Members in attendance: Angela d., Trevor Y., Wayne T., Dennis K., and Innie C.
Slider member: Marty d.Y.
Guests: Adrian J. and Lulu T.
So Trev and I were totally late to this meeting. Sorry guys!
I. Ordering
Trev and I, Innie and Wayne all got the 1/3 lb hamburger ($6.50). We all added American cheese (75 cents) and bacon ($1.75), plus Wayne also added avocado ($1.50).
Marty had a little burger with everything (no cheese, which is the default) for $4.25.
Innie ordered onion rings ($3.75) and Trev and I made it a combo for $3.95 (that comes with fries and a drink).
DK ordered a double with cheese (which he thinks was $11, thanks DK for the precision).
Adj and lulu split a double with cheese and sweet potato fries.
II. The Burgers
The burgers are touted to be made from the best ingredients. If you’re interested, here is their “story”
These were definitely pretty burgers. In fact, we saw people order a bunch of burgers and spend like half a hour taking photos of them. No sign of eating them though ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ We definitely like to eat our burgers!
So there was no char on Innie’s or Wayne’s burgers, but the rest of us had char on ours. The burgers came with onion, lettuce, and “super” sauce. The onion was like a giant cross section of onion, which I often don’t like since it’s too onion-y. However, these were nice and mild and very enjoyable on the burger. I suspect they soak them in water to mellow them out a bit. The super sauce was basically a thousand island sauce. All the ingredients tasted really fresh. My personal preference is to have pickles on my burgers, but this one didn’t have any. I actually didn’t miss them. The bun was nice, toasted, a little sweet, and held up to the meat and toppings.
The burgers were salty. I like places that aren’t afraid of salt, but this burger was a bit over the top. I suspect that it was the bacon plus the cheese that oversalted our burger. That was totally our bad and I would come back again to try their 1/3 burger without any add-ons. That being said, all the add-ons were really great quality. The bacon was nice and crispy. The avocado was a good ripeness (not too mushy, but not too hard . . . that’s what Wayne said!). The cheese was nice and gooey.
The overall construction of the burgers was good. The ratio of all things together was good. There was a really nice mouth feel to the burger. There was a lot of texture in it with all the toppings. DK reported that the double is too much meat. I know my motto is “always double”, but in this case try it the way they designed it. It’s clear that the people putting the menu together put some thought into it.
III. The Fries/Sides
The onion were rings very good and crispy, and they stayed with the breading. The fries seemed like they were battered. They were really crispy and tasty with just the right amount of salt. These, amazingly, stayed crispy even when they got cold. Not sure who sold their soul to the devil for that power, but I appreciate it!
IV. Miscellaneous
You order at the counter and all the workers are very friendly. There is a good amount of indoor and outdoor seating, and they have high chairs (win!). There is a TV inside to keep you entertained. They have beer on tap, and the selection is ooookay: 3 craft, 3 mainstream. They carry Stubborn soda, which is not my jam but others may like it. They also have a drive thru if you don’t want to eat there. They are located in a little strip mall so there’s lots of parking.
V. Value
I ask the members how much they would pay for the burger they ate. We would pay anywhere between $9.75 to $12.50 for these burgers, which means they’re pretty well priced!
VI. The Verdict
Like I have said, I think the chefs know what they’re doing. I would come back and try the basic 1/3 burger. I suspect it will be better than what we ate that day. The ratings: 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.7, 4.0. There’s certainly potential for growth here.
Next burger crew meeting: October 5, 2019, 12:30pm
Location: Dave’s burgers, Long Beach, CA