Durhamburger

Bun – 3.5 This was a fresh, delicious bun by Neomonde. The texture was excellent. It was grill toasted but unbuttered.

Meat – 5 The meat is utterly fantastic. The patty was hand-formed, seasoned well, cooked to perfection and tasted incredible. Beautiful grill marks.

Toppings – 3 The toppings were fresh and seemed of good quality. “The works” includes red onions, red and green leaf lettuce, pickles and a tomato slice. You get a choice of cheese if you want that.

Fries, Sides, and Beverages – 3.5 I couldn’t resist choosing from among the many side dish options instead of getting fries. I opted instead for green beans, which were stir-fried to order before my very eyes. They were perfectly cooked – with almond slivers, garlic, onions and herbs. It was both tasty and healthy! I give Sprout high marks in this category for the huge variety of seasonal side dish options. I will just have to try the fries next time. Beverage choices include fountain beverages and bottled cold drinks. Rumor has it that beer is available too.

Overall experience – 3.5 The prices are extremely reasonable, and the high quality food makes it worth going to the museum if only just to eat there! I also appreciate the self-serve beverages and condiments. Sprout would have received much higher marks if the ordering line wasn’t so incredibly slow and it didn’t take such a long time to get your food. However, given that Sprout had only been open for a couple weeks, it’s likely they are simply working out the kinks that come with opening any new restaurant; surely service will improve. I also thought it was quite loud inside the Café, but what can you expect for a restaurant filled with excited children?

Total points = 18.5/25 or 74% score

Thoughts on this? Other ideas? Post a comment, or write to Crystal at crystal@durhamburger.com and let her know!

Bun – 2 This was a bun of the Wonderbread variety. At first, I gave it an extra half point for being very nicely toasted. But then I took that half point away again because the bun was SO.VERY.DRY. No butter, no mayo, nothing. I had to gulp down water between bites so I wouldn’t choke.

Meat – 5 The meat is fantastic. This 1/3 lb patty was hand-formed, seasoned well, cooked to perfection and tasted incredible. It is rumored that Q-Shack grinds their own meat. I will try to confirm this.

Toppings – 2.5 Shredded lettuce: not my favorite at all. Thinly sliced red onions and pickles were okay, but sparse. One measly tomato slice. Toppings were served on the side. For the sake of comparison with other burgers, I did not order any of the other toppings (“Extra Fixin’s”) which are available for $.35 each. I realize these probably would have made for an even tastier burger. Additional topping options included: Jack Cheese, Bacon, Fried Egg, Cheddar Cheese, Brisket Chili, Swiss Cheese, Slaw, Jalepenos, American Cheese, Mushrooms and Onion Rings. I am giving this category an extra half point for the large variety of topping choices.

Fries, Sides, and Beverages – 4.5 I opted for fries with my burger, but I could have ordered any other side dish available on their menu, of which there are loads of choices – from creamed spinach to mac n’ cheese!  It was a surprise when I received some hushpuppies in addition to my fries. I was also not expecting the fries to be so good. They were clearly hand cut (fresh and with the skin on), were well seasoned, nicely salted and crispy – just the way I like ‘em. Fountain drinks, iced tea and selection of bottled beers were available. This category would have received full marks if not for the Styrofoam cups (Q-Shack will be receiving a letter from me about that).

Overall experience – 4 The prices are really reasonable, and the value of the burger can’t be beat. The clean, comfortable atmosphere of the restaurant and lots of little touches of convenience scored big points with me too. Other than the Styrofoam and a very dry burger, this was a top-notch experience.

Total points = 18/25 or 72% score

Thoughts on this? Other ideas? Post a comment, or write to Crystal at crystal@durhamburger.com and let her know!

Bun – 2 Bummer. The bun was of the Wonderbread variety, untoasted and dry. No butter

Meat – 2 The patty was cooked on the griddle, and the flavor was tolerable. But it was also thin, machine-cut, and rubbery: not my style.

Toppings – 3 Pretty good pickles. The green leaf lettuce and tomato were fair.

