Battle of the Burgers, Part Two: BGR The Burger Joint

Next stop on the burger train: BGR The Burger Joint. From a Throwndown with Bobby Flay, to the Travel Channel, to all the raves in the Washingtonian, I knew I had to make it to BGR The Burger Joint. Sidenote: see DC, don't get your panties in a twist over the fact that Travel Channel was doing a segment on Jumbo Slices for Food Wards...our city has been featured for other foods, albeit big ole burgers. Like Good Stuff, the first stop on my Battle of the Burgers, BGR boasts a great selection of burgers with toppings, trimmings and fixings that will revolutionize your burger experience. I elected to have "the burger," complete with bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato and the unique mojo sauce (still couldn't exactly figure out what was in it; but it was good!). Unfortunately, I went during a bad thunderstorm in Bethesda, hence leaky roof, hence no french fries for me that day (hey, it happens, I don't hold it against them). To make the battle a fair comparison, and because who doesn't want some ice cream on a hot day, I got a vanilla milkshake, hand spun and extremely thick.

The well-sized burger, cooked to order which was a nice touch, was exactly medium on the inside, but had a great, crusty char on the outside. The tomato and lettuce were fresh; cheese was ooey gooey melted and the bacon was crunchy and not the slightest bit fatty. Bonus point: this burger was not too greasy, and I didn't feel gross afterwards. The milkshake was THICK, but not too thick for the straw. Good amount of vanilla flavor, but not too sweet.

The mosaic tables, funky lights and over-sized album covers on the walls give a cool feel to BGR the Burger Joint. However, the music selection at Good Stuff definitely beats out BGR (sorry boys, I prefer the Rolling Stones to Atari). In my last post, I got a little huffy about the price of the burgers at Good Stuff. Well, BGR doesn't exactly have McDonald's prices either. So my dear foodies, it appears I didn't know the cost of a burger in this town, and neither Good Stuff nor BGR are overpriced. Onto the next stop of Battle of the Burgers!

Take a bite: bonappetitfoodie.blogspot.com.

My Five Bites on Metrocurean

My favorite food blogger in DC, Metrocurean has posted My five bites. Go check it out and better yet, go out and eat the dishes I suggested in my five bites!

Take a bite: bonappetitfoodie.blogspot.com.

A Review: Farmers & Fishers

This post is long overdue, nonetheless I've got a mind like a steel trap, and I wrote most of this post right after I dined. So a while ago, a group of us went to the sister restaurant of Founding Farmers (formerly Agraria), Farmers & Fishers down by the Georgetown waterfront. Already being a fan of the sister restaurant, I was interested in seeing if Farmers & Fishers could live up to my expectations, and it pleasantly did.

For those of you who've dined at Founding Farmers before, (which will be known as FF for the rest of this post), you'll notice that F&F has a more laid-back menu with sandwiches and burgers. The prices between the two restaurants are pretty equal, but the food is certainly different and the menu at F&F is arguably more extensive. The ambience is also just as nice at F&F--dim, warm lighting (okay, maybe a little too dim), good service, and a nice, long bar area.

To start, I got to try the onion rings which had a crunchy coating around silky onion slivers that weren't the slightest bit greasy. And for cocktails, I had a delicious and refreshing Farmer's Fizz that had just a hint of ginger flavor. Plus the prosecco gave it a nice bubbly, fizzy texture that added to its refreshing quality.

Moving on to dinner, there were three dishes I got to try that all stood out. First off, let me say I had wanted to try (though not ambitious or hungry enough to order) the Wisconsin Grilled Cheese Burger. Did you do a doubletake? Yes folks, that is not just a cheeseburger. It is a burger in between a grilled cheese sandwich. We had one friend brave enough to order it--and finish it. Yes, he was a man and yes, taking that burger down was probably a testament to his manly appetite. I was told, as my friend wiped the remnants of the colossal burger from his mouth with a napkin, that it was "pretty good." You've been warned. That is one huge burger.

