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| - I left the city of Pittsburgh shortly after the opening of the first Burgatory. The concept intrigued, but I never had the opportunity to check it out. Since then, the burger spot has expanded into a sort of micro chain, which meant that their offerings tasted good enough to attract substantial clientele. A recent weekend trip to Pittsburgh provided a great chance to check out the newest location at the much more convenient Waterfront and see what the fuss was about.
Fortunately, my experience matched the hype I had heard of. We had a 25 minute wait during peak Saturday lunch hours, which was not bad considering the popularity of these restaurants. Our party started off with Burgatory's beer battered onion rings and jalapeno-bacon-cheddar fries as appetizers. The onion rings' enormous size reflected the beer batter's substantial flavor. Though a bit greasy, they are not to be missed. Ditto for the jalapeno-cheddar-bacon fries, which lost minor marks for flavorless cheddar.
The wealth of customizable burger options can leave one perplexed, so the less decisive/knowledgeable should order one of Burgatory's excellent house burgers. My companions' pot roast and steakhouse burgers both delivered tons of flavor. If you do feel like putting your name on your creation, use the menu for inspiration and veer off accordingly. I did so with my slightly overcooked yet still delicious elk burger, which provided a delicious combination of flavors that complemented a juicy, gamey patty.
We ended our meal on a sweet note with milkshakes to go. The salted caramel pretzel, with crunchy pretzel chunks for texture and a satisfying sweet-salty-toasty interplay, tasted the best of all the varieties we sampled. Burgatory also carries a respectable selection of craft brews and has an appealing cocktail program. All told, I won't hesitate to get stuck in Burgatory once more next time I'm in town.
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