Fries, Sides, and Beverages – 3 The fries had no skins and were likely of the frozen (not fresh) type, but nevertheless they were well salted and fried to a lovely golden crisp. I wish I could give a higher score in this category, but unfortunately the neon yellow “lemonade” was so nasty and presumably full of chemicals that I’m calling it toxic.

Overall experience – 3 The cigarette smoke and use of Styrofoam were big downers for me, so I really can’t rate my experience any higher. However, what I do appreciate is the inexpensive food, casual roadside grill atmosphere and the free beverage refills. Also, the breakfast menu actually sounds pretty good, and I’d like to try it sometime.

Total points = 13/25 or 52% score

Thoughts on this? Other ideas? Post a comment, or write to Crystal at crystal@durhamburger.com and let her know!

Bun – 3 It’s a good-looking bun of decent quality and flavor. As I understand it, BCBB bakes its buns in-house – impressive! I would have given this category higher marks if the bun had been toasted, buttered or mayo-ed, and didn’t fall apart as I ate it. The bun was just a bit too dry and its consistency was very weak.

Meat – 3 The beef patty still had that rancid-like smell that turned me off during my first two BCBB visits, along with a strange aftertaste. However, now that I know more about BCBB’s grass-fed beef (which is supplied locally by Farmhand Foods and fresh ground daily), I realize that this bad smell must just be normal for this particular meat. Farmhand Foods also explained to me that they have several different local farmers who contribute to their beef supply, rather than just one. The first time I complained about the meat smell, BCBB’s owner Seth told me that perhaps I am not used to eating grass-fed beef, which may be why I think their meat smells funny. I disagree with him. For example, I eat Geer St. Garden‘s grass-fed beef (supplied by Baldwin Beef) all the time and do not experience this same smell at all. In fact, I find the GSG burger patty quite fragrant. Despite the odd meat smell and aftertaste, I appreciate BCBB’s commitment to quality and locally-sourced food. The patty I had on my burger at BCBB yesterday was juicy, well-seasoned and cooked nicely (with a touch of pink, just the way I ordered it). Just FYI, it appeared to be griddle cooked rather than grilled. (I think both ways are delicious.)

Toppings – 5 The toppings on the Pimento Burger are out of this world!! I really appreciated the super high-quality lettuce (Butterhead, wow!) and ripe tomato. The amount of onions was just right. The spicy beer mustard and the fresh, crunchy pickled carrots were so tangy and delicious. They gave this amazing burger just the right amount of kick. The pimento cheese – highly delectable! – is also made in-house.

Fries, Sides, and Beverages – 4 The fries were nearly perfect, and I was very sad when I got too full and couldn’t finish them. They are hand-cut with the skin still on (win!), not to mention nicely salted. I say nearly perfect because they could have been much crispier for my taste. I didn’t care for the Gateway Golden Ale I ordered, but I really appreciate that it was brewed in-house, along with all of BCBB’s other beers. I will try something else next time. Also in the beverage category, Boylan’s soda and drinks served in mason jars (popular with the hipster crowd!) are nice touches too.

Overall experience – 3

• The wait time between completing my food order and receiving my order at the table was only 10 minutes! This is *much* improved from my last two visits, which both included an exasperating 25-30 minute wait for my burger. (If Crystal’s hungry, ain’t nobody happy!)
• The gentleman from whom I ordered did a really nice job of explaining the meat cooking policy to me when I asked.
• Free wi-fi, kid-friendliness, and awesome wooden tables made by Reinbarnation (reclaimed NC barn wood!) are also pluses.
• The big glass window that allows you to peek into the brewing room is pretty great too.
• They have lovely outdoor seating.
• I like the unique, historical and convenient location. I was able to ride the Bull City Connector (Durham’s awesome free bus) to the Parish St. stop to get here (wooo!), and then walked home afterward.

