Burger Wars, Week 2: Elevation Burger & BLT Burger

BLT Burger, NYC, Jenn:
Since my NYU friends had found out about my burger wars, I decided to enlist them to help me find the city's best burger. With high hopes after reading about Spotted Pig's burger with blue cheese, we headed out to meet up for a post-work burgerfest.

Sad to say, the wait of approximately 3 hrs was more than our hungry stomachs could handle so Steve saved the day by recommending BLT Burger, calling ahead while we walked to place our names on the list. Known for their "gourmet" yet casual burgers, BLT Burger would hopefully not disappoint.

We arrived to the crowded restaurant and our party of 6 had to wait by the doorway, crammed between the hostess stand and the bar. Despite Steve calling ahead and our 15 min walk to the restaurant we still waited about 30 min for a table on a Thursday night. Needless to say, by the time we were seated, having stared at the menu for the past 30 mins, I was starving!

I ordered the place's namesake, the BLT Burger, which is a 7oz certified angus beef (CAB) burger with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and BLT Burger sauce, medium rare, with blue cheese ($11 + $1 for cheese). Other BLT Burgers were ordered, as well as the Tex-Mex Burger, Salmon Burger, and Veggie Burger. We added some sides of skinny fries, waffle fries, and onion rings.

While listening to a soothing mix of oldies and 90s hits, we all enjoyed the atmosphere - a mirrored wall with the menu hand-written, today's specials on a board along the side, cozy booths and tables (well for some of my dining companions the set-up was a little overly crowded) and the sophisticated yet kitschy touches of decor like a steer's head and other western items on the walls.

Our burgers arrived quickly and we all immediately noted the small portion of bacon on the signature BLT Burgers - two sad little pieces rather than slices. Despite this, the burgers from a taste perspective were solid - juicy, the tomato and lettuce fresh, and for me the blue cheese added a nice bite to my patty. Also, BLT cooked mine to a light pink color, a little more cooked than I like my burgers but not bad considering there were six of us and each ordered different items and degree of rareness.

Darren, who ate the salmon burger, was happy although perhaps it didn't justify its $11 price tag. Pit enjoyed his veggie burger due to its falafel-patty, instead of a typical bean or soy based patty and its onion roll ($7). Travis' Tex-Mex burger was more flavorful than the BLT Burger, although the heat from the jalapenos and jack cheese was not very prominent due to the slathering of avocado, mild salsa, and sour cream.

The onion rings were disappointing - mostly batter and on the sweeter side, though probably due to the combination of a sweet batter and the vidalia onions used ($5). The skinny fries, thinly cut french fries, were crunchy and salty, and the waffle fries, while a bit soggy and greasy, were very satisfying with their overall flavor (both fries, $4).

Post burgers I was tempted enough to order one of BLT's milkshakes - the Mocha Mudslide ($7), made of coffee ice cream, crushed and whole oreo cookies with a whipped cream top. Delicious. Easily my favorite part of the meal - it was thick, the cookies were nicely blended into the ice cream, and the combination of the bitter coffee with the sweet cookies and whipped cream made for a perfect balance of sweetness. The cookies also lent a bit of texture in the back end of every sip. I would warrant even better than Shake Shack's custard shakes (blasphemy I know!)

Overall, BLT is a solid burger joint if you're ok with spending about $25 with tip and tax and you're looking for a standard burger, fries, and an outstanding milkshake. Best burger in the city? No, but the atmosphere and menu options make it a little more appealing - the idea of a kobe burger and another Mocha Mudslide might just bring me back a second time around.

Elevation Burger, NoVa, Ariel & Malia's parents:

On Friday night, Dave and I checked out Elevation Burger in Falls Church. Ariel and Malia had asked us to assist them in reviewing places that serve hamburgers. We arrived to the restaurant around 7:00 p.m. to find the place fairly packed, mostly with families who seemed to be enjoying themselves. We decided to try an assortment of dishes: a cheeseburger, an Elevation burger, a side of fries, three small cookies, a chocolate shake, a side salad, and a bottle of water. The tab came to $24 for everything, which is pretty pricey for a hamburger dinner. After paying for our food, we found ourselves a table near the front of the restaurant.

