After a blustery February and March which saw several inches/feet of snow, our latest Foodie adventure brought us to an interesting location on Pearl Street in Worcester. Bull Mansion is tucked away on a side street in downtown Worcester in a renovated Victorian house. After finding parking and following the signs to what seemed to be the basement or the first level of the restaurant, we were greeted with a rustic atmosphere, that combined modern touches like a white subway tile wall being used to advertise upcoming events with a Victorian house feel, complete with a large fireplace, columns and worn wood floors.
Having peeked at the menu beforehand, I knew that Bull Mansion offered two burgers on their current menu, one being the Mansion Burger and the other being their take on a vegetable burger. While I know that the time must come to sample a delicious veggie burger at one of the fine establishments Worcester and the surrounding areas have to offer, today was not that day. The Mansion Burger ($16) featured a local grass fed beef patty, braised heritage pork, Grafton 1 year cheddar, creamy slaw, pancetta bacon, all served on a brioche bun and house cut French fries.
The first thing that kind of caught me by surprise was the price. I thought to myself that $16 for a burger is kind of pushing it. I’ve been to The Fix recently and most of their hand-crafted burgers are right around or less expensive than this burger, and you know you’re going to get a “Phenomenal” burger. So when the burger came out, I was shocked to see that this burger was massive. The plate was adorned with copious amounts of thinly cut, house made fries cooked to a beautiful golden brown. The burger was displayed in halves, with the bottom of the burger bun, the burger patty, the aged cheddar, topped with a generous portion of pulled pork, nestled with a big cut of pancetta bacon. The other half was the top of the bun, with lettuce, tomato (which I promptly discarded) and the creamy slaw.
If anyone has read my burger column for any amount of time, they would know that I am not a cole slaw fan. I usually will give it a try, but I usually end up taking it off due to its unpleasant taste. So I put these behemoth halves together and took a bite. Inside, I found a burger patty that was cooked to a fabulous medium-rare consistency, which you almost never find at a restaurant. The bacon and pork was rich and brought out the best elements in their flavor. They were both substantial enough to hold up on their own against the burger patty. The cole slaw was actually the most surprising element. Not only was it not unpleasant, but it was delicious! It was not bitter at all, and added a nice creamy and crunchy texture that was desperately needed in this dish.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised with my first visit to Bull Mansion. The location and building that houses the restaurant are quintessential Worcester; slightly quirky, cloaked in rich history and splashed with some ‘Gansett beer. The burger ended up being one of the best burgers I have had on my burger quest and is a tribute to the time spent procuring the ingredients and putting the culinary abilities to the test of some of the best local chefs. As we continue to look for places that raise the bar in the burger game, we wouldn’t be anywhere without word of mouth suggestions that we get from our readers. So if you have a favorite burger joint that you think we have to visit, tweet me @EDioufUC5 and you might see your suggestion next month.
Stay hungry my friends. Until next time…