As you may already know, I have been on a bit of a quest to find DC’s best burger.  In this pursuit, I have tasted the awesome, the pretty good and the not so good.  During this quest, it never occurred to me that the best burger in DC could be right in my own kitchen.  All that changed when I read an article in the New York Times about creating the perfect burger.  And thus began a new quest…my quest to make the perfect burger at home.

The article detailed the pursuit of burger perfection in the culinary world, with tips and advice from the likes of Hubert Keller, Michael David, Mark Bucher and even that idiot Bobby Flay (who I routinely like to pretend doesn’t exist).  One of the tips repeatedly given was to grind your own meat, foregoing the pre-formed and pre-packaged burger patties sold in stores.  This intrigued me, especially given my interest in knowing where my food is coming from.  By grinding my own meat, I would know exactly what cuts of meat (and their fat content) were used to make my burger.  And since I now make a conscientious effort to find responsible meat producers, I would also know that my burger was made from grass fed cows (who were given no growth hormones and treated in a humane manner).  Setting aside the socially responsible factors associated with grinding your own meat, all the chefs raved that the taste difference was enough to justify the extra effort.  With all this running through my head, I headed out to buy the food grinder attachment for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer (any excuse to buy more kitchen stuff really).

The article suggested using a meat with at least a 30% fat in order to render a more flavorful patty, with some suggesting using brisket.  On Saturday, we headed out to the 14th & U Farmers Market to pick up provisions for the week, including two big hunks of beef brisket from Pecan Meadow Farms (a farm located in Newburg, Pennsylvania).  We also picked up some lovely olive oil and Parmesan buns from Panorama Bakery, the same buns used by Central for their highly touted burgers.  If I was going to go all out and grind my own meat, you didn’t think I was going to half ass it on the bun too, did you?

With the attachment, grinding the meat turned out to be a breeze.  Following closely the advice given in the article, I cut up the brisket into chunks while it was still partially frozen.  The amount of meat you use depends on how many burger patties you want to make (and how much you want each patty to weigh).  I bought almost 4 pounds of brisket and it yielded 13 six ounce burger patties.

The food grinder fit easily into the attachment hole of my stand mixer and in no time I was off grinding up beef.

Once the Boy saw how much fun I was having, he muscled in and ground up a majority of the meat (as some of my Twitter followers saw).  After all the meat was ground up, I once again followed the article and refrained from seasoning the meat before forming the patties.  Instead, I picked up about 6 ounces of the meat, rolled it into a ball and then flattened it with the palm of my hand.  After forming the patties, I created small dimples in them (once again as suggested by the article to prevent the patties from puffing up during cooking).

To help prevent the burgers from losing their shape during cooking, I refrigerated the patties for about an hour before cooking them.  While I waited for the patties to chill, I lined two baking pans with aluminum foil and set the oven temperature to 375.  Following Michael David’s lead, I planned to sear the burgers on the stove top to form a nice crust on the patties and then finish them off in the oven.  Once I was ready to cook the burgers, I placed my cast iron griddle on the stove top over high heat.  When the griddle was super hot, I generously seasoned the patties with salt and pepper on both sides (a tip from Mark Bittman in a similar New York Times article) before placing them on the griddle.  NOTE: If your griddle isn’t non-stick, make sure to spray it with a cooking spray before placing the burgers on it.  I allowed the burgers to stay on one side until a good char was formed before flipping them.  Once both sides were seared, I moved the patties over to the baking sheet.

I placed the burgers in the oven and cooked them for about 8 minutes to get them medium rare.  Once removed from the oven, I allowed the burgers to rest while I toasted the buns and set up the condiments for the burger.  I opted to top the burgers with some cheddar I picked up at Keswick Creamery (one of my favorite local cheesemakers) and a combination of mayo and ketchup (a quirk I picked up years ago).  The result was an amazingly flavorful, juicy and overall yumtastic burger – the perfect dinner for the 4th of July.  The difference between using pre-made patties (or even pre-ground meat) was astronomical…there wasn’t even a comparison.  And the fact that the meat was so easy to grind made me decide then and there to grind all of my own meat from now on.  So don’t be surprised to see a myriad of burgers using everything from lamb to chicken in the future!

