Bounty Food Truck – #7 on 2015 Best Burger List

Posted on June 16, 2015 by jfoodeats

A lot of trucks sell burgers…Bounty Food Truck is the only one I found that sells one that is is great and should be included in my Best Burger List. Over the last year I enjoyed both the Bordelaise Burger and the Bounty Burger and each could make the list.

The “Bordelaise Burger” was outstanding. The meat was full of deep rich flavor and juicy, and then it was grilled to a perfect medium-rare. It was next topped with melted Gruyere cheese, which added a touch of creamy nuttiness. The slight pepperiness of the arugula was a fantastic addition and also contributed a little crunch. The caramelized onions were sweet and added just a touch of sweet back-notes and then the Malbec butter kicked in with a bold earthiness and a little pungency.

The “Bounty Burger” began with the same great meat, again prepared to a perfect medium-rare. This included traditional toppings of melted cheese, tomato, lettuce and onions in a sesame seed bun with a swath of Bounty sauce. The juicy meat and tomato slice was complemented by the slightly sweet sauce. It was a great burger.

I am glad Bounty will park at the New Canaan Farmer’s Market this summer where I can sneak down and grab a great burger every Saturday.

#burger #newcanaanfarmersmarket #bounty

Fleisher’s Craft Butchery (Westport) – #8 on 2015 Best Burgers

Posted on June 14, 2015 by jfoodeats

A few years ago Saugatuck Craft Burchery opened in Westport, buying locally-raised meats and poultry, dry-aging the beef on premises and selling to the public. A second phase was opening a cafe using their meats as the centerpiece to the menu.

The “Craft Burger” is the next new addition to my Best Burger list. It included dry-aged beef, IPA fondue, bacon bits, bitter greens, and an onion ring served on a brioche. The meat was fantastic, perfectly prepared to medium-rare and delivered that wonderful rich flavor we have grown to expect from this butcher. The IPA fondue was a thick cheese sauce that covered the top of the meat and the mini-cubes of bacon were a great addition. The ingredient that elevated this burger was the bitter greens. It added a level of complexity that none other contained and the sweetness of the brioche was fantastic.

2015 Burger Favorites – #10 (tie) Mama’s Boy (South Norwalk)

Posted on June 12, 2015 by jfoodeats

For my 2015 Best Burgers in southwest CT, it was difficult to fill the last spot. There were two excellent burgers, each delivering a different flavor combinations. So I used poetic license and called it a tie.

The “Mama’s Boy Burger,” combined local grass fed beef with house-smoked bacon, Pimiento cheese, fried Vidalia onions and pickles on a brioche bun. The patty was juicy and perfectly seasoned, the bacon strips added a significant amount of smokiness and a touch of saltiness and sweet the pickle slices added sour and spicy notes. The fried Vadalia onion rings were delicious.

This mile-high presentation is held together by a steak knife, or the server would need exceptional balance or the fried onion rings would fall. I highly recommend that the guest add the pickles to the ingredients and enjoy with the patty. The sour and spiciness of the pickle really caps off an already great burger.

Parallel Post Burger (Trumbull) – #9 on 2015 Best Burger List

Posted on June 9, 2015 by jfoodeats

My 2015 Best Burgers in FFD County was posted on:

http://www.ctbites.com/home/2015/6/7/top-10-burgers-in-southwest-ct-2015-edition.html

In the #9 position was the “Double Burger” at Parallel Post in Trumbull. This lobby restaurant in the Marriott Hotel is stark in decor but alive with flavor.

The “Double Burger” includes two patties of very mild grass-fed beef, topped with Vermont cheddar cheese, Benton’s bacon and served on a sesame brioche bun with fancy sauce. The meat is delicious, and the bacon delivered a high level of smokiness to the entire burger. The nuttiness of the Cheddar was a great complement and the bacon added the salty component. The brioce was very buttery and really added to the overall composition. The fancy sauce was a tomato aioli with a little spiciness that added to versus detracted from the burger. The fries were perfect and there was just a little kick in the ketchup.

