rev:text
| - **tl;dr--they make a great burger, but that's probably about it. **
At this point, it really goes without saying that the FEZ Burger is one of the best you can find in this town. If FEZ were just a burger place, I'd end my review with five stars and tell them to just take my money when lunch time rolls around. At $11, and $14 with fries (since when are fries a premium, and not the default side dish?) it's pricey, but you are getting good quality.
But FEZ is more than just a burger joint, and the further it strays from what it does right, the more disappointment I was afflicted with. "New American" as it's often called, is a genre of food that borrows a foreign cuisine and makes it friendly to your unadventurous palates. Here, the motif is northern Africa, where you can sample the flavors of "kisra" and harissa.
The "super spicy" hummus looked course enough to warrant high expectations. It just *looks* so fresh and house-made that I couldn't wait to dig in. I know spice gets toned down for American food, but I really expected it to mean more than mild flavoring and tons of salt. The herbs in the flatbread were not compatible with the hummus in any way, but generous slices of cucumber somehow saved it from being a total disaster.
My honeydew margarita tasted like...well, a regular margarita. I'm not so sure they remembered to add anything to it. It was just alright. I understand they specialize in martinis, but that doesn't mean you get to slack on the rest!
Sweet potato fries were overrated! Half way through, I noticed the faint crunch from the tons of added sugar that was just dumped on. It was definitely overkill, and the sweet dipping sauce didn't help. I will not order these again.
Atmosphere was vaguely modern, but still bland. If you want to boast music as part of it, stop blasting radio-safe hits from 15 years ago and get with a cool, up-to-date playlist. Service felt rushed, but I'd rather have it be swift than slow. Management does well, but a kitchen that tries to do too much leaves much to be desired.
|