And even if you don’t have a stand mixer, you can still grind your own meat!  Using your food processor, you can easily grind up your own beef, chicken, turkey and just about any other protein!  The taste alone is worth the extra effort!

My Saturday didn’t start out very good.  Remember that little skydiving thing I told you about?  Didn’t happen…and not because I chickened out.  In fact, I even got on the plane, hooked up to my tandem instructor and ready to go.  But the plane had to be grounded due to mechanical issues.  That was the least of the problems with the whole skydiving attempt, but I shall save that until after I reschedule my second skydiving attempt.  Besides, this isn’t what the post is really about…it’s about what I did to console myself after such disappointment.  On our way back from Virginia, we all decided to stop at Ray’s Hellburger for a bite to eat.  This place was on my radar far before Obama and Biden’s lunchtime jaunt caused CNN to waste over 20 minutes of airtime discussing the merits of how the President orders his burgers.  Since starting this Great DC Burger hunt, I have heard time and time again, “You’ve gotta try Ray’s Hellburger”…I think even a few of you commented as such on previous Great DC Burger hunt posts.  However, after being disappointed by the overly hyped (in my opinion) Palena burger, I was hesitant to try another hyped up burger.  I am happy to report, however, that my hesitation was for not as Ray’s Hellburger KICKS ASS!

Let’s just start with the fact that there was quite a line waiting when we showed up on Saturday at around 6 pm.  A handwritten sign on the door explained that due to the recent media exposure, wait times for a table were much higher than normal.  After the day I had, I wasn’t looking forward to waiting outside for a long time to get a mediocre burger.  But we were told the wait was around 20 minutes and even provided menus while in line.  And the smell of grilling beef that wafted down the line every time the restaurant door opened made the wait seem worthwhile.  I looked over the menu, a simple white sheet of paper with the burger options typed up.  I was impressed with the number and variety of toppings available, giving customers the option of a simple, down home burger or fancying it up with everything from artisanal cheeses to foie gras (yes, you read that correctly…they offer foie gras on a burger).

In keeping in line with my Great DC Burger hunt rules, I chose a cheese (the Gouda) and the applewood smoked bacon to top my medium (the menu assured the customer the burger would be slightly pink), grilled burger.  Although we were told the wait would be around 20 minutes, we actually were allowed into the restaurant a mere 10 minutes after standing in line.  As I was ordering, I noticed the sides (which apparently change frequently) available were cheesy puffs, macaroni and cheese and something else that didn’t involve cheese (and therefore was immediately erased from my memory bank).  I ordered the cheesy puffs, while my friend Carmen ordered the macaroni and cheese.  The Boy opted against any sides after seeing the massive size of the burger itself while waiting in line.  Once seated, you wait for waiters to bring your food out to your table (and finding a table can be a bit hectic).  It didn’t take too long before our order came up and a burger the size of a small cow was placed in front of me.  Even though I was famished, I remembered to take the proper notes on all the elements I have been judging during my burger hunt.

Appearance: This had to be one of the biggest burgers I’d ever encountered in my life.  The patty is 10 ounces of top choice beef, made by hand right in front of the customers (there is no dividing wall between the kitchen and the customer area).  I noticed the bun looked very sturdy, especially considering the massive amount of beef it was supporting.  There was also no bun shininess, which I had grown used to seeing in the other burgers I’d encountered.  The bun looked like it was freshly baked, not something purchased from a restaurant supply store.  The Gouda was actually a Dutch mustard seed Gouda.  Tiny flecks dotted the cheese, making it look a bit like ants were invading my food.  The bacon looked perfectly cooked, free of any uncooked fat and yet not burned to a crisp.   I also noticed the tomato was thoughtfully set to the side of the burger.  I wasn’t really sure how I was going to get a grip on this gigantic thing, let alone take a bite.  But I was starving, so I grabbed the burger and unhooked my jaw to get a good first bite.

