Being an individual that likes things that are less trendy and more down to earth, it generally will take an act of congress, natural disaster, or most pressing, the request of my wife, to explore the world of “the next big thing” in restaurants and bars. I am of the opinion that regardless of the event of visiting hip locales, I disdain paying top shelf prices for atmosphere. I would much rather pay for the quality of the food and drink than loud music, trendy chefs, and dramatic lighting. It is for this reason my wife likely held off on pressing me to go to Flip Burger Boutique created by TV’s Top Chef contestant Richard Blais until she could use the unbeatable “it’s my birthday” card.
Before I go any further, let me say that of all food options, the hamburger is the one food item that I really have a problem with people making fancy. At its core the hamburger is a down to earth means of supplying the male body with its minimum levels of cheese, beef, and grease, and in my opinion does not hold up when it is, to put it in an apt light, feminized. I am not saying that it’s a bad thing per se, but a burger does not lend its best attributes with subtitle graces. Boldness of a sharp cheddar or American cheese is preferred, at least by me, over the melodic flavors of trendy infusions and hip, “foodie” sauces.
To summarize, this was likely not a meal I was going to walk away from without some negative comment regarding the experience, however only one complaint is about the meal itself. Aside from being overpriced, overly loud, and overtly aware of itself, the food was in general very solid.
While I had a sip of this, and a bite of that, exploring a lot of different flavors, the sole negative issue I have with the food came from my entre. I had ordered The Butcher’s Cut, a burger that is in essence, a blue cheeseburger, with stock caramelized onions, and augmented with shallots and a red wine jam. To cut to the chase, the only problem with this item was a lack of balance on the beef to cheese flavor ratio. I guess I could rant about how their owner doesn’t know how to work with a flavor palate, but that would be pretentious, and untrue. This complaint is a common one I have with a lot of blue cheese burgers; few get the ratio just right for me. I can definitely say it was far from the worst I’ve had.
Everything about the sandwich was fine; the qualities of the ingredients of the hamburgers were high. The beef was sweet and tender, cooked perfectly, not being too greasy nor too dry, and the buns where buttery, light and crispy. Everything kind of melted together in a very good way.
The French fries were wonderful. They fried perfectly, being just crispy enough on the outside and soft on the inside, and just having the perfect balance between potato flavor, and that of the cooking oil. They were served with bacon infused mayo that was tasty, but not needed to enjoy the spuds.
My wife had ordered a chorizo sandwich, served in a burger style, which was wonderfully mild (but still flavorful) and tender. As a side she ordered the mac n cheese that suspended bits of pork belly that popped with the flavors and texture of creamy cheese and soft pasta.
One of the real signature items of Flip Burger is that of their nitrogen created shakes, which because of their fast crystallization, exhibit a velvety texture. My wife and I split a Krispy Kream concoction that was but tasty, but in my opinion, not unique enough to garnish the notoriety it had created for the restaurant.
Overall this meal was nice, but not quite worth the shattered ear drums or the broken bank.
Pope Crisco
No comments:
Post a Comment