the bun. Perfectly soft for soaking up juice (except that there wasn't any juice), but strong enough not to fall apart, and the right size to contain burger and toppings and allow for actual picking up.
The burger arrived still pink in the middle, as promised (which, with a patty that thin, seems like a real achievement to me).
Still...I'm not a beef maven, so perhaps it's the whole grass-fed thing, but to me this burger---as appealing as it looked, lacked the luxurious greasiness of some of my go-to burgers (Jury's, Athenian Room, Flubadub Chub), as well as char. flavor and what I think of as "beefiness." It was so lean, it almost tasted mealy. Meanwhile, I didn't get any real cheddary tang from the cheese, nor pronounced salty, smoky bite from the bacon. The ingredients were all there, but somehow not singing. They were dumb.
Same trouble with the fries. I got the straight salt and pepper version because I love potato flavor and tend not to like a lot of stuff on top.
As with the burger, the plate looked great. Deep golden color on all the fries. Then I started eating and...not crispy. It was like some kind of optical illusion. I seemed to be looking at beautifully browned fries, but biting into pillowy nothing.
The "house" ketchup was a bit spicy and I liked it, as I did the creamy slaw which had some nice vinegar zing, and somewhat thickly shredded cabbage for good crunch.
So, in the end: liked the concept, the space, the pricing, and the service. But neither the burger nor the fries stacked up. Given that it seems to be a place into which much thought and effort has been expended, this made me sad. I would go back to dig a bit deeper into the menu, but with some real trepidation.
"Strange how potent cheap music is."