Tiger’s Den Sports Bar & Grill (Ridgefield) – Disappointing First Visit

Posted on June 1, 2015 by jfoodeats

There has been a fair amount of chatter on-line for Tiger’s Den Sports Bar & Grill in Ridgefield so I decided to see if all of the fuss was justified. Located AT 25 Catoonah Street, the restaurant itself occupies a stand-alone building in the rear of the property with a separate parking lot and entrance. The interior is pure sports bar with seating for fifty at tables and a long front to rear bar with stools. There are six TVs and sports memorabilia adorning all of the walls and 30 beers and mixed drinks occupy a lengthy beverage menu.

I arrived mid-day, grabbed a seat in front of the TVs to view three different sporting events and ordered a bacon cheeseburger medium-rare with fries.

When it arrived I followed my normal practice and cut it in half. As soon as the knife entered the meat I knew the bad news…it was cooked beyond well-done, hard on the exterior and gray throughout. I sampled one of the fries and it was inundated with salt, not edible. I asked the server for a re-do and he was quick to remove the burger, embarrassed after seeing the burger’s interior. While I waited, the staff was apologetic and asked if I wanted a salad while I waited. They were incredibly customer focused during the entire meal. They were the highlight of the visit.

Burger #2 arrived with a new batch of fries. The edges of the burger were very crispy and when I cut the patty in half the middle was borderline raw while the edges were well done, but I was not going to return a second badly cooked burger. Surprisingly the meat was very tasty and offered a nice level of smokiness. It was topped with two slices of bacon, which were very good and the melted American cheese gave a nice level of creaminess. The brioche bun delivered a descent buttery flavor. Unfortunately like the original fries, the kitchen was careless with the salt, some bites were without any seasoning and other bites were over-salted. It was next to impossible to finish the burger. The fries were scalding hot and again they were over-salted and they were not fully cooked on the interior.

Overall it was a very disappointing visit to Tiger’s, not for the ingredients in their burger, which were very good, but with the lack of focus from the kitchen in its preparation.

The Spread (SONO) Burger – Great Spicy Rendition

Posted on March 14, 2015 by jfoodeats

In the midst of a 10-course dinner with friends at Spread I ordered the “Cheeseburger.” I’ve enjoyed Executive Chef Carlos Baez’s version in the past and wanted to see if there was any update to his interpretation to one of my favorite dishes.

Chef Carlos starts his rendition with an 8-ounce patty of grass fed Kobe beef. He tops the patty with pickles, melted Cheddar cheese with the option of bacon or Jalapeño peppers, with a swath of spicy mayo encased in a sesame seed bun. Since spicy mayo was already included I asked for the bacon but not the peppers.

The meat was outstanding. It was cooked perfectly to my requested medium-rare, and the kitchen was delicate when they formed the patty, it maintained a wonderful loose grind. The flavor was deep and rich from the grass feeding and was juicy, but not overwhelming. The bread and butter pickles added a great sour component and the bacon was perfectly cooked and a smoky-salty balance. The spicy mayo was a little too spicy for me, detracting from the other great flavors, but that is a personal preference. The bun added a nice buttery complement. The fries were excellent, fresh, hand cut with just a touch of salt.

Chef Carlos is hitting it out of the park with his cuisine and the burger was just one great example.

Apricot Bar & Grill (Norwalk) – Pretty Basic Burger

Posted on February 22, 2015 by jfoodeats

Apricot Bar and Grill recently opened on in Norwalk next to Fat Cat Pizza. The building has an interesting and storied history with numerous bars and several adventure-based occupants.