Shortly after we sat down, one of the employees called out “Dave” and presented my husband with his shake, a rather thick concoction served with a large straw and spoon. Dave thought the shake was very tasty.

A few minutes later, Dave’s name was called once more and he was presented with a large rectangular baking dish filled with our hamburgers and the fries. We didn’t realize that the salads were in the self-serve refrigerator with the bottled water and other beverages, so Dave had to go back and pick up the side salad, a minor inconvenience.

Alright, now for our evaluation of Elevation burgers: the burgers were juicy even though they were cooked well-done and the cheese, real cheddar, was better than what is served at a fast food restaurant. My cheeseburger consisted of one patty topped with cheese, while Dave’s Elevation burger was made up of two patties topped with cheese. I dressed my cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, raw sweet onions, and hot pepper relish. Dave topped his Elevation cheeseburger with lettuce, tomato, pickles, caramelized onions and ketchup. The toppings are similar to what you can select at Five Guys, except at Five Guys you can request raw jalapeno peppers, my favorite. Dave felt that the burgers were superior to those served at Five Guys, as they were juicy. Our one criticism of the hamburgers is the insubstantial buns on which they are served. Mine sort of disintegrated while I was trying to eat my burger. The buns aren’t hardy enough to contain the burgers and assorted toppings.

Frankly, the hamburgers were filling enough for me, but we wanted to try out some of the other food that we ordered. The fries were great, not too greasy and had a very authentic potato taste. My one criticism of them was that they weren’t super crispy. Dave definitely liked the fries better than those served at Five Guys because they weren’t greasy. At Five Guys, the potatoes are prepared in peanut oil; while at Elevation Burger, they are prepared in olive oil. The side salad came in a small plastic container and consisted of chopped Romaine lettuce and a tomato wedge. The lettuce was very green and crisp and the tomato wedge was fresh. I tried the roasted balsamic dressing which was quite good. The small chocolate chip cookies were a disappointment. Dave thought they had a decent flavor, but a grainy consistency. I was not a fan.

Elevation Burger is a convenient place to stop for an above-average hamburger. The burgers are made with 100% organic free range beef, so that might explain the steeper cost of the meal. Elevation Burger also serves vegetable burgers as an option for vegetarians. If they served raw jalapenos as a topping, I might be tempted to go there more often. But right now, I am thinking of the teriyaki hamburgers my mother used to make and thinking that one of those topped with some raw jalapeno slices and some chopped pineapple would really be worth the cardiovascular risk that such a meal would entail.

Not Your Ordinary Baked Beans!

This meal was made with things I already had in my house! I pat myself on the back for using what I have and saving those precious dollars. This dish was inspired by the Chipotle White Beans recipe from the blog "101 Cookbooks". In her version she makes her own beans and adds a spicy chipotle tomato sauce and fresh kale. I substituted canned pinto beans because that's what I had on hand. They held up fairly well to the cooking process. Cannelini beans are a little more fragile, so I might steer clear of those. For the kale I used frozen spinach (be sure to squeeze all the moisture out before throwing it in with the beans). The sauce was something I had made the night before. You basically just throw everything together, top with feta cheese and bake it for 25 minutes, so this dish was super simple.

It was also delicious (that's right I said delicious, delicious, delicious)! The beans were warm and hearty, with a nice saltiness provided by the feta. The spinach added great texture and a slight bitterness to contrast the sweetness of the tomatoes. The garlic and red chilli flakes added a nice kick. I also drizzled a cilantro pesto over the top to give it an extra brightness. Another great dish for a cold winter day.

Baked Beans with Spinach in a spicy tomato sauce

Ingredients for sauce:

1 32 oz can crushed tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

1-2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp italian seasoning

1-2 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy)

Ingredients for rest of dish:

1 package frozen spinach

1 15 oz can pinto beans

1 bunch cilantro

1 clove garlic

1/3 c olive oil

Directions:

To make the sauce, pour olive oil into a saucepan and bring heat up to medium. Saute minced garlic cloves for 1-2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for 5 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook spinach according to directions on package. Squeeze off all excess moisture. Then add beans, spinach, and sauce to a 9 in pie plate. Top with crumbled feta cheese. Bake for 25 minutes.