Cons:

• I had to wait for a very long time in line to order, similar to my first two experiences here. There were at least seven people in front of me yesterday, and only one of the two registers was manned. Burger orders at BCBB involve a lot of choices, which may contribute to the slow ordering process.
• It was very cold in the restaurant. I put my jacket on and was still uncomfortable.
• The acoustics are such that the room is startlingly cacophonous, with kitchen and customer noises slamming against my ears from every wall.
• The music could have been better for my taste – John (formerly Cougar) Mellencamp was playing. Oh well.
• I resent the fact that they put the paper napkins under the wax paper, which is under the burger and fries. They have to make a point of telling you, “The napkins are under the wax paper.” For God’s sake, why?! Why not just bring the napkins out with the plate or have dispensers on the tables like every other restaurant? After all, there is a reason why other restaurants do that: it’s to avoid issues like the ketchup incident I experienced on this visit to Bull City Burger and Brewery! Let’s just say I would have loved to have napkins on hand without having to lift up the burger and paper, spilling fries everywhere. Sorry, it’s just not practical.
• The prices are very high (I paid nearly $17 total for my lunch), though I suppose the cost is understandable given the very high quality of the food and drink.
• I just don’t get that cozy, warm, slightly gritty, neighbor-hoody feel in BCBB the way I do at Dain’s, The Federal, Geer St. Garden, or Bull McCabe’s. Rather, it’s (literally) cold and mainstream-esque with all its glossy signage.

Overall, it was an above average experience, and given all the improvements I’ve experienced,  I would certainly eat here again.

Total points = 18/25 or 72% score

Thoughts on this? Other ideas? Post a comment, or write to Crystal at crystal@durhamburger.com and let her know!

Bun – 2.5 The Wonderbread-type bun was nothing special, but I gave this category an extra half point for being really nicely toasted on the griddle.

Meat – 2.5 King’s advertises that its hamburger meat is ground fresh daily. I thought the patty, while cooked nicely, was thin and not very flavorful. I give it an extra half point for being juicy.

Toppings – 2 I am not a fan of shredded lettuce. The tomato was flavorless and gritty. The ketchup and mustard were applied too heavily and overpowered the burger. The only reason King’s toppings didn’t score lower is because of their generous toppings policy in which all basic toppings are free.

The King Burger ($5.70 for burger + fries)

Fries, Sides, and Beverages – 4.5 The fries were delicious: crispy, golden and nearly perfect. The only thing that would have given those potatoes full marks is if King’s had left the skin on. Fresh shakes are available in three flavors, as is fresh-squeezed lemonade.

Overall experience – 3.5 The menu posted outside King’s is small in size and difficult to locate and read. I think it could be better placed and more prominent. I also wish King’s would not use Styrofoam cups for shakes. (They will be receiving a letter from me about that one.) The window ordering system seems so efficient. However, every time I’ve been there I’ve seen lots of customer drama due to mistakes on orders. Nonetheless, King’s staff have a light-hearted attitude and make fun jokes (e.g., “One calorie-free strawberry shake, comin’ right up!”) I was generous in scoring this category because of the pleasant outdoor seating toward the rear of the building and the novelty of the restaurant’s historic background. You can imagine poodle skirt-wearing Durhamites sharing a shake and cheeseburger at King’s way back in the day!

Total points = 15/25 or 60% score

Thoughts on this? Other ideas? Post a comment, or write to Crystal at crystal@durhamburger.com and let her know!

Bun – 2.5 After cooking, it would seem that the hot burger is quickly wrapped in the paper foil and put in a paper bag, so the steam seeps into the bun from having no where else to go. This leaves the bun (Wonderbread variety) a bit soggier than desired. However, I appreciated the toasted bun and mayonnaise.

Meat – 3 The regular Burger contains two patties, while the “Little Hamburger” has just one. I selected the regular. The patties were juicy and tasted very fresh. I thought the meat (fresh ground chuck) was good but could have better with a little more seasoning.

Toppings – 3 I really appreciate that you can have as many toppings as you like for free, and I give this category an extra half point for that. I chose lettuce, tomato, mayo, ketchup, mustard and sauteed onions. While Five Guys is generous with their toppings, the toppings themselves are fine but nothing special. The lettuce was iceberg and the tomato on the unripe side and cut too thick.