With its narrow and deep interior, the current owners divided the space into three sections. The front is a “lounge” with a sofa in front of a fireplace place two wing chairs. The mid-section houses the copper-topped bar with 10 bar stools, two HDTVs, a selection of 12 basic bottled beers, 12 smaller brewery bottled beers and five beers on tap. The drafts currently include Samuel Adams Winter Lager, Half Full Brewery, Long Trail Ale, Yuengling Lager and Miller Lite. The rear offers a more traditional setting with table cloth covered tables for thirty-nine guests, plus four booths.

For my Sunday venture I ordered the HOUSE BURGER, an 8oz. patty of Certified Black Angus Burger, American cheese, and lettuce & tomato, served on a brioche roll. I requested bacon and was offered either regular or sweet potato fries, I chose the former.

When the burger arrived it looked fairly ordinary. There was a little juice from the patty seeping into the bottom bun, the cheese was half-melted and a thin tomato and iceberg lettuce sat on the cheese. The fries looked like they were plopped out of a plastic bag into a fryer and dumped on the plate. I cut the burger in half and I have to admit it was prepared perfectly to medium-rare. I tasted the meat, it had decent flavor, was medium compressed and maintained the grind of the meat. The bacon was nicely cooked to deliver just a touch of saltiness but was very basic. The tomato and lettuce were ordinary and the cheese was nothing special. The “brioche” was a more a grocery store bag bun. The kitchen did butter and griddle the bun for a nice buttery goodness with a good crunch. Other than the meat this was basic in all other aspects. The ketchup was also disappointing. It was Sysco’s “House Recipe” brand. This was an immediate turn-off, and the taste was more vinegary than Heinz, which is my preference.

Overall this is an assembly of basic ingredients. The kitchen did an excellent job in preparing the patty and toasting the bun. But their hands were tied from the ingredients and they did the best they could.

7 Wall St Norwalk CT 06850
(203) 831-0399

Little Pub Greenwich – Pretty Bland Burger

Posted on February 9, 2015 by jfoodeats

The third location of the Little Pub chain in Fairfield County is located on Route 1 in Cos Cob a mile west of the I-95 exit. Upon making a left into the parking lot, you are asked to valet park your car, the staff told me it gets “pretty crazy” at night.

The exterior reminded me of a European country escape and the interior transports the guests to a northern European atmosphere with a large floor to ceiling stone covered two-sided fireplace with a smiling hooded character embedded above the hearth. Cast iron chandeliers hang from the ceiling and the walls are exposed woods to the vaulted wood ceiling, further enhanced by large wooden beams. The windows contained diagonal cross-bars and the floor is large planked reclaimed wood. The main dining room seats 60 guests with the bar offering an additional 10 bar stools and twelve seats at high-top tables.

I was in the mood for a burger and the menu contained ten pre-determined burger combinations. I chose the “Steakhouse,” medium-rare served with thick cut smoked bacon, caramelized onions, melting cheddar and a swath of steakhouse mayo, and opted for the sweet potato fries as my side. When the plate arrived I tasted a few fries and was disappointed. They were bland, with no flavor or seasoning. I cut the burger in half and noticed that it was cooked more medium-well than medium-rare. My first bite continued the trend, there was no seasoning and it was highly compressed, losing all its juiciness. The onions tasted more boiled than caramelized. The bacon was well prepared and offered a touch of saltiness and the mayo added a little spiciness from the horseradish. The bun was a basic Kaiser.

I checked my notes from my visit to the Wilton location from two years ago and had the same reaction. We are both consistent. The burgers at Little Pub are just not to my liking.

Johnny Utah’s (SONO) – Not Crowded for a Reason

Posted on January 13, 2015 by jfoodeats

The original plan was to meet at Donovan’s to watch the first half of the Cowboys-Packers game, have a burger, and I was looking forward to also ordering a bowl of Clam Chowder. But Donovan’s was packed so plan B was to walk down to Johnny Utah’s, which has a good beer selection for my buddies and 10 TVs for the game. While Donovan’s was packed, there was hardly a soul in Utah’s, so grabbing a table was an easy adventure.

