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| - One thing that I've learned recently in da burgh is that when I walk into a new place and the line-up at the bar makes me think I've stumbled accidentally into an audition for a Smith Brothers cough drop ad, that I have just actually walked into the latest hipster gathering spot.
A friend and I had just finished some car business on Troy Hill and wanted to grab a bite somewhere, and he had told me about the hipsters taking over what used to be an affordable neighborhood dive bar and restaurant and turning it all upscale. Not finding anything else nearby (because frankly, Troy Hill isn't exactly a metropolitan haven), we decided to give it a shot.
Well all you Lumberjack Skinnyjeans and your girlfriends Summerdress Winterscarfs, get ready, here is yet another place where you can spend three hours of your wages on a meal in a heightened 'atmosphere' with toy portions and a handful of fancy 'homemade sauces' in a big space in an innocuous run down neighborhood.
(insert latest FB emoticon here)
We kept it simple and ordered the cheese burger. I've not been to a burger joint in quite some time, and we didn't feel like parking downtown for Winghart's and weren't quite in the Big Top Burgatory atmosphere mood. The burgers were $10, though my friend told me they'd originally tried charging $16, and discovered that they needed to bring it down a tad. If they were serving the exact same burger that I had for $16, then my response would have to be INDEED! They did come with a side of fries, which rounded off the $10 pretty well. Winghart's charges $10 for a burger, but that burger is substantial, without a side of fries.
The plates arrived. My only real distastes were that the buns were odd...almost like a small conveyor belt bun from Mickey D's. The burger was kind of small, and actually looked like a preformed frozen patty (not quite sure how they created that flat edged, perfectly uniform disc), and the home made pickles that came on the side for adding to the sandwich, if you wanted, really were not good. And finally, ease up a tad on the rock salt on the fries.
We opted to forgo the 'home made' ketchup, and I asked for some mayo and dark mustard, as that is my preferred sauce of choice for a good burger.
The burger came with a slice of tomato, and short pile of leafy greens that looked a bit like baby spinach, and we both got them with cheese. I mixed on my mayo-mustard mix, topped the burger with the tomato and greens, and bit in. Medium-rare, just as I'd ordered it. I must say, the flavor and juices were very nice (it did not come off tasting like a frozen patty, nor was it 'grey', as frozen patties tend to be, regardless of cooking time), and it was a decent burger for the average neighborhood joint. But in a town that prides itself on creating sandwiches that require a flip-top head to get one in your mouth, they might want to examine increasing the size to at least compare with the biggest burger joints in town. If they can do twice the size for $10...well, so could anyone.
The staff was very friendly, the service was very good, and the food came in a very decent amount of time. The atmosphere was comfortable in the bigger dining room, and I could see this being a hipster haven eventually, as well as a good 'neighborhood' spot.
However...
We were not in Shadyside or the South Side. Heck, we weren't even in Bloomfield. We were in the middle of a blue-collar residential nowhere. Several years back, when I lived in Morningside, some hipsters tried opening a somewhat uppity coffee house in the neighborhood. It lasted about a year and a half. Morningside is a blue collar residential neighborhood. Poetry reading, modern angst folk songs and pretentious coffee drinks are not the heart of the neighborhood, and no matter how hard you try, Morningside was not going to be a 'destination'. Troy Hill is hardly going to be a 'destination' either.
On the other hand, Bulldog's Grille in Morningside was smart. They took a drunken nuisance bar and cleaned it up. They made it JUST 'upscale' enough to be respectable and comfortable, gave a very good product at a reasonable price (not too cheap, not too pricey), and they really created the right niche for their otherwise barren wasteland neighborhood.
I would suggest that Scratch follow an example like that to really become something awesome for the neighborhood.
Bottom line is...burger was ok...I went, I tried because I happened to be in the neighborhood. If I was back in the neighborhood, if there was nothing else nearby to try, I might go back. But I wouldn't be considering this as any kind of repeat 'destination'.
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