Grillty As Charred

Only Burger is Still Good.

2013-03-26T10:08:00.003-07:00

I wrote about the Only Burger food truck this time last year and thought since I'm often on Centennial's Campus that I would give it another try, just in case.

One sunny afternoon I made sure to bring my burger mate, Nicole Smith with me to Centennial where we then waited in the long line of Only Burger enthusiasts.

After a few minutes our burgers were up and ready!

Need I say more? Happy to report that the Only Burger burger is still worth it!

Burger Fi is Worth a Try!

2013-03-26T09:24:00.002-07:00

BurgerFi, which is located at 3004 Wake Forest Rd #100, in Raleigh is situated behind Harris Teeter. When Lynn and I arrived (at 11:00 on the dot) they were just finishing up their morning staff meeting. The owner immediately walks over to us and asked if we had been there before. Lynn replied that she had but it was my first time at the place and he made sure to debrief me on what I was in for.

As I walk up to the menu I realize that I'm not in Kansas anymore and they have WAY more options and even I expected. Lynn ordered a Veggie Burger and I ordered a 'Build Your Own' Single made just the way I liked it - plain, just ketchup, mayo and cheese (please) - oh! And we got fries and a red velvet cupcake, just for good measure.

My burger was delicious. BurgerFi prides themselves on having "all-natural, grass-fed beef" and somehow that seems to do the trick. My burger was cooked to perfection and just the way I like it, juicy and yummy. The fries were also amazing which can definitely skew my overall opinion one way or the other. The cupcake, I will say, is WAY sweet. Share it with not just Lynn but another friend or two because we didn't get anywhere close to actually finishing it.

Overall, BurgerFi is a really cool hang out space, too. It is all decked out with cool chairs, the new crazy Coca-Cola machines and tons of outdoor seating as well.

BurgerFi definitely has my vote.

THE GRILLTY AWARDS.

2012-04-17T18:53:00.004-07:00

As this semester comes to a close I can't help but reflect on all of the different places I've adventured to and the amazing people I have met along the way. I have been introduced to the best of burgers and the worst of them and the great and not so great somewhere in between. This blog and I have had a good run but as all good things do, it is slowly but surely coming to an end (or so they say). For my last entry I want to hand out some (serious and not so serious) awards to my favorite and not so favorite places.

AWARDS:

Best Burger: Tir Na Nog (218 South Blount Street)

Hands down, this had to be the winner. This burger was the epitome of perfection.

Most Overrated Burger: Raleigh Times Bar (14 East Hargett Street)

Completely unacceptable service and their burger was absolutely NOTHING to write home about.

Best Service Ever: Brewmaster's (301 West Martin Street)

The place itself is so welcoming and comfortable that the great people just make it that much better. Do not just go for the burger, go for the atmosphere as well. (Amazing call, Jen)

Worst Service Ever: Player's Retreat (105 Oberlin Road)

I'm not sure what I expected out of someone that was so derpy (you're welcome, Maddie). My advice is to read the reviews/blogs on these places before you go.

Best French Fries On the Planet: MoJoe's (620 Glenwood Avenue)

Biggest Surprise: Only Burger (Centennial Campus - MOST Wednesdays 11:30-2p.m.)

Believe me, give Only Burger a chance to impress you. They WILL NOT let you down. I had a good friend of mine, Carter let me know that she was going to their restaurant in Durham. I almost immediately got a text from her saying that "THIS IS THE BEST BURGER I'VE EVER HAD."

Lamest Burger: Fat Daddy's (6201 Glenwood Avenue)

Do not believe the hype. This was my first stop and the reviews make this place sound like the Angus Barn. You've been warned.

Still MY FAVORITE: Five Guys (4120 Main at North Hills Street)

It means the world to me to know that my opinions, thoughts, jabs and experiences through this blog have reached as many people as they did. I wanted to thank all of you who read my blog religiously every Tuesday night for the last few months.

Thanks for going on this adventure with me. (((:

Five Guys - my FAVORITE [take-out] burger and fries.

2012-04-10T18:57:00.001-07:00

Five Guys

Five Guys located at 4120 Main at North Hills Street is the BESTTT. Their burgers and (insane amounts of) fries make them my default favorite place to get a take-out burger. The people that work there are always super nice and helpful and patient while customers take their time going over the menu.

For about $18.00 - Nicole and I ordered 2 burgers, 2 cokes and 1 regular order of fries.

After just a few minutes - our order was called and it was time to eat!

Their burgers are perfection. They are a heart-attack waiting to happen but in the absolute best way possible.

ONLY WAY TO EAT A BURGER!!!