To make pesto, place a couple bunches of cilantro, garlic, and oil in food processor. Drizzle over top of baked beans. Enjoy!

2 out of 3 JAMs

Burger Wars, Week 1: Big Buns & Lucky Strike

Big Buns, NoVa:

As we walked into the restaurant, we were reminded of five guys - but a slightly more upscale version of the similar burger joint. The walls are decorated in bright greens and the wood tables are complimented by casual booths. The menu posted above the counter explains how to order.

Step 1 cautions: "Choose Wisely". Choose wisely indeed. We ordered up the burger and the mahi mahi. You are also given the choice of portabello mushroom or chicken. The surprise of the evening turned out to be the grilled mahi mahi. It was moist and flaky on the inside, and nicely charred on the outside. The burger was cooked all the way through, no pink to be seen, and a tad greasy. It was tasty, but mostly because of the delicious toppings. Not my ideal burger.


Step 2 asks that you choose to have your protein "on a bun or in a bowl" (of romaine that is). We opted to go with the bun, the burger on their brioche roll and the mahi mahi on the wheatie oat. The wheatie oat was a little dry in my opinion. The brioche wins out - it was soft and held up rather well to the grease and condiments. However the mahi mahi or the portabello might do nicely on a bed of lettuce (for those feeling the need for something lighter).

(brioche)

(wheatie)

Step 3 tells you to "top it off". A wide variety of toppings are offered: from caramelized onions, mango salsa, and grilled pineapple to the more traditional tomato and pickles. We topped the burger with cheddar, pickles, tomato, lettuce, and caramelized onions. We loved the sweet caramelized onions, which worked well with the tangy honey mustard. The mahi mahi was topped with sweet pineapple and crunchy bermuda red onions - a refreshing way to eat this fish.

Step 4 they lose a little creativity, simply titling it: "Big Buns special sauces and dressings". I understand it can be hard to be creative! The burger got their signature honey mustard and the mahi mahi got the sweet chilli vinagrette on the side. We were glad we waited to pour that on our fish. This sauce was cloyingly sweet. The fish was sweet on its own, especially with the pineapple. The honey mustard had a lil tang and just the right amount of sweetness. I would definitely go with this again. Our fries came with a side of the chipotle pesto aioli. This sauce is deliciously creamy, with just a slight kick. It went beautifully with our crisp fries, and would compliment any burger nicely.

(sweet potato fries!)

Step 5 "Sides, Drinks, Shakes & Malts" - simple enough right? We were torn between the shake and the fries, but ended up going for the sweet and regular potato fries. We had heard great things about there thin sweet potato fries. These were the winner of the evening. If you love sweet potato fries, these are some of the best I've ever had. They are cooked to perfection, thin and crisp. The regular potato fries were good, cut thicker but nothing to write home about.

Overall, we could tell that this was not going to be the winner of the burger contest. The fish, however, was excellent and not something you would expect from this kind of place. The sweet potato fries were awesome and the service was great. "I like big buns, and I cannot lie..." but there are better burgers in our future.

Lucky Strike, NYC:

My boyfriend's entire office generally orders "amazing" burgers from Lucky Strike during lunches, so I knew I had to make a stop at this French/American casual bistro to check out what all the fuss was about. Popping by for dinner after running errands, we were seated immediately at a cozy table for two in the main dining area. The room was small, with mirrored walls, the menu hand-written on a couple of the walls, lending to the place's charm. After reading through an extensive menu, I found what I was looking for - a cheeseburger deluxe (meaning it came with fries, though honestly there's not just a cheeseburger on the menu). No topping options or alternate flavors here - just a choice of meat patty (beef, turkey, veggie), cheese or no cheese, and bacon or no bacon. Condiments are strictly mustard and ketchup that are sitting at your table - the burger comes undressed aside from standard lettuce, tomato, and red onion.