Bun:  The bun, even though sturdy, was actually soft to the touch and lightly toasted.  It tasted fresh, as if it had been made that very morning.  I usually go into more detail about the taste of the bun but I’ll be honest:  the bun was only the holder of the amazingly tasty patty.  Its taste in no way took away from the beef, which was obviously the main star of this burger.

Toppings:  The Gouda had a lovely bite to it without overpowering the beef itself.  The specks of mustard seed gave the usually soft taste of a Gouda cheese more depth.  And the cheese was evenly melted along the surface of the patty.  From the first to the last bite, I could taste a bit of Gouda with every morsel.  But as with the bun, the Gouda in no way took away from the taste of the patty.  The bacon was perfectly cooked, neither greasy nor salty, giving an added smokiness to the burger.  Uhmmm, but really who am I kidding?  The toppings could have all taken a hike and this burger would have still been amazing because of the patty itself.

Patty:  In all of my burger eating years, I have never understood how some people could eat just a plain burger.  I was always of the camp that a good burger needed at least one good topping (cheese…cheese…cheese).  I now understand the ways of the plain burger folks.  The patty was exceptional – pure ground aged prime beef allowed to shine on its own.  The beef was so flavorful and tender, it practically melted in my mouth.  It was heavenly and it made me almost regret disturbing it with the other toppings.  Even as I write this now, my mouth is watering remembering it.  There was no need for any seasonings because the quality of beef used to make the patty was so high, it spoke for itself.

Overall:  This, my friends, is what a burger should taste like.  Yes it’s big and messy (the natural juices from the grilled beef ooze out onto the plate), but it’s worth running the risk of staining your clothes.  I am not one to buy into a restaurant’s hype and generally find that when DCites rave about a place, it’s usually not all that good.  However, this is one time in which the food lived up to the DC hype.  This is the kind of burger other places like Good Stuff Eatery want to be but will never come close to achieving.  And after eating at Ray’s, I now understand that it’s much more than just the quality of the toppings when it comes to a burger.  It’s about the quality of the beef and allowing it to shine on its own.

I could go on and on about it, but that only makes me hungry and sad that Ray’s Hellburger isn’t closer to Columbia Heights.  Carmen’s already lamenting the fact that she doesn’t think she can eat a burger from anywhere else.  Simply put:  this is a damn fine burger and all other burgers must bow in its wake.  I’m not, however, ending my taste testing here.  Although I’m skeptical that another burger could come close to Ray’s, Central, Kemble Park Tavern, King Street Blues and Axis Bar and Grill are still on my list.  And keep the suggestions coming for other places to try!

Current Great DC Burger Hunt Standings:

1.    Ray’s Hellburger
2.    All the other crap…what, you don’t think that’s professional?  Okay fine!

2.    Stoney’s
3.    Trio
4.    DC Chophouse and Palena (I still think they both are equally boring burgers)

It was with excitement and anticipation that I headed out last Wednesday to meet up with City Girl DC for what I was hoping would be an excellent burger.  I’d heard so many raves about the Palena burger, I couldn’t help but have slightly elevated hopes.  This could be THE burger, I thought as we were seated in the cozy restaurant.  But I am sad to report that this in fact, was not THE burger…it was not even in the same zip code as THE burger.  I’m sure I will hear a bit of rumbling on this, but I have City Girl DC to back me up:  the Palena burger was positively boring and tasteless.

Let me start by saying, the service at Palena was excellent.  This is a charming little restaurant, right next to the Cleveland Park metro.  From the time I walked in, the staff was attentive, friendly and very helpful.  The front room of the restaurant was a bit noisy, however, we were seated in an intimate little booth for two.  The decor and atmosphere lends itself to a romantic dinner for two (perfect for say…Valentine’s Day) or a nice dinner with a friend (as was the case with me).  Looking at the menu, I almost regretted the fact that I was only having the burger.  The day’s offerings sounded wonderful, including the housemade cotecchino sausage with a kabocha squash raviolini.  The other dishes being served to neighboring tables looked and smelled delicious, so my expectations were bolstered even further.  Such great service and fantastic looking food had to bode well for me, right?  Uhmmm, no.  As tempting as everything else was, however, I stayed true to my mission and ordered the Palena burger with their Palena frites plate.  And this was a decision I regretted from the very first bite.

