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| - Unable to visit the much-hyped (and farther away) Burgatory, our party heeded a friend's recommendation to visit this more conveniently located, burger-focused eatery for Sunday lunch. We had tried to go the night prior, but the wait for four was 1.5 hours (!). Fortunately, the wait for our party of 7 was a more reasonable 30 minutes, but the bar was mostly empty so we chose to dine there immediately. I can't really speak to the normal, table-based service, but our bartender was quite gregarious and affable. She provided great menu suggestions and even helped us make plans for later in the evening.
BRGR has a fairly solid tap and bottle list, with only a draft line or two dedicated to common swill and the rest to quality, craft brews. The food didn't quite match expectations but still hit the spot. My bison burger was overcooked past the requisite medium rare and seemed to lack the promised crunchy onion straws, but was nonetheless tasty with smoky chipotle aioli, tender mushrooms, and sharp cheddar. In contrast, my companion's "Fire in the Hole" arrived at a perfect medium rare and was quite delicious.
Ditto on another friend's short rib "Button Buster," which leads one to believe the kitchen possesses more skill with cooking beef than the menu's more exotic offerings. The quality of the patties (both bison and beef) shone in the burgers. Vegetarian friends enjoyed their veggie burgers, which boasted a falafel patty rather than the de rigueur fake meat/mixed vegetable variety.
Sides were exemplary, especially the wholesome, crispy-creamy-zesty Cajun tater tots. It's unfortunate you have to pay extra for fries/tots/onion rings but that's the way this joint does things, I guess. At least the side portions are big enough to share. I couldn't taste what was "spiked" about BRGR's coffee milkshake, but it nonetheless was tasty and a good example of dairy craft. BRGR can be a little pricey and the waits can be surprisingly long (no reservations and a 1.5 hour wait for 4 on Saturday night), but if the burger craving strikes this place's creations will undoubtedly hit the spot.
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