I ordered a medium rare cheeseburger deluxe, with cheddar cheese. Travis ordered a bacon cheeseburger deluxe, rare. A short while later......


the burgers arrived! To my surprise, they are served on a lightly toasted English muffin, a bun substitute that seemed odd at first but then deliciously different upon eating. The burger patties are huge and the cheese is real cheese. The thick tomato slice almost eliminates the need for ketchup although a few bites in I snuck a dip or two of my fries' ketchup onto my burger.

The burger itself is large - almost difficult to fit your mouth around, again the English muffin assisting as its obviously far less puffy than a normal bun. The meat was extremely flavorful, very juicy, and cooked to a perfect medium rare, nice and pink. Travis' was almost a little too rare as his burger kept falling apart into chunks after every bite. I could actually taste a little sharpness from the cheddar cheese and the English muffin's nooks and crannies soaked up the burger juices without becoming overly soggy (at least until about 3/4 of the way through).

The fries are very crispy and thin, a cross between shoestring and normal fast food fries. I personally had to add a bit of salt (which for me is abnormal as I generally find fries to be salty enough and rarely touch the salt shaker) and lots of ketchup (normal for me), but the crispy texture makes them addictive, sort of like classic potato chips. Nothing amazing, but good.

While there isn't a ton of variety available at Lucky Strike, the taste of the patty itself is worth a trip. If you're looking for an above average, classic burger, Lucky Strike more than hits the spot.

Wouldn't it be good if it was good for you?

Carrot Lemon Curry Soup and Turkey with veggies on multigrain bread.

Parked in the small shopping center off of Broad St in Falls Church, next to ZPizza, is the wholesome Kennedy's Natural Foods. While I wouldn't say I am a health 'freak' (to use the term lovingly), I do love a meal that is healthy, as long as it's tasty. That tasty part of the equation is often the tricky part. Luckily, I have found a place the meets both needs.

Kennedy's Natural Foods provides a variety of supplements, gluten-free products, and healthful snacks. Located in the back of the store is "Kasha's Kitchen" - a deli serving up soups, salads, and sandwiches.

This place serves up some of the best soups I have tasted in the area. They are homemade and always deliver with big flavor. Malia and I headed here for lunch on a recent Saturday and ordered two small carrot lemon curry soups and split a turkey sandwich piled high with fresh veggies and brown mustard on their multigrain bread.

The soup was light yet creamy. The carrot gave it some sweetness, while the curry added spiciness and depth. The lemon added to the bright flavor of this soup. It went rather nicely with our sandwich, loaded with tons of turkey and fresh shredded carrots, cucumber, sprouts, lettuce, tomato, and onion. The vegetables added a nice crunch. The brown mustard packed some serious horseradish that made our eyes water. If you're not into that sensation, you might want to skip the mustard.

We washed them down with some Honest Teas (bottled in neighboring Bethesda, MD). These beverages are all organic and a 16 oz bottle will usually only cost you 100 calories. These drinks have just the right amount of sweetness provided by all natural cane sugar.

This meal left us full, happy, and guilt-free.

Kennedy's Natural Foods

1051 W Broad St

Falls Church, VA

2 out of 3 JAMs

La Rue 123

La Rue 123 is located in the charming historic downtown Fairfax, VA. Located in a former bed and breakfast known as the Balliwick Inn, the interior certainly has the comforting and romantic feel of a historic old home. As Michael, Malia and I entered, the host gave us a warm welcome, took our coats and seated us promptly.

The dim lighting and elegant plating provides the perfect romantic atmosphere.

Most of the tables surrounding us were filled with couples. The ambience is certainly perfect for a romantic outing - with soft french music playing in the background. I was a little unsure at first, as to whether this setting would really be appropriate for an evening out with friends.

La Rue 123 salad (the romantic lighting made it hard to take good pictures!)

We ordered a 2006 Pinot Noir, from Napa to help us settle into our meal. I always feel a little odd when the bottle is brought over for me to inspect - I mean I know you're just supposed to make sure they've brought you the right one, but it always makes me feel like I'm under the spotlight. At least I learned to volatize the esthers (swirl the glass before drinking), so I don't look like a total idiot! The first taste made me forget all my insecurities - it was light bodied with notes of cherry, and a slight spiciness. I could have shared another bottle!