Appearance:  The burger arrived on a simple plate garnished with a pickle, a lone cauliflower and a beet.  It was an odd presentation to say the least.  Honestly, what connection do cauliflower and beets have to a burger?  I was a little taken aback by those choices but focused on the burger itself.  The bun was nondescript and lacked the infamous bun shininess.  The patty itself was of a nice thickness and didn’t appear to be greasy, while the cheese was very evident and looked to be evenly melted.  I immediately asked the server for some mayonnaise (as I’d forgotten to mention it while ordering) and was told there was already housemade mayonnaise on the bun.  Upon closer inspection, I did notice the thinnest layer of mayonnaise known to man.  Considering I like to taste the mayonnaise on my burgers, I happily accepted when the server offered to bring out more (I told you the service was excellent, didn’t I).  Overall, the burger didn’t look that exceptional.  In fact, I’ve seen more enticing burgers at Fourth of July cookouts.  I will admit the look of the burger put a damper on my expectations, but I gamely soldiered on.

Bun:  As I mentioned above, the bun lacked the shininess that I’d come to expect.  From the beginning, the bun and I had problems.  The minute I picked it up, a small section came off in my hand.  As I continued to eat, pieces of the bun kept flaking off.  This made it hard to eat the burger, as the bun kept falling apart.  Although it was toasted well, it wasn’t sturdy enough to hold the burger in place.  And unlike the buns at Trio, Stoney’s or even DC Chophouse, this bun didn’t taste housemade.  In fact, it tasted like your standard variety deli burger bun…and I don’t mean that as a compliment.

Toppings:  To say the burger was bereft of toppings is an understatement.  Besides the invisible mayonnaise, the only other accompaniment to the patty was the cheese.  Even though I am usually not a fan of tomato or lettuce on a burger, I found it unusual for both to be missing.  And unfortunately, bacon was not an optional topping for the burger.  Although I added more mayonnaise, there wasn’t much flavor to it at all.  A faint echo of garlic was evident on occasion, but overall the mayonnaise added nothing to the burger.  The saddest thing of all?  The case (yet again) of the missing cheese.  While the cheese was evenly melted over the patty, the taste was definitely not there.  On my first bite, I couldn’t taste the cheese at all.  As I continued on, even though I saw the cheese before biting into the burger, I tasted nothing.  Finally out of exasperation, I pinched off a bit of the cheese and popped it in my mouth.  And it tasted like Saran Wrap…I kid you not.  There was absolutely no flavor to the cheese at all.  I looked over at City Girl DC and she agreed the cheese had no flavor to it.  We couldn’t even identify what type of cheese it was.  We asked the server and was told it was a cheese infused with truffles.  I almost laughed out loud because there was absolutely no resemblance to truffles in the cheese.  The earthiness that truffles bring to a dish was completely absent from the cheese…the cheese that tasted like plastic wrap.

Patty:  The only good thing I can say about the patty is that at least it wasn’t greasy.  However, it was also very dry; even City Girl DC’s medium cooked burger was dry.  After a few chews, the beef turned into saw dust in my mouth and was hard to swallow.  As with the burger at DC Chophouse, the Palena burger had absolutely no flavor to it (note to restaurants:  use salt and pepper now and again in burger patties).  It’s actually very difficult for me to attempt to describe the taste of the patty because there is only so many ways to say “there wasn’t any”.

Overall:  This burger was one of the biggest disappointments in my restaurant dining experiences.  All of the elements lacked flavor, giving way to a burger that may as well have been a rice cake.  It was uninspired, pedestrian and flat out boring.  In fact, both City Girl DC and I left half of the burger uneaten on our plate.  After foregoing the many other tempting dishes on the menu, I was more than a little put out by the bland nature of the Palena burger.  I have a feeling Palena’s other dishes are far superior to their burger and wouldn’t hesitate in returning to give them a try.  But I would steer far clear of the Palena burger.  After being rocked to the core by the less than stellar third burger at Trio, I was hoping to be swept off my proverbial burger feet by Palena.  Sadly, my feet are still firmly planted on the ground…and still on the hunt for the best burger in DC.  As it stands right now (and this is based on the most recent Trio burger tasting):

1. Stoney’s

2. Trio

3. DC Chophouse and Palena tied (both were equally uninspiring)

My trip to Kemble Park Tavern was postponed but next up:  Central, King Street Blues, Ray’s Hell Burger and Kemble Park Tavern.  Keep the suggestions coming!

