Tag: hamburger

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Best Burger? We Ate The Phat Albert At Evo

Evo's Phat Albert Burger

So it’s a dreary, fall day and my week of rest and relaxation is over. Still feeling gorged from the Thanksgiving festivities, but yet hungry (like the fat kid at heart that I am), I decided that I needed to treat myself to another burger. My travels bring me to Evo, nestled on the corner of Park Ave and Chandler Street. I’ve come for the infamous Phat Albert burger. This burger was recommended by an avid reader of my blog (shoutout to you, whoever you are!) and I can honestly say ‘thank you’ from the bottom of my red meat loving heart.

As I settle into my bar seat with a delicious Goose Neck Winter Lager in hand, I scanned over the menu, pretending that it was the first time I had seen their menu and acted like I didn’t know what I was getting before I stepped foot in the door. After seeing the various other hand-crafted dishes that the open kitchen had to offer, I placed my order with excitement and anticipation.

From what I have read about this burger, it sounds like Worcester’s and Evo’s take on a Juicy Lucy. For those of you out there who may not know what a Juicy Lucy is, or is not a binge watcher of Man vs. Food, Triple D, or Bizarre Foods, it is two burger patties that have cheese stuffed between each patty. This allows the cheese to melt and become a ball of molten, cheesy goodness when cut into. While the origins of the Juicy Lucy has been pegged in Minneapolis, Minnesota, it is still unsure of the specific bar/restaurant that created this culinary miracle, with two places still battling it out for Juicy Lucy bragging rights at Matt’s Bar and the 5-8 Club in South Minneapolis. Now you’ve learned something new! You’re welcome!

Anyways, back to my personal burger bliss. I decided to order my Phat Albert – Texas style ($12), which is a 1/2 pound all natural ground beef burger stuffed with cheddar and American cheese, topped with BBQ sauce, bacon, ale battered onion rings, served on a buttered brioche bun with a side of sweet potato fries. When the bartender brought my meal out, I was shocked at the sheer height of the burger. The bun looked like it was toasted to a nice golden brown, with a blanket of cheese enveloping a baseball sized burger, sitting on crunchy onion rings. I decided that I needed to cut the burger in half just to make it manageable. Cutting the burger exposed the deliciously pink ground beef and the perfectly melted cheese mixture on the interior.

My only negative with the burger, if I had one at all, was due to the size of the burger, it was slightly under cooked, even to my medium-rare standards. A little longer on the grille or in the oven would help cook the burger a little more evenly on the interior.  The bacon added a delicious smokiness to the burger and in addition to the BBQ sauce, I could picture myself sitting fireside, with horse nearby enjoying this burger in the plains of Texas. The bacon was actually more chewy than super crunchy, which is how I prefer it. I don’t want to bite into a piece of bacon and have it shatter like a delicate stained glass window. The cheesy interior melted and added a creamy factor to each bite, to break the beef and BBQ sauce tang. The buttery brioche bun was a great choice of bun, as it held up to the sturdy ingredients that were stuffed inside its confines. However, the size of the bun seemed to overwhelm the size of the burger patty itself. The sweet potato fries were seasoned with large, flaky sea salt right out the fryer and that salt helped cut some of the richness of the burger and bun.

As I finished up my beer and thoroughly enjoyed watching OSU lay waste to another overrated Jim Harbaugh coached football team, I contemplated where I should enjoy my next burger. Should I stay in the confines of Worcester proper or venture out of Central Mass? Should I go with a veggie burger or stay traditional? Where will my burger quest take me? I guess you will have to wait to find out. Until next time…

Have suggestions for burgers? Tweet me at @edioufuc5 and your suggestion could be my next spot!

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BBQ Bacon Burger from The Fix

BBQ Bacon Burger from The Fix on Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, MA

With the summer season upon us, nothing screams more “Americana” to me than a big, juicy hamburger. However, we have all fallen victim to the bland standard of hamburger that we have become accustomed to at family cookouts…small, overcooked, flavorless hockey pucks wedged between two buns. However, when you do find a place where you can get a good burger (and I mean GOOD burger), you want to eat there all the time. That was how I felt after my trip to The Fix. Before I go off on a tangent about my main course, first things first. The Fix is located on Shrewsbury Street and takes the place of the old Mezcal, which used to occupy the same real estate. Unlike Mezcal, where it used to feel crowded and cramped, The Fix gives off a much more relaxed and open vibe, even with similar floor plans.

As we first began our culinary roller coaster, we obviously needed to order drinks. My drink of choice was called Shake It Up. This drink was a delightful concoction of rum with muddled raspberries, basil and rhubarb bitters. Being a large fan of rum, this drink was a perfect example of how simple, fresh ingredients combined the proper way can let all the ingredients shine in their own right with the natural sweetness and aromatics of the raspberries and basil, with the tanginess of the bitters taking a bit of the edge off of the rum.

I digress though (again)…as we perused the menu, I had predetermined that I was going to order a burger. The first one that caught my eye was the BBQ Bacon Burger. How could you go wrong with bacon??? To start my meal, I had to order the Bleu Cheese Polenta tater tots. These delicious little taters came out fried to a crispy, golden brown, but the interior was velvety and rich. The polenta blended well with the bleu cheese to take some of it’s notorious ‘funk’ out of the dish. The Sriracha aioli and ranch dipping sauces were also a great addition to cut the richness of the tot.

When my burger arrived at our table, the first thing that struck me was the sheer size of it! It was massive! The plate was crowded with handcut fries that were salty and crunchy. The burger was cooked medium (which is also a rarity, even at a decent burger joint). Nestled on it were 4 large strips of bacon, caressed by BBQ baked beans. The onion and lettuce gave the burger a nice texture and crunch to the dish. The smoked gouda cheese brought everything together on a dish that reminded you more of quality BBQ than a traditional burger. With everything that was consumed at The Fix, I left full and happy. For anyone who has a large appetite and a craving for a perfectly cooked burger, head on down to Shrewsbury Street and get your fix on!