Escargot - butter and garlic make everything taste good!

Our appetizers arrived shortly after the wine. I enjoyed a delightful salad of field greens, avocado, tomato, red onion, and artichoke hearts with a creamy mustard dressing. The dressing was slightly spicy, with a little sweetness to balance out the tanginess. Michael ordered one of his favorites - escargot. As children, Malia and I refused to try these french delicacies, but have since come to enjoy these chewy creatures bathed in butter and garlic. I think the main reason people order these is so that they can sop up the garlic butter sauce with a crusty slice of bread. Malia's beet salad was wonderfully paired with some tangy goat cheese. It's amazing how often beets have turned up on our plates this winter!

Beet and goat cheese salad.

Le Poisson du jour - served with asparagus, carrots, and mashed potatoes.

One of the things I love about dining at a fine french restaurants is the leisurely pace of the meal. The staff is trained to allow the patrons to enjoy conversation without being rushed through dinner. While our conversation may have been a little (or a lot) livelier than that of those around us, our waitress never made us feel like we were out of line.

Our entrees were plated in similar fashion - all came served with sauteed asparagus, carrots, and a puree (of potato or chestnuts). The portions were perfect. While some people rate the quality of a restaurant based on the quantity of food that is served, I prefer to enjoy something smaller that is made with excellent ingredients. I ordered the poisson du jour - the salmon with a dijon sauce. It melted in my mouth. The sauce was not too rich, with a slightly sweet slightly tangy flavor that paired well with the mellow buttery salmon.

Scallops provencale.

Malia ordered the scallops provencale - pan seared and served with tomatoes, garlic, in a white wine sauce. They were sweet, and flavorful, but we all agreed we have had more tender scallops elsewhere.

Rack of venison.

Michael chose the rack of venison. I was eager to taste venison, as it had been quite some time since I had eaten venison my uncle had umm...procured... The venison was actually quite tender, not gamey like I was expecting. It was served with a brandy cherry sauce, that was more earthy in flavor than sweet. We were left wondering what puree was served with the meat. It was sweet, and slightly spicy reminding us of sweet potatoes, but not quite. Our waitress informed us it was a chestnut puree - a first for all of us!

Grand Marnier souffle.

While we began on our entrees, we were advised that if we wished to order a souffle for dessert it would take 25 minutes for the chef to prepare, and that we should give ample notice. While I had not thought much about dessert in advance, I knew a souffle had to be ordered. We decided to split the two souffles offered - the grand marnier and the chocolate. Michael ordered a coffee as well.

Pinot Noir, chocolate souffle.

The souffles are served with a little pot of sweet cream. We pierced our souffles and poured some of the cream on top. A single souffle could easily feed two people. Both were light, slightly eggy, with a lovely sweet crust on top. The chocolate souffle was lacking somewhat in the flavor department. The chocolate flavors were very muted. The grand marnier gave the other souffle a wonderfuly sweet, yet subtle orange flavor. This was the clear winner! The creme provided a rich silky foil to the airy dessert. Michael's coffee failed to arrive until we were almost done. Our waitress apologized and told us it was "on the house".

Our check arrived with another nice surprise, a gift card for $20. This technique encourages patrons to visit again. While I wished we could have used the card that evening after seeing the bill, it was certainly a memorable dinner. While very pricey, I could only help thinking, we're only young once, right? What better way to spend a Friday evening than dining in style with two of my favorite people.

La Rue 123

4023 Chain Bridge Rd

Fairfax, VA

2.5 out of 3 JAMs

Bahn-Mi- a taste of Vietnam

For a couple of weeks, Travis has been raving about this small Vietnamese place, Viet-Nam Banh Mi So 1, by his office that had these great pork sandwiches I "had to try". So this past weekend, we trudged out in the snow and cold to try them - needless to say I had high expectations.

We arrived at the tiny storefront with a simple menu of numbered sandwiches with a variety of meat options (beef, chicken, pork). Toppings are the same on most of them, the only customizable options being to omit something or make a sandwich "spicy" or "extra spicy". Travis recommended a #3, so we ordered three #3s (Travis was hungry), two extra spicy and one regular. We also picked up Stewart's sodas (yum), cream soda and root beer.

