rev:text
| - Stopped in on a Monday for lunch. I was made to feel very welcome by the warm greeting offered by the bartender as he handed me a menu. I looked over the menu and was tempted to get one of the Mediterranean dishes but for some reason I settled on a burger.
The burgers are listed as "build your own"... you choose one cheese, two toppings ($1 more each for additional toppings) and a side. I went with provolone cheese, bacon and grilled onions on my burger (tomato and pickle are included) with a side of onion rings.
Looking around I felt very comfortable here and could imagine stopping by for a beer after work or before a concert at the Alter Bar. There were 14 different craft beers listed on the large chalk board along with a variety of imports and domestics. Beings that it was lunch time though, I was going to be sipping raspberry iced tea as my beverage for now. I counted only six other people dining in for lunch on this particular day but there were about four or five other people coming in for takeout.
About ten minutes after placing my order, a woman who I suppose is the cook, handed me my burger on my plate and with a smile said, "I hope you're hungry". Don't get me wrong, the burger was tasty and it was huge. Combined with the onion ring, it was much more food than I needed or would eat. But the grease factor was a total turn off. The bun started to get soggy after a few bites in and there was a pool of grease on my plate.
I'm rooting for Crystals, really! The comfortable atmosphere, the pleasant service, the huge portions and the variety of beers are all a recipe for success. But the greasiness of the burger knocks my rating down to three stars. I really need to come back here and try one of the Mediterranean dishes and hopefully up the rating.
|