When I decided to go on the hunt for the best burger in DC, I promised myself I would be true and honest to the process.  I would, to the best of my abilities, remove all bias and provide my unvarnished opinions.  It is with this in mind that I decided I must provide an update on the burger that started it all at Trio.  Last night, after a very long and drawn out week, The Boy and I decided to pick up a couple of burgers from Trio (and dessert…but we’re not here to discuss my ever increasing sweet tooth).  I had already had Trio’s burgers twice (and obviously loved them…leading to this mad, wonderful, beef fueled quest), so I wasn’t thinking of this trek as a part of the Great DC Burger Hunt series.  Because I wasn’t planning on reviewing it, I decided to opt for their Mushroom Swiss Bacon burger.  When we got home, I happily sat down to this lovely looking burger…and was utterly disappointed.  Oh yes, you read that right…I was disappointed.

I will admit, I was floored…flumoxed…shaken to the very burger core.  Wait, okay…let me start from the beginning.  First off, I took these pictures of the burger with the intent of captioning them “The Lovely Burger That Started It All…”  But when I looked at the burger closer, I noticed the bun wasn’t shiny like Stoney’s or even DC Chophouse’s burger buns.  But I did notice the even toasting of the bread.  As you can see, the bacon was fully cooked and crisp, but the mushrooms (which you can’t really see) were rather dry looking.  In my previous mushroom and swiss burger experiences, the mushrooms are usually sauted in a light sauce before topping the burger.  These looked like reconstituted mushrooms or actually dried bits of shoe leather.  My heart was starting to sink a little.  I looked over at The Boy, who had already bitten into his burger.

“Is it as tasty as we remember?” I asked him, hopeful.

“Ehhh…it’s allright,” was his response.

It’s allright??? Seriously?  You mean I have proclaimed how amazing this burger was on my blog and you’re saying “It’s allright”????? Oh this was not good, I thought as I nervously bit into my burger.  And sadly, he was right…it was only “allright”.  I could barely taste the cheese.  Not that it wasn’t present in each bite, but the flavor was missing.  A good swiss cheese has a nice bite to it with a silken undertone of quality milk.  This swiss cheese had no flavor to it at all.  In fact, I may as well have been eating a plain hamburger for all the “flavor” the cheese added to it.  Then there was the patty…oh the humanity!  The patty had absolutely no seasoning to it at all.  Not even salt or pepper from the taste of it.  I could still tell that it was fresh ground beef and not a thawed out patty, but that was the only good thing about it.  In vein, I took several more bites, hoping the burger would improve.  But it didn’t…and that’s just sad.

I wondered, had I imagined the gloriousness of my two previous Trio burgers?  Well, no because then that would mean The Boy was also in on my delusions (and that’s just weird).  So what could it be?  Perhaps Trio was having a bad night…or maybe their carryout burgers aren’t as good?  I don’t know how to explain it but all I know is that Trio is in danger of losing it’s top spot.  I will try them one more time and if I get another disappointing burger, I will be forced to rate them on that experience and not my previous ones. Ohhh Trio, say it ain’t so!

If it turns out that my first few Trio experiences were an illusion, at least they started this wonderful, crazy almost Monty Pythonesque quest for the best burger in DC, right?  Tonight we dine at Kemble Park Tavern and if City Girl DC feels better next week, she’s accompanying me to Palena!  So stay tuned!

