Bareburger: Review

Bareburger, Multiple Locations, http://www.bareburger.com/

With an interior reminiscent of the Splash Mountain ride at DisneyLand and amusement park prices I was a bit skeptical when I first visited Bareburger. Several of my colleagues had recommended it, but they were the types who wore flashy wristwatches and go to driving ranges and own recreational vehicles--affluent adults. Our buxom host greeted us with an accent (serbian) and in classic eastern european style corralled us into one of their booths without ever betraying her desire to be somewhere else. The heavy lacquered mid-section of a tree in front of us matched the paper mache busts of bears and was dressed with condiments befitting a boutique hamburger shop.

The menu has ample selections in all the diner categories: burgers, sandwiches, side dishes, milkshakes, etc. But what sets this place apart is their attention to quality ingredients. All their hamburger beef comes from grass-fed cows, along with their milk and cheeses. Their lamb, bison, elk and wild boar are pasture raised. The chicken, turkey and ostrich are free range. Vegetables are entirely organic. And they offer a gluten free bun option! They care about food and the planet, and it shows.

The first time I went I was steered towards getting the California Burger a clean and hearty sandwich of cheddar, avocado, lettuce, tomato, onion and your choice of meat--my server suggested ostrich. The 6oz patties makes for a manageable sandwich that fills you up without giving you the meat sweats. The burger arrived shortly, cooked rare and stacked high with the bright colors of a California summer bursting from beneath the top bun. It was juicy and fresh tasting, maybe too fresh, I felt robbed a little of the dark savory flavors I associate with a "dirtier" burger. On my next visit I felt similarly about the Canadian Burger with swiss, fried onions, bourbon sauteed mushrooms and two kinds of bacon on an Elk patty. You would think the sandwich would have exploded with the salty smokiness of bacon on the cracklingly sweet onions, with a quick stab of sharpness from the swiss and a lingering muskiness from the bourbon. They were all there, but... underwhelming. I wanted more flavor from the meat, a more careless salting hand perhaps, or a more seasoned grill, but the depth in the meat was lacking. The burger was not bad, but didn't seem worth the $15 price tag. I did better with a lamb patty in the Mediterranean burger, essentially a Bareburger take on a gyro. And the Maui Wowie, a decadent stack of pineapple, bacon, fried onions and smoked mozarella atop a wild boar patty that looked and tasted more like a greasy breakfast sausage was so delicious it made me feel guilty despite being free-range and organic. The Jalepeno Express delivers a welcome punch of spice in a glove of colby jack gooiness. And the Big Blue Bacon is big and stuffed with melting blue cheese and thick cut blackened bacon.

Where their burgers aren't all created equal, their fries are uniformly perfect. Deep fried in peanut oil the fries taste like... "potatoes," remarked a dining companion. Their served with a curried ketchup, chipotle mayo and Bareburger's signature "special sauce." The impressive basket slowly disappearing as I tried and tried again to determine my favorite of the three sauces. In the end i couldn't decide, and to make matters worse ordered a few additional flavors--pesto mayo and chipotle ketchup. I tried a salad once, and it was fine, but I make better salads at home, and besides only a fool would substitute those fries for a salad. One of these days I'll have to try the onion rings as well which are nearly the size of donuts and look individually browned to perfection.

Their milkshakes may be what they do best. I had the pistachio and now I can never have another flavor.

In short, when I saw a Groupon advertised for Bareburger I quickly bought the 3 coupon limit knowing that at 50% off I'm getting at the very least a solid hamburger with delicious sides and drinks made from quality ingredients. At the best, I'm enjoying one of the more unique, balanced and ultimately satisfying versions of this American classic offered anywhere.

$16-25

Dailies:

10:57 -> 104 Took 2 Prandin with cereal 110c. Half hour later had an apple 20c. Half hour later had a tangelo 20c. At 2:00 had toast with peanut butter 14c and 1/2 cup coffee 4c.
4:55 -> 79 Took 1 Prandin with Dinner: Bareburger 35c fries 105c = 140c. Shouldn't have eaten so many fries but they were so dang good!
7:57 -> 250 Well, it's another high pre-show number. I hoped that the fat from the fries would help slow down the sugar rise and keep it in tandem with my insulin production. At least I'm about to do Joey which should help it back down a little.
12:26 -> 56 Wow, so the Prandin must still have been working even so many hours later. Had an apple 20c. Then at 12:45 I had a Prandin with Supper: Salad 25c, broccoli and cauliflower 20c, beans 40c = 105c
3:26 -> 143 A safe number to go to bed.

Day 60