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| - Full disclosure: I love Tessaro's, they make a mean, mean burger, so when a friend suggested we go to Burgatory, I thought I would be disappointed.
I was not! We ended up going late in the afternoon on Christmas Eve. Despite the fact that the Steelers were playing, the place was only one-third full so we got in right away.
While the menu burgers all sounded great, I decided to do the "meat your maker". I had the black peppercorn rub on ground sirloin topped with field greens, tomato, red onion, and cheddar with their homemade mayo. You can choose three "doneness": bloody, pink, and none. I'm a medium-well girl so I just noted that on the little card you use when you create your own burger (since I didn't know if that fit into pink or none category).
The burger for me was done perfectly: just enough pink in the middle and mega juicy. The bun was freshly made and since they buttered it and then grilled it on the flatiron, it was similar to texas toast (yum). The rub was a good complement to the meat, and the toppings were fresh and wonderful.
The burgers come with homemade chips, a mix of russet and sweet potato. At first, I thought I'd spring for fries, but honestly the chips are really, really good: lightly seasoned with a bit of pepper and sea salt and went well with the burger.
Service was prompt and efficient and she did a great job explaining the menu and all of the variations/options. For what you get and the quality of the ingredients, the meal is quite affordable.
I (as it turned out wisely) thought that a milkshake and a burger would be too much. I think the next time I go I'll split a milkshake with someone to have with my meal. They all looked fantastic.
How does this compare to Tessaro's? The burgers at Tessaro's are a tad bigger (maybe by a healthy ounce) and while the meat quality is similar. You can taste the smokiness from Tessaro's wood fired grill. However, Tessaro's does not use a rub, so you get a different flavor from a Burgatory burger which is a different taste, but to my pallet, just as good. Tessaro's home fries edged out Burgatory's side of chips. So the verdict for me is that Tessaro's is just a hair better--but Burgatory is also very, very good.
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