After a short wait and a walk later, I unwrapped my sandwich to see a crusty, good-sized baguette stuffed with marinated diced pork, lots of cilantro, cucumber slices, and carrots.

I took a loud, crunchy, crumb-flinging bite. Initially the bread overpowered my bite, but after a bit of chewing the pork flavor began to take over. It was salty and sweet, a bit like asian barbeque or chau siu (roasted pork), not overly saucy, and nicely accented by the cool crispness of the cucumber, the marinated carrot, and the cilantro. After a couple more bites I began to taste a softer part of the bread where the pork had soaked in a bit, so the bread itself tasted a little like garlic butter and pork. The only downsides to eating were that the bread was incredibly crumbly and Travis' office floor had a small pile of bread crumbs by the time I was done and the cilantro wasn't chopped but was in large pieces, meaning I had to at times tear it by hand.

Travis' extra spicy was indeed spicy, as they added both chili garlic sauce (the same chili sauce served at dim sum and similiar to Siracha) and chopped up chilies, but the sweetness of the pork still came through.

From a flavor profile alone, a very happy 2 1/2 JAMs. While the restaurant has no seating and isn't the brightest or most modern environment, the food is worth a trip, even in the snow.

As a side note, the Stewart's sodas only get 1 JAM. The cream soda was too sweet and lacked any sort of creamy foam that I like on cream sodas (like A&W cream soda) and the root beer didn't have the depth of flavor and bite that I like in a root beer. The sweet sodas did help to cleanse our palates of the pork sandwiches.

Fondue A Deux: Fromage e Chocolat

I am proud to announce we have our first guest blogger! My fabulous roomie, Natalie, who has showed up in a number of our JAM foodie outings has been gracious enough to post about a recent fondue night we had with our other wonderful roommate, Jenny (She's my other favorite Jenny!). Natalie is also a member of the blog club, having recently started her own music related version where she reviews an ecclectic mix of artists and genres. Check it out at http://kerplunkinyourface.blogspot.com And without further ado, here's Natalie:

Enjoying fondue a deux!

Thanks to the popular rise of the Melting Pot chain, fondue parties are no longer trapped in the 1970s. After a delicious after-dinner get together there with some old high school friends, my roommates and I decided that we'd have to try making fondue on our own.

The accompaniaments to our cheese fondue

My parents have about 6 fondue pots, and luckily, a couple of them were electric. Fondue pots that use the Sterno "canned heat" cooking fuel just aren't as great. Not wanting to stray too far away from familiar tastes, Jenny looked up the actual restaurant recipes from the Melting Pot.

Here is the recipe for their famous cheddar cheese fondue:

1 ½ to 2 cups Sharp cheddar cheese1 ½ to 2 cups Emmanthaler cheese (can substitute w/something in the Swiss cheese family)

1/3 cup beer (PBR or bud light)

1 clove garlic (optional)

dash or two Worchestireshire sauce

1 tsp. Mustard powder

dash Cayenne pepper

adding the cheese

We paired the cheese fondue with carrots, celery, granny smith apples, and french bread cubes. The emmanthaler cheese really did cut the sharpness of the cheddar cheese, and it was not too rich (we later realized that our stomach aches were due to the fact that fondue parties should consist of more than 3 people).

Ta dah! Melty, cheesy goodness

We also tried a chocolate fondue, and we altered the recipe to include MORE chocolate:
24 oz semi-sweet chocolate baking chips

1 ½ cups light cream

1 tsp of vanilla

Jenny stirs up a pot of chocolate

We ended up forgetting to add the vanilla right away, but then vetoed it because the chocolate sauce was already to our liking. Strawberries, bananas, and Malia's delicious homemade brownies were the dippers for the chocolate fondue.

Strawberries, bananas and chocolate oh my!

I believe that our fondue night was a success! Malia and I have never been to the Melting Pot for dinner, but we would assume that we came close to its taste. It was also a lot cheaper! So if you're looking for something different to cook, and you have a bit of time to savor dinner, fondue parties are always going to be a winner in my book.

-Natalie (guest blogger...wooo!)

Heaven!