Fries, Sides, and Beverages – 3 Five Guys advertises that their fries are cooked in 100% peanut oil. Man, do they give you a ton of fries. They are not only heaped into the little cup they come in, but they overflow into the bag, almost like another serving. I thought this was wasteful. I tried the regular fries at Southpoint location and Cajun style at the 15/501 store. The regular fries were boring and needed salt, but the Cajun fries were delicious. I like how Five Guys leaves the skin on, but the fries were soft and could have been crispier. I gave Five Guys and extra half point in this category for having an impressive array of fountain drinks at their 15/501 store (13 in all, including 5 types of Coke, plus sweet and unsweet tea), all with free refills.

Overall experience – 3.5 The counter service at Five Guys is excellent. They are generous with their greetings and helpful with ordering. The Southpoint location uses a buzzer to let you know when your food is ready, which I prefer to having to listen for them to call out my name. The music was a bit loud at the 15/501 location, but at least they were good classic tunes. You can choose to sit outside if the restaurant’s (slightly over-airconditioned) temperatures are too uncomfortable. The restrooms are clean.

Total points = 15/25 or 60% score

Thoughts on this? Other ideas? Post a comment, or write to Crystal at crystal@durhamburger.com and let her know!

Bun – 2 The bun appeared to be a nice toasted roll, but sadly it had no butter or mayo on it, so the bun top was very dry. Meanwhile, the bottom part of the bun was disappointingly soggy. Its wetness was caused by something other than meat drippings. Maybe it was the juice from the pickled pepper garnish?

Meat – 2.5 I had high expectations for the Kobe beef patty but was let down when I bit in. I’ll give this category an extra half point for the nice grill marks in the meat, but sadly this expensive patty was overcooked and slightly rubbery rather than juicy.

Toppings – 2 The burger came with watercress, oven-dried tomatoes and grilled onion. While all of that sounds amazing, it really wasn’t. The burger was served open-face with the watercress sitting on the top part of the bun. Unfortunately, the watercress was wilty and sparse. I remember thinking to myself that I would be personally embarrassed to serve someone something that looked so meager and unfresh. (I suspect that Tobacco Road doesn’t keep a big stock of watercress around except to use on the Kobe Burger which may or may not get ordered very often…) I notice that the first word in the company expectations listed on their website is “fresh” – oops! The sauteed onions were fine, and oven-dried tomatoes were beautiful to look at but bland to the taste.

Fries, Sides, and Beverages – 3.5 I ordered “House-Made Steak Fries” as my side, though I could have chosen from a list of other options. These fries (extra large, Jo-Jo-style potato wedges) were very good. The seasoning was tasty, and the skin was left on (hooray!). The consistency of the potato itself seemed a little grainy, but they were still good. I would have liked to have a few more fries, instead of just five. I appreciate that Tobacco Road has a lot of draught beers, including many local brews.

Overall experience – 2 I was disappointed in the service we received. The host staff seemed distracted and then offered us seats at a very narrow bar table. They agreed to seat us differently after I explained that my friend and I had some paperwork to lay out over lunch and would prefer a regular table, but it was not without what seemed like a sour, begrudging look. The waiter never checked back on us after we ordered our food and seemed to rush us with the check. The presentation on the plate was poor. The restaurant was (literally) cold with over-air conditioning. If I eat here again, I’d definitely wear more layers and order something else other than the Kobe Burger.

Total points = 12/25 or 48% score

Thoughts on this? Other ideas? Post a comment, or write to Crystal at crystal@durhamburger.com and let her know!

Bun – 3 This bun was actually pretty good. It’s a Kaiser roll, lightly toasted. Mayonnaise was the key ingredient to give the bun more flavor and prevent it from being dry.

Meat – 2 This patty is straight-up ground chuck, nothing special. The meat didn’t seem to be seasoned much, if at all, and was slightly overcooked. It’s commendable that Elmo’s can substitute the beef with a turkey or veggie patty, if desired.

Toppings – 3 The burger comes with green leaf lettuce, tomato, cheddar and sauteed mushrooms and onions. The toppings were good but not crazy good.

Fries, Sides, and Beverages – 1.5 Elmo’s fries are simply horrid. They are of the frozen Ore-Ida variety: pale, gritty, flavorless. It’s unfortunate that Elmo’s won’t spend just a bit more cash to improve their ultra crummy fries. I gave Elmo’s an extra half point in this category because the red cabbage cole slaw side was delicious. It is impressive that Elmo’s has bottled beer (local and otherwise) available, should their customers like to have one with their burger.