You should absolutely by no means look up the nutritional facts on Five Guys as a restaurant. Go to enjoy the burger, not for it's nutritional value. In their defense they do offer "little burgers" which is a single patty instead of the double, as well as a "veggie sandwich".

Five Guys

Their burgers are always fresh and hot off the grill. They offer TONS of toppings and the majority of them are deemed "free" - bacon as a topping costs extra.

I asked Nicole her opinion on the experience and even though she is a Five Guys fan through and through she still thinks that "Only Burger is giving them a run for their money" and puts Five guys in a close second. (Ouch) Although I love you, Nicole - I will have to politely disagree. Furthermore - I love Five Guys, they will always (ALWAYS) have a big huge place in my heart.

Proud.

Village Draft House has a HUGE burger.

2012-04-03T11:31:00.005-07:00

Village Draft House is located at 428 Daniels Street, right in the middle of Cameron Village. With about 20 different tables outside and the temperature in the mid 70's - Meaghan and I made the obvious decision and sat outside.

Photo Credit: VDH Facebook

I walked inside and the place was empty seeing as I was the first table of the day. The inside decor was very cozy with tons of seating and even more beers on tap.

Photo Credit: VDH Facebook

Our server was really nice and patient. I had never been to VDH before today but Meaghan had. When I asked her what she had had before she replied, "I've had their burger before and it was really good." With that being said, we both decided on the cheeseburger - hers: medium well with pepperjack and mine: well done with cheddar. Meaghan and I hadn't seen eachother in a very long time and we had just enough time to catch up before our burgers were placed in front of us.

This burger was HUGE. Probably the biggest burger I've blogged to date. For some reason, since Meaghan didn't cut hers in half - I didn't feel the need. I was wrong, I was so, so wrong - this burger should have been cut in half. Regardless of size, this burger was great. It was cooked exactly the way I wanted it. Cheddar cheese melted on top and in between the most perfectly toasted kaiser roll. My bill with tax was only $8.82 and with a tip this lunch was pretty affordable - all things considered. Between the price of the burger, the gorgeous weather and being able to catch up with an old friend all at the same time - this lunch was perfect.

Player's Retreat - is a chill place to eat!

2012-03-27T18:23:00.003-07:00

Monday afternoon Maddie and I headed over to the roundabout that connects Oberlin Road and Hillsborough Street and we stumbled upon the awesome bar that is Player's Retreat (located at 105 Oberlin Street).

Player's Retreat Facebook Page.

The place was pretty much empty but since it was such a pretty day, we sat outside. "There is no way I would sit inside on a day like today," said Maddie.

This is what the patio usually looks like.
Player's Retreat Facebook Page.

Our waiter came over to us almost immediately and we ordered two waters and two Bud Lights (STAT!). Since neither one of us had ever been to PR we asked our server what was good and he said that "the burgers are great and I'm literally eating a turkey club sandwich as we speak." With his suggestions in mind, we had a pretty good idea as to what we were having for lunch.
Player's Retreat has a pretty extensive menu which includes "Lunch Meals under $6.00". At the very top of this menu - there it was "Cheeseburger - $5.95". The cheeseburger came with chips and I decided I'd upgrade to french fries.
In absolutely no time at all my burger was placed smack, dab in front of me.

The "Black Angus Beef: ground on site" that they boasted was insanely good. It was juicy and tender and bursting with flavor. This burger was huge, definitely a cut in half kind of thing. The bun was perfectly toasted and the french fries were totally crispy as well - just the way Maddie likes them! For a total of $8.10 - this burger adventure was a success.
My only advice is - DO NOT GET WATER. IT WILL NOT BE REFILLED.

Maddie insisted that I take this picture.

I would just stick to beer.

Brewmasters' burger is delishhh.

2012-03-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine recommended Brewmasters', located at 301 West Martin Street - so I decided I would give them a try!
Angel and I arrived around 2 p.m. which was apparently right after the lunch crowd left because the place was dead.

The place was super inviting and friendly and the bartender, Derek, came right over to us. We asked him his favorite things and he told us "the burgers are what we're famous for" and that was the exact moment that I knew I came to the right place.

As an appetizer we decided to get the chips and queso and studied over the menu some more.

The menu boasted plenty of original items and titles. I of course was there for one thing and one thing only.

I went BYOB on this one and built my own burger. I got it exactly how I usually do and Angel went with a lettuce/chicken wrap. The chips came out pretty quick.

In theory they had the right idea but the chips were quite stale/chewy/not so delicious. Regardless, they were eaten and "enjoyed". ALAS, my burger arrived...