What I did get to try was the Sweet Potato Gnudi, the Four Cheese Ravioli with Wild Mushrooms and the Rum Raisin Glazed Pork. Holy moly. The gnudi (pronounced noo-dee, yes, chuckle if you must) was so buttery, smooth and the mixture of the sweet potato with the balsamic glaze was an excellent pairing. The ravioli was very rich--all the different cheeses, the cherry demi glace and then the blue cheese was a flavor overload (but in a good way). The blue cheese was a little out of place with four cheese ravioli, but tasted pretty good with the demi glace. And then there was the rum raisin pork. I didn't personally order this dish; but I was tempted to grab the plate from my friend and tell her tough luck, it was my dinner now--that's how good it was. The pork was so tender that you didn't even need a knife to cut it, and I'm not exaggerating. It was a little smoky sweet with juicy, plump raisins on top, served up with greatly whipped mashed potatoes. Although I'm a steak girl, this pork dish was so good I'd be tempted to order that instead of beef the next time I go to F&F.

To top off the well-rounded and filling meal, F&F brought us complimentary little chocolate cakes since it was my roommate's birthday. Definitely a nice touch and cherry on top to the already pretty good service.

In a sea of mediocre and often overpriced restaurants in the Georgetown/Georgetown Waterfront area, Farmers & Fishers stands out above the rest. It's not frou-frou fancy food; some of these dishes will really stick to your ribs. But the ambience and location are appropriate for an "upscale" dinner that won't break the bank. And like Founding Farmers, their focus on fresh, seasonal ingredients from American farmers is always appreciated, trendy and just plain good. Next time you're in Georgetown, skip the restaurants lining up on M street and head down to Farmers & Fishers.

Take a bite: bonappetitfoodie.blogspot.com.

Battle of the Burgers, Part One: Good Stuff Eatery

First it was cupcakes and now it seems that burger joints are becoming all the rage in DC. Only thing here is the cupcake craze started in NYC and I haven't a clue where this burger bonanza originated. Thus far though, I'm not complaining about the ubiquitous burger places cropping up here and there. So I went down to one of the burger places, Good Stuff Eatery, the other afternoon and left there feeling, in a word: STUFFED.

Just a few blocks from Capitol Hill, Good Stuff has a cool, weathered wooden floors, Americana vibe. I've been told that at prime lunch time, this place gets packed, but if you're looking for a later lunch, you shouldn't have too much of a wait. It might be good there's a long wait at lunch to serve as a deterrent; if you ate here all the time, you'd probably be obese. The burgers are heeee-aaavy. The ingredients live up to the promise of being fresh (no soggy, wilty lettuce here!), but ultimately, this is some heavy stuff. Don't be deceived if your eyes are bigger than your stomach and you think to yourself, "Oh, that burger looks to be a manageable size. I can eat that no problem." You will leave wiped out, waving a white napkin and conceding defeat to those burgers and fries.

I tried Uncle D's Chili 'n Cheddar burger which was pleasantly messy, dripping with chili. Note: don't go here on a first date; these burgers get messy, real fast. The burger was cooked just right-medium and juicy. The chili was good, although not spicy, and dare I say a little sweet. The sour cream was an awesome addition to the burger, and melted in with the cheese and smothered the chili. The fries were kinda mushy (just the way I like them), but a little too greasy and tossed in a generous amount of sea salt. The only thing with the fries was that there were a lot of little scrappy ones (ie: from the bottom of the fryer?), rather than thick cut, substantive fries. The milkshakes were good, but thick, bordering on straight up ice cream in a cup. If you're debating, pick vanilla over the chocolate or go with a soda float.

Good Stuff is a guilty pleasure and a welcome addition to the DC food scene. It's food that makes you feel good, albeit very full and thirsty. The one downside that I couldn't get past: the price. Two burgers, two milkshakes and one order of fries suddenly added up to $30. Maybe it's to cover the payments on the $30,000 ice cream machine, maybe it's cause Chef Spike Mendelsohn was on Top Chef, but two burgers, fries and milkshakes shouldn't be that expensive. Still, the next time you're down on Capitol Hill, wade your way through the interns and Senate pages clogging the streets, and get yourself a good burger at Good Stuff.

Take a bite: bonappetitfoodie.blogspot.com.