Overall experience – 4 Even though the burger was average at best, the presentation was nice, and the price ($6.95) is fair. Everyone needs a go-to diner, and despite its consistently mediocre cuisine, Elmo’s is ours. I appreciate the ultra casual attitude, the cozy booths and comfort food like grilled cheese and chicken & dumplings. The menu has a lot of variety (not to mention breakfast all day!), and service is good too.

Total points = 13.5/25 or 54% score

Thoughts on this? Other ideas? Post a comment, or write to Crystal at crystal@durhamburger.com and let her know!

Bun – 3.5 The bun was another of the Wonderbread variety, but by I’ll be damned if it wasn’t butter-toasted, just the way I like it. Hallelujah! 

Meat – 3.5 This Montana antibiotic and growth hormone-free beef patty was very flavorful and cooked very nicely on the griddle.

Toppings – 5 The toppings (fried green tomato, pimento cheese and a fried egg) are really what make this amazing burger so good. The large volume of pimento cheese was really messy but managed not to overwhelm the rest of the burger on flavor.

Fries, Sides, and Beverages – 3.5 Fries were very good, made from hand-cut Idaho potatoes. They are nicely seasoned with fresh ground pepper. They’re pretty crispy too. I would have given Only Burger higher marks on fries but for the need for a touch more salt. Free refills on the soda are a nice bonus.

Overall experience – 4 Only Burger has an efficient counter-style ordering system and a brightly painted diner-style restaurant. You can watch the cooks working hard in the kitchen and even chat with them. The burger menu is varied and includes turkey and veggie burgers, as well as specialty burgers. They have a large, clean bathroom. I would have given Only Burger better marks in overall experience if it was a full-service restaurant and served beer. (Editor’s note: Apparently they have bottled beer in the cooler, but that is just not the same.)

Total points = 19.5/25 or 78% score

Thoughts on this? Other ideas? Post a comment, or write to Crystal at crystal@durhamburger.com and let her know!

Bun – 2 This is an attractive bun (isn’t that fun to say?). It appears to be a wheat Kaiser roll and is very fresh. Unfortunately, when I bit into the sandwich, the major bummer was that the bun was so, so dry (badly needs my fave bun treatment: butter-toasting!) Otherwise, the bread would have rated much higher.

Meat – 2 The patty flavor was satisfactory. However, the circle char mark on the outside edge of the patty seemed strange. This mark indicates to me that the cook did not use a weight to press the patty down onto the griddle, so it cooked unevenly.

Toppings – 3 For the most part, the toppings were quite good. I really enjoyed the fried onion strings, but the tomato was a bit gritty.

Fries, Sides, and Beverages – 4 The burger comes with Tyler’s Famous Garlic Fries or homemade chips. You could also get sweet potato fries for $1.00 extra. The garlic fries (which are clearly hand-cut — bonus!) are excellent. Tyler’s leaves the skin on and seasons them very nicely. I love the generous garlic. I would have given these fries full marks if not for the fact that they were overly greasy and limp. I prefer my fries to be crispy (à la Bull McCabe’s, #1 fries in Durham). I didn’t care for the selection of beer on tap that evening, and I didn’t even finish my Fat Tire. Given that this was probably due to my bad mood, I didn’t mark Tyler’s down for beer in this category.

Overall experience – 2.5 The restaurant was very, very cold from being over-air-conditioned. The 15-30 minute wait times for tables were commensurate with the large crowd, but this also meant that the waitstaff was harried and offered only perfunctory table service. The loud music and general din of the crowded, high-ceilinged restaurant was unpleasant. The vegetarian options for my husband were sparse. He settled on a vegetarian chili which we both thought contained too much liquid smoke. I also think their food presentation is poor, and the menu prices are on the high side. Despite the poor overall experience, I gave Tyler’s an extra point for its historical location and lovely American Tobacco Campus setting.

Total points = 13.5/25 or 54% score

Thoughts on this? Other ideas? Post a comment, or write to Crystal at crystal@durhamburger.com and let her know!