IT WAS DELICIOUS. The burger itself had it's own freshness and uniqueness to it that I really enjoyed. It was great. The bun was pretty amazing as well. It was toasted just right with the perfect amount of bread and the fries, oh the french fries - they were mouth watering. The texture and proportion on this burger was the best part. The Brewmasters' burger was a definite win. It had the perfect amount of flavor and still kept it's integrity as one of the best burger's I've eaten should.
Furthermore, Brewmasters was a total success - all the way around. The service and hospitality of the people working there was completely on par. Between the atmosphere and the burger - Brewmasters will be seeing this girl again. Yes, indeed.

Street Meat is Pretty Sweet.

2012-03-15T14:46:00.001-07:00

Background Info.

When I told my mom, who grew up predominately in the Northeast and is no stranger to street food that I was going to blog about a burger off of a food truck - she was a little skeptical.

OnlyBurger food truck is located at the heart of North Carolina State's Centennial Campus on [most if not every] Wednesday between the hours of 11a.m. and 2p.m.

Nicole and I got to the food truck around 11:30 and the line wasn't too bad.

Most people seemed like professionals when it came to ordering/knowing what they wanted. The food truck seemed like a weekly ritual.

WARNING: PEOPLE WILL CUT YOU IN LINE.

So be aggressive.

I got the usual. (: Single Combo - ketchup/mayo/cheddar and an ice cold Coca-Cola. After about 5-10 minutes the nice gentleman who was one out of the three men on the truck, screamed out "BRIT" and my [only]burger was in hand!

For visual aid purposes.

We found a quiet place to sit and the chowing down followed.

For most people - this burger wouldn't look very appetizing. For Nicole and I - this burger was the bee's knees. Squished and all, this burger hit the spot. Nicole said "this is the best burger I've ever had."

For "street meat" this burger was above par and a total surprise - It was downright delicious. It had the best consistency of cooked all the way and juicy. I can totally understand why people wait in line for an OnlyBurger. The french fries were "fresh cut Idaho potatoes" with a seriously insane amount of cracked pepper [yuck]. Overall - I'm a fan. Next time I'm going to get a handful of burgers and no fries (and a coke!!).

The Village Grill - not a huge thrill.

2012-02-28T19:00:00.001-08:00

The Village Grill located at 8470 Honeycutt Road in Raleigh is tucked away in a shopping center that could seriously be mistaken for "Busch Gardens". We were so hungry and could NOT wait to get there! So with our $25 gift card in hand Maddie and I headed out to North Raleigh to give this place a try.

On a rainy Monday afternoon the place was relatively dead. We were seated right away and gazed down at the one page front and back menu.

We ordered waters and decided to get a starter and agreed on:

Menu.

Those came out amazing and we, for lack of a better word, demolished them.

We put our orders in and Maddie ordered some insanely popular London Broil sandwich and I went with the $10 "Village Grill Burger" and ordered it well done with cheddar/ketchup/mayo. After waiting a seemingly long time for our meals - they finally arrived.

My burger was cooked the way I wanted it and pretty good. It was not the best burger I've ever had but I would give it a solid B[or B- for good measure]. Maddie said "I love when fries are super crispy" and these fries were definitely that. The bun was probably the best part of this burger. It was fluffy and perfect. In the places defense - the food portions were legitimate and they were seriously huge. In hindsight the appetizer might have been a bad idea.
Although the place was relatively empty, the service seemed sub-par. On more than one occasion we had to look around to see where our server was because our glasses were empty. All in all I have had worse burgers and even worse service so The Village Grill was a pretty okay place to go and eat. The prices were a little steep and we were far too generous with our tip, but we left happy. (:

Tyler's for beer, not for burgers.

2012-02-21T15:02:00.000-08:00

After more than a few recommendations, I had to give Tyler's Restaurant & Taproom's burger a try. I had some family in town from New Jersey and decided to bring them along!

Tyler's Restaurant & Taproom, located at 18 Seaboard Avenue Suite 150 in Raleigh is the newest location in the Tyler's Restaurant & Taproom gang. Other locations are Carrboro, Apex and Durham. Tyler's is known for it intense amount of beers on tap. Jeremy Blankenship, the chef at Tyler's said "we have 80 beers on tap, and around another 60 in bottles and cans" and that "we will be adding more taps when we open our outdoor patio this spring."

I ordered the "Taproom Burger" - mayo and ketchup only [of course] with a side of garlic fries.

The burger came out just as I ordered it but it lacked something. There was nothing special about this burger. It lacked flavor and a "wow" factor. There was nothing about this burger that would stop me from going to any other burger place when a craving hit. The patty itself was just lacking - in every department. This burger is not the kind of burger that you'd "remember" after leaving the place. The rest of my family got other dishes like the BBQ pulled pork sandwich and said that their dish was delicious!

