As the name implies, this place is all about the burgers. Yeah, there are several other options on the menu. Salads, different kind of sandwiches of the non-beef variety. But really, why would you go to a "Burger Bar" unless you plan on getting a burger?
I opted for the chef's special which was offered as a lunch special. The 6 oz burger appeared to be handmade. I had it cooked medium-well and it was done just like I like it. Barely any pink but still juicy and seasoned very well. The burger was topped with sautéed mushrooms, monterey jack cheese, beer-battered onion rings, sweet BBQ sauce and red pepper hummus. I know, the hummus sounds weird huh? Kinda why I wanted to try it.
The burger itself was great. Not over seasoned, not under seasoned. If it had anything besides salt and pepper, there may have been a touch of garlic in it but that was probably from the mushrooms. Speaking of the mushrooms, these were as good as I have ever had. It is REALLY easy to overwhelm the flavor of a mushroom when you saute them in butter and garlic, I do it all the time. These however, were just great. The thick onion rings were crispy outside and tender inside. Just the way they should be. I only have one gripe with this burger, the BBQ sauce was cold and just didn't work for me. The flavor was fine, but it "felt" like it was just poured on out of a bottle. The hummus that I was so curious about.... never tasted it. Not sure if they left it off or it was blended in the beef or what, but it did not jump out. On a final burger note, I had to go wash up after a I ate this one. I am always for a burger that you really have to work at to keep it from running down your arm.
The side I chose was sweet potato fries served with a orange-honey mustard dipping sauce. The fries were good and seasoned lightly with salt. The dipping sauce was not great. The flavor was fine, but when I dip a fry in a sauce, I want the sauce to stick to it. Just like french fries and ketchup. That was not the case here. It was very thin and did not hold up well to the fries. It would be great on a salad when you wanted a really light dressing, but I stopped using it after just a couple of tries.
The atmosphere in here was kinda weird. They put up the tough guy image. But really, it is pretty much a Yuppie bar that caters to the 30/40 somethings that want to have lunch at a "tough guy" place. An entire wall was covered with Beatles memorabilia...good music...but not that tough.
Overall, when I am in Charlotte and want a good burger again, I am there. When I want to feel like a tough guy, however, .......never mind.....I don't ever remember wanting to feel like a tough guy. There was once on a bridge in Destin, Fl, but that is WHOLE other story.
Big Daddy's Burger Bar gets a 8 for food and a 6 for wanna be atmosphere. Solid 7 in my book.
Bill
http://www.bigdaddysburgerbar.com
Those onion rings look wonderful! How did the red pepper hummus work on the burger?
ReplyDeleteKellie,
ReplyDeleteI just realized that I left that off, which I think the guys at the burger bar did as well. If it was on the burger, it did not jump off and make a statement like I would have thought.
Bill