We immediately ordered Wings ($12.00), hot with bleu cheese. When they arrived they looked a little strange, instead on the wing slathered in sauce, they had a light coating and they were swimming in a small pool of Buffalo sauce, with a side of blue cheese dressing. I chose a winglet for the initial bite and it was OK. There was very little spiciness to the wing. I added a little extra sauce and again, they were OK, still not a lot of spice. I added extra sauce and a little blue cheese dressing and they were still, just OK, nothing special at all. They were pretty boring at best. With my bacon and cheese additions this was a $14.50 burger that was not worth the money.

The next round was burgers. I ordered a medium-rare Johnny Utah’s Burger ($12.00), a half-pound burger with red onions, lettuce, and tomato, served on a brioche roll, and I added bacon and American cheese with a side sweet potato fries. For a bar that was 85% empty it took almost 25 minutes for 3 burgers and a sandwich, but we were watching the game so this was not an issue. When they arrived the consensus was that each was cooked more than ordered, mine was medium+. The first bite of the sweet potato fries was disappointing, they were all crust, tasteless and overcooked as well. The meat had a little flavor, was highly compressed, and offered little juiciness. The bacon was very pedestrian and the cheese was grocery store quality. The brioche had zero buttery goodness, it was very bland. Overall it was a very disappointing burger.

The service was outstanding, the server was prompt, efficient and checked in regularly. Hopefully this is the standard when she is serving more than one table. It was too bad that Donovan’s was too busy, and it is understandable why Johnny Utah’s was not.

Burger Bar & Bistro (SONO) – Train Goes off the Rails

Posted on November 15, 2014 by jfoodeats

Burger Bar & Bistro is located across the alley from the SONO theater multiplex on North Main Street. Parking is very convenient behind the theatre and BBB offers bar service, a dining room, plus outdoor seating. On one of the first colder days of the year I went for a burger, since others have told me they were excellent.

Each weekday from 11-4 BBB offers “$9 Lunchbox combos” each available in 10 minutes. Choices include a ¼-pound cheeseburger; a chili dog; a meatloaf sandwich; a tuna salad sandwich; a ¼-rack of ribs; a veggie wrap or 3 scrambled eggs, each served with fries and a choice of a soda or a PBR. Given my experience, this 10-minute guarantee is a must option.

I ordered my traditional bacon cheeseburger, medium-rare and a side of fries. I sat on one of the high top tables in the bar with my back to the window and I would recommend bringing a sweater or jacket as the windows are not the most efficient and it was quite cold.

After a 20-minute wait my burger finally arrived. In addition to the burger and fries the plate included a mound of chipotle chips and a pickle wedge. I cut the burger in half and understood why the wait was so long…it was cooked beyond well-done and must have been on the griddle for the entire 20 minutes. I called the hostess over, showed her the burger and told her I did not have another 20 minutes to wait. She said she would take care of it.

A few minutes later the server approached the table and told me that he thought I ordered it medium-well. I also told him I did not have 20 minutes to wait for another burger. Ten minutes passed…nothing. The bartender approached and told me “it is almost ready.” I told him that if was not at the table in 2 minutes I would have to leave. Five minutes later, I started to put on my coat and the hostess saw me and mouthed, “it is almost ready.” I could not wait any longer. As I was approaching the front door to exit the bartender raced out of the kitchen with a brown bag and handed me a bag that contained a Styrofoam clam-shell. His parting words after handing me the bag, “We are not charging you for this.” I reached into the bag and opened the Styrofoam container…it contained a cheeseburger, no bacon, no fries…no thanks.

Things happen and when they occur you try to correct them and be honest with the customer. By continually telling me it was almost done, it gave false expectations, and in the end, the bartender’s dismissive attitude was the last straw. Burger Bar and Bistro is now on my Do Not Return list…there are too many options in the area to return.

58 N Main St. Norwalk, CT 06854

Jfood Eats

Eating and Enjoying

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