Pros: FRIED MAC AND CHEESE. [OH YES. GET THEM. THEY'RE TO DIE FOR.] The atmosphere was amazing. Everywhere you looked, the place was full of fun and different beer logos and brands on the wall.

Cons: Besides the obvious, the service was not so great. Our waiter had absolutely no tables and my glass along with my mom and aunt's drinks were not refilled often at all.

My Recommendation - go for the beer, not the burger. Also, go at night - when the place is alive and in it's prime.

Mojoe's is a go-go.

2012-02-13T13:25:00.000-08:00

On the windiest Sunday in February, Maddie and I decided we would go to Mojoe's Burger Joint, located at 620 Glenwood Ave. at the Peace St. intersection. Mojoe's is probably the most unassuming, unpretentious burger place in all of Raleigh.

When we got there we walked through the side/front door and sat ourselves. While the environment was super laid back - we were spoken to immediately and asked what we'd like to drink. We ordered our drinks and began to stare down at the one page, front and back, super detailed menu.

They had all kinds of different toppings and sides that you could add onto your burger to make it absolute heaven on a bun.

Even though the fried egg was TOTALLY tempting, true to form I stuck with the, from what I am hearing, not so crowd pleaser of mayo/ketchup/cheddar cheese ensemble. I built my own single burger and with that our burger and fries order was in!

Not so long after, the burger arrived - in all of it's glory.

Yeah, I know.

This burger was straight from the gods. This "single" burger consisted of 1/3 lb. of beef. The burger as a whole was quite big, if Maddie would not have been there, I would not have cut it in half. This burger was seriously delicious. It was the perfect amount of taste and texture and cooked to honest to goodness perfection. I'm not the kind of girl that likes my burgers still mooing and this burger was definitely cooked all the way. It was the perfect burger, especially for the money. All in all it was around $8.00 with a tip. The staff was super friendly and refills galore! [Ya'll know I like when the staff is friendly.] To top it all of, the french fries were to die for.

For emphasis.

By the end of the meal we were so full we didn't know what to do with ourselves. I asked Maddie what she thought and she said "I really liked the laid back atmosphere here and how helpful the waiters were." All in all Mojoe's was great. The food was good, the staff was friendly and the company was even better.

Raleigh Times Bar - no thanks.

2012-02-06T14:56:00.000-08:00

UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE!

2/09/12 - Arno Halna, Manager at Raleigh Times Bar is absolutely amazing. He has completely made sure that I am satisfied. Blog or not, his dedication to making customer service his priority could lead to a part two. I plan to give it another try soon... Stay tuned.

2/05/12 - Friday night Nicole and I went to Raleigh Times Bar located at 14 E. Hargett St. I was really excited about going to the Times since I hadn't been there in about a year. My first experience was one for the books, little did I know - the atmosphere had changed drastically.

There was absolutely no hostess to sit you - it's a seat yourself kind of place and don't expect the waitresses to stop and come to your rescue if you look completely lost. I forgot that if you don't show up really early, you will not be sitting inside. Lastly and most importantly, I forgot that if you don't sit at the bar, you weren't going to get anything that resembles decent service - I remembered this way too late.

At 7:30 on a Friday night there is absolutely no place to sit - especially at the bar. Nicole and I decided we'd sit outside. After about 15 minutes of sitting outside (in the cold) a waitress finally showed up to give us our menus. Before we could even mumble a word she was already walking away.

Another 15 minutes or so later another server came around and asked us if the other server had gotten us drinks. We replied with a polite "no" and she brought us two waters about 10 minutes later. She asked us what we'd like to eat and without writing it down she used her apparent amazing memory skills and nodding ability to let us know that she got our order down exactly as we were saying it.

We proceeded to tell her that we wanted the nachos with absolutely no jalapenos for an appetizer along with loaded fries and a burger with ONLY mayo, ketchup and cheddar cheese. She nodded and left us with the confidence that she was good at her job.

We got our nachos in a semi-timely manner but they came out all wrong.

Jalapenos are NOT fun.

After a while our burger and fries came out and they were absolutely not the way we ordered it - go figure.

That is not mayo/ketchup only.

I thought it looked delicious, too.

The burger patty itself was okay and the bun seemed a little stale. The burger overall was plain and I'm not talking about just the condiments. There was nothing special and WOW about this burger. I've had better burger and fry combinations at fast-food restaurants and in the same breath, I have paid a lot less.
After we got our food, there was no sign of our waitress. Especially one that was asking if we needed any refills on our drinks or how our food was. She finally showed up when it came time to put the bill down on our table.