Before getting to the actual burger review, I wanted to give a bit of structure to my burger hunt.  Because I started this burger hunt with a bacon cheeseburger, all burgers I review will be bacon cheeseburgers.  This (at least in my mind) will provide a measure of uniformity to the critiques (and I just really happen to like bacon and cheese…on pretty much everything).  Also, the four elements I will be reviewing are appearance (visual appeal and presentation), bun (for taste and sturdiness), toppings (for taste and for their overall contribution to the burger) and patty (for freshness and taste).  The final portion of the review will be an overall summation of the burger and how the three elements work together.  Now on with the review!

So the hunt will definitely continue because this was not the best burger in DC…or in downtown DC for that matter. It wasn’t a bad burger, it just wasn’t a GREAT burger.  And honestly, I was expecting more from the Chophouse.   We went with friends I hadn’t really seen in a while, so I was really looking for the one-two punch of good food and good conversation.  I got the good conversation (great conversation actually) but the food…not so much.

Appearance: I will be honest, the burger looked like a creature from the deep legions of the sea.  The bacon crisscrossed over the patty in a manner resembling tentacles and the cheese…well, it kind of looked like snot.  Not a pretty picture I know, but imagine looking down at it, knowing you were about to eat it.  The patty itself looked fairly greasy but was thick.  To its credit, the DC Chophouse burger’s tentacles…I mean bacon, looked nice and crisp.  No fatty deposits left behind anywhere on this strip of bacon!  The bun was, yet again, shiny and proud.  Overall, the burger was a respectable size without making me feel like I had to have a mouth the size of Joan Rivers to eat it.

Bun: I am willing to bet the bun was either made in house or purchased from a local bakery.  It was a soft, yet sturdy bun with a lovely finish of onions.  Like the bun at Stoney‘s, this bun had a slight sweetness to it and the all important bun “shininess”.  The addition of the charred onion bits complemented the hint of honey present in the bread.  The bun, like at Stoney’s, was also lightly toasted, allowing it to hold up quite well to the assorted toppings of the burger.

Toppings:  Upon my first bite of the burger, I didn’t taste the cheddar cheese at all.  Considering it’s mucus-like appearance, I was hoping the cheese was at least tasty.  However, upon my second bite, I finally tasted the sharpness of the cheese.  Then I had the third bite…and guess what?  Didn’t taste the cheese at all.  This went on for the rest of the burger, meaning I didn’t get to enjoy the cheese consistently.  And for someone who loves her cheese, this was a let down.  Any good cheeseburger should have the taste of cheese throughout every bite (call me crazy but when it says CHEESEBURGER, I like to taste cheese every time).  But when I did get a taste of the cheese, it was robust and well aged, adding a punch to the entire burger.  A look back at the pictures I took show that the cheese wasn’t evenly melted, which could explain the inconsistency in the cheese taste.  The bacon was a hell of a lot better than the “bacon” at Stoney’s.  First, it was actually fully cooked, meaning I was eating bacon and not fat.  And it was a nice, thick bacon too, lending a smoky flavor to the burger.  Each bite had a uniform crispness and I detected a hint of hickory.  When the bite lacked cheese, there was always bacon to cheer me up.  When I got a taste of both the bacon and the cheese, the smokiness of the bacon added a level of complexity to the sharpness of the cheddar.  They worked very well together, making me miss it when the cheese wasn’t there.

Patty:  I won’t mince words; the patty had no flavor to it.  I could tell it was made from fresh ground beef, but apparently nothing else was added to it.  Some salt or pepper would have been nice, because all I tasted was the charred grill.  And charred grill doesn’t taste that good, no matter what you put on top of it.  And remember when I said it looked greasy?  Well, looks were not deceiving.  The burger had a slimy greasiness to it, taking something away from the hard working bacon and sometimes there cheese.

Overall: I was disappointed with the DC Chophouse burger, especially considering it is a steak house.  Sadly the highlights (the bacon, the bun and sometimes the cheese) were outweighed by the negatives (the flavorless, greasy patty and the case of the disappearing cheddar).  While it was better than anything I have ever had at Five Guys, it wasn’t up to the standards I would set for a restaurant known for its beef.

