Comments on: Thoughts on Burgers

By: jkp1187

jkp1187 — Mon, 09 May 2011 21:19:17 +0000

BRGR’s customer service is weak. I live 2 blocks away from the restaurant. A few weekends ago, we called up to place an order for takeout. I was stunned to learn that they refused to take such orders over the phone, instead directing us to come sit at the bar and place the order.

I could understand not doing take-outs at all, but forcing us to come to the bar on the hope that we’ll break down and order some overpriced alcoholic drink just so we could have some burgers while we watched TV at home? Weak.

As far as bang for the buck goes — in terms of both burgers and fries — I’m quite a fan of Five Guys. Sure, it doesn’t have the hoity-toity atmosphere, but it was better than the burgers I’ve had at Tessaro’s or at BRGR. (I have not tried Burgatory yet.)

By: RCase

RCase — Thu, 05 May 2011 13:43:44 +0000

I’m in pretty much full agreement with everything the writer said here. Tessaro’s is still the most tasty and unique burger in town. I do like both BRGR and Burgatory (very slightly more than BRGR) very much though.

That all said, Tessaro’s has not been the same since Kelly died. I really hope that T and Ena and the gang down there realize that the quality is not quite the same in the past two years (I do remember being in there on Kentucky Derby Saturday two years ago, and finding out that Kelly had just had a stroke). I order my burger there medium-well. For the first 80 visits there (up to 2009), I’d estimate that 78 of those burgers were done perfectly. Very little to no pink center, but still very juicy. In the probably 18 visits over the last two years, I’d say that I’ve had only about half of my burgers done perfectly. Probably 3 were very well done, 3 medium, and 3 rare to medium-rare. In my opinion, this isn’t an exception. Something has changed there.

The only sense I can make of it is that, in busy times, the burgers do seem to arrive more quickly after ordering than they used to. That tells me that they’ve likely begun cooking burgers before they’ve been ordered. As such, I think it’s really a lot harder for the cooks to determine the done-ness of the burgers.

I want to continue to patronize Tessaro’s, but have found myself now opting for the new places occassionally. Tessaro’s still makes the best burger in town – when they get it right. Which is not so automatic as it used to be.

By: Adam R

Adam R — Wed, 04 May 2011 11:51:28 +0000

The trick for getting a Ray’s Hell Burger is to actually go to Ray’s the Classics in Silver Spring. They have the burgers, better sides, and I’ve never had to wait for a table. And it’s right across from the AFI Silver Theater.

By: peterb

peterb — Wed, 04 May 2011 03:05:06 +0000

The problem with Ray’s Hell Burger is that it’s right next door to that Pho place, which is less crowded and better.

By: Adam R

Adam R — Wed, 04 May 2011 02:45:19 +0000

If you were in Bethesda and missed BGR, that’s a shame. No clue if it’s related to BRGR, but it’s been there a couple years.
…What the hell, just looked at their website and apparently it is sort of a small chain now. That’s new. http://www.bgrtheburgerjoint.com/en/locations.html

(And in the DC area, Ray’s Hell Burger is still my favorite.)

By: psu

psu — Tue, 03 May 2011 11:14:07 +0000

Bethesda Row was fantastically confusing to me because of all the “high end” looking offerings that turned out to be really crappy. I’ve been in its analog in San Jose CA for example where I thought things were better. But perhaps they were not. Maybe I was just bitter that the little noodle place that we were looking for just off the mall was closed.

By: Eddie H

Eddie H — Tue, 03 May 2011 03:31:44 +0000

Burgatory does have good fries; but the thing they do there better than BRGR is the milkshakes. The caramel pretzel milkshake alone is worth the trip.

By: Melisa Stiglitz

Melisa Stiglitz — Tue, 03 May 2011 02:34:03 +0000

I am cracking up at your comment re: Bethesda Row being a gentrified outdoor mall. I understand your point, but Bethesda has been and always will be affluent town.

By: Nat Lanza

Nat Lanza — Tue, 03 May 2011 00:57:00 +0000

The last two times I’ve been to Burgatory, their fries have been a lot better than when we went for lunch. That time might have been a fluke.

Also, you already know this, but I remain convinced that you’re the only person in Pittsburgh who can get a good burger from Tessaro’s anymore. I won’t go there anymore because life’s too short to spend a half hour waiting for a burger that I ordered medium rare to come out as a charred hockey puck.