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| - Hats off to BnD'z owner Doug for a terrific concept and execution to match. Three months after opening, the place was jumping on a frigid Friday evening, 3/4 full with steady takeout traffic. Furnishings are spartan, but nobody's there for atmosphere: it's the food and the value that pack `em in.
Still, $10 for a burger, almost in Finleyville? You bet, and well worth it, when it's a half-pound bison burger served fast & cooked exactly as ordered, on a sturdy multigrain bun with a choice of literally dozens of toppings, served with a bottomless fountain drink. I went with grilled onions, Dusseldorf mustard and chipotle aioli -- less is more on the extra-lean bison burger, Doug advised (and he was right). A basket of hand-cut fries were $2 extra, and on par with Kennywood's Potato Patch (if not *quite* Dirty-O-level sublime). Chased with an Arnold Palmer, it was the best $12 meal I've had in a long, long time -- and that's at the higher end of BnD'z price range.
But burgers are only half the story, as the name implies. There's a big Vienna Beef banner out front, and genuine Chicago-style dogs await within, right down to the poppyseed rolls, sport peppers and celery salt. It's been years since I've had one of these beauties (at a hole-in-the-wall under the El), and I can't wait to go back to see if the BnD'z version is as good as the original.
Nobody and nothing is perfect, though, and here are two minor critiques. First, the service model is a sort of fast-food/table-service hybrid, and it takes a few minutes to figure it out. No big deal though, since you'll need at least that long to decide what looks best on the menu. Also, I mentioned at the outset that we visited on a frigid night, and we were reminded of this every few minutes by a blast of cold air as customers came and went through the single door (no airlock/vestibule).
But that's just nitpicking. Burgerz and Dogz offers a level of quality, value and adventurousness (ostrich and rattlesnake may be on the menu this summer) that might be common in Shadyside and Regent Square, but is practically unheard of in the far-flung south hills. Best part for East End foodies: it's a short (brisk) walk from the end-of-the-line Library T stop, so you can buy a transfer and make a cheap excursion out of it, rolling through the backyards of Castle Shannon and Bethel Park. Bonus: it's BYOB, too! Just try to avoid those sub-zero wind-chill factors.
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