On the receipt our server's name was listed as "I'll never tell!!!!" and towards the bottom there seemed to be a separate tagline or description of the bar in which they seemed particularly proud of - it read:

"The Most Arrogant Bar in America"

Around $25.00 later with tip included - they certainly lived up to that title!

Arrogance, for me is certainly not palatable.

2/06/12 - UPDATE: I gave feedback on the Raleigh Times Website and a manager, Arno Halna, got back to me that same afternoon. He apologized for everything. He was very friendly, receptive and wanted to know exactly what happened and how he could help. He wanted to make it up to me and let me know that a gift card was on it's way to my house.

Tir Na Nog - Cheers!

2012-01-31T16:15:00.000-08:00

After a long week of studying, working and everything else, my best friend, Angel and I decided to venture downtown Friday night. In search of an amazing burger, we ended up at Tir Na Nog where her brother just so happened to be playing with his band, Wake and District Pipes and Drums.
We got there at 7 p.m. and the place was packed! Tir Na Nog has become famously known for hosting live local music. We put our names on the list and headed to the bar.

Blue Moon.

The atmosphere was perfect! There were tons of pub regulars in the crowd and that made us feel totally at home.

Wake and District Pipes and Drums.

A few hours later, after begging the hostess to let us sit in the reserved section, she finally caved. Once we sat down, right in front of the stage, we ordered our burger.

Photo Credit: Tir Na Nog

Angel and I picked the 1/2 pound burger with ketchup and mayo only (of course) with an extra side of fries. Contrary to popular belief that the Irish aren't known for their food, this Irish pub delivered.

Need I say more?

Ah, where to start - this burger was absolutely euphoric. It was hand-packed and grilled to perfection. The bun was slightly toasted and seriously proportioned to the 1/2 pound of beef patties that we put inside. The surprisingly juicy and delectable burger, without the fear of sounding too cliche, honestly melts in your mouth. I'm a serious french fry kind of girl and these french fries hit the spot.

As the last band sets up and we finish our food, completely satisfied with ourselves, the experience and the night as a whole, one of the band members raises his glass. He asks us all to do the same as he very appropriately sums up the whole evening in just a few words:

"To the friends that know ya and like you anyway."

Cheers.

Fat Daddy's Market and Grill - not so much.

2012-01-23T12:56:00.000-08:00

On the coldest and dreariest of all Monday afternoons Nicole and I decided to go to Fat Daddy's Market and Grill located at 6201 Glenwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27612 for a burger pick-me-up! Upon arriving to what seemed like a legit sit-down restaurant, we were happily surprised when we were greeted by a much more casual atmosphere.

Cafeteria Style.

The Bakery.

Been around since 1985, this isn't your typical burger joint. They serve beer all day long and their downstairs is outfitted with darts, a bar, pool table, foosball and more. Off to the side, before you got to the counter to order, was a small bakery. The bakery included cookies, brownies, scoops of ice cream and milkshakes.

The Menu.

Nicole and I both decided to order the 1/3 lb. Hamburger with cheese, we were told that the toppings were self serve and thought that was a definite plus! They told us to take a seat and they would call our names when our food was ready.

Beer.

Once we sat down, we noticed we were surrounded by all different types of beer/wine assortments. "More than 100" to be exact.

Boxes of Beer.

After about 5 minutes our names were called and we made our way from the counter to the toppings bar. It was definitely an experience - Nicole was a little timid. "I'm not sure which condiment is which," she said. If you don't have really high standards in regards to sanitation - the bar was a HIT! I am by far the most boring burger topping person on this planet and just stick to the usual ketchup/mayo combination.

Then, the moment of truth - the burger.

All in all, it was kind of a let down. The "kaiser-esque" bun was sub par. The patty itself was okay, nothing really to write home about. Nicole made sure to get a few slices of bacon on her burger for an added cost. I personally have had better, more flavorful burgers at any backyard get together. When I asked my mom's opinion on what a perfect burger should be she said a "50-50 burger to bun ratio" and I couldn't agree more. This burger was more like a 30-70 ratio. The quality of the overall burger was decent. I wouldn't say that all together the burger & (miniature boat of) fries with a (very small excuse for a decent size) drink combo was worth $10. The overall atmosphere was decent and boasted a good amount of seating for its guests. After your meal was done, you left your empty plate/tray ensemble on the table and someone from the staff would make sure it was picked up.

Alas the date was salvaged ...

$.50 Chocolate Chip Cookies.

The search for the perfect burger continues... Until next time.