So the current standing on the Great DC Burger Hunt is:

1. Trio

2. Stoney’s

3. DC Chophouse

Up next for the great DC Burger Hunt?  Palena, Kemble Park Tavern and Ray’s Hellburger!  Stay tuned!

On Friday night, the Boy and I headed out to Stoney’s Bar & Grill for a quick bite. It was a particularly chilly night (read: fucking cold), so we didn’t want to head too far. Luckily, Stoney’s is only a hop skip and jump away from Shaw in Logan Circle. Stoney’s is the epitome of a neighborhood joint: laid back atmosphere, friendly service and no pretenses of being anything more. This being our first time there, I wasn’t sure whether we just sat down or waited to be seated. A waitress smiled and told us to “sit anywhere”, so we planted ourselves in the dining area. Unlike most bars and grills I’ve been to in DC, the noise level at Stoney’s was low enough to actually be able to carry on a conversation. Our waiter came to the table fairly quickly and took our drink orders before I looked at the menu.

Although I was told Stoney’s had great burgers, I honestly wasn’t expecting much from it. And given that it was more of a tavern than a restaurant, I really didn’t expect anything more than bar food. A quick look at the menu, however, showed a good variety of items: everything from burgers (of course) to kosher franks and beans. Since I had a purpose for being there, I concentrated on the burger options. They have the usual cast of burger characters: the regular burger, a cheeseburger and a bacon cheeseburger. But they also have some different twists on the classic burger: the One Eye Burger, served with Swiss cheese and a fried egg; the Black and Blue burger, a blackened beef patty topped with blue cheese; and a Hamburger Special, a cheeseburger topped with (of all things) ham. But I chose the Texas Burger, which usually consisted of hickory bacon, cheddar cheese, barbecue sauce, grilled onions and coleslaw. However, me not being a fan of coleslaw, I asked the waiter to hold it from my burger.

When the burger arrived, I was a little anxious about its height. I am usually not a fan of burgers that require me to unhinge my jaw to eat, but the Texas Burger did have a lot going on. The bun was rather fluffy and high…and even though this may sound strange, it was a bit shiny. Yes, the bun was shiny…and this concerned me a little. I had forgotten to tell the waiter to hold the lettuce and tomato on my burger, which I usually do. I tend not to like tomatoes on my burgers because they make the bun soggy. However, Stoney’s does something rather interesting. Instead of placing the tomato right next to the bun, they put a layer of lettuce between said tomato and said bun. Because of this, the tomato doesn’t leave the bun a soggy mess. Inspecting the burger further before I ate it, I noticed the bacon wasn’t very crispy. In fact (as you can see from the picture), it was mostly gristle. I was starting to get a bad feeling about the burger. Another concern: the “grilled onions” were not grilled. The onions were thick cut, raw red onions piled onto the burger.

Finally done with my initial visual inspection (and taking pictures of it with my Blackberry – sorry, I forgot my camera), I decided to get down to the business of eating. And I was very pleasantly surprised. Having removed the “grilled onions”, my first taste was of the bun. And this was a pretty good burger bun…fresh tasting with a slight hint of sweetness. Mind you, it was not a sweetened bread, just a bread with a hint of honey (or a similar sweetener). Lightly toasted, the bun was hearty enough to stand up to the many toppings weighing it down. The beef was nicely seasoned, similar to the burger at Trio and you could tell it wasn’t a dethawed, pre-formed patty. Also like Trio, the beef didn’t have a charred taste to it nor was it dry. And unlike a lot of cheeseburgers, the cheddar was sharp enough to stand out in the menagerie of flavors. The combination of the bun and the seasoned beef almost gave the burger a one up on Trio…were it not for the bacon and the overly liberal use of barbecue sauce. The bacon was greasy and basically just fat, adding nothing at all to the burger. And although I liked the tangy flavor of the barbecue sauce, there was a bit too much on the burger.

All in all, this was a pretty good burger, especially considering it was from a neighborhood bar. I’m not ready to say it was better than Trios and I am still not convinced Trio has the best burger in town. Fear not, however, dear readers. My search continues this weekend with a trip to DC Chophouse! Stay tuned!