Burger

by Estefania Lahera ’20

I grew up with Food Network. Rachel Ray was my spirit animal, Emeril was my alarm clock with his “Bams!” and “Kick it up a notch!”. Saturday mornings were spent in the kitchen with a box of Kraft mac n cheese, where I would pretend to be Rachel Ray, standing on chairs to reach the stove.

In short, I believe in Food Network. So when I say that there was a new show, Guy’s Diner’s Drive Ins, and Dives, I was like…. wtf.

Who the heck is Guy Fieri? Where did he come from, this weird dude with porcupine hair and a smoker’s voice? How was he qualified to give anyone advice on food? He was literally like a bum in my eyes, some creepy stranger that lacked the authenticity and substance of the Food Network icons like Emeril or Alton Brown or Cat Cora?

It was karma that my sister and mom fell in love with the show, forcing me to endure hearing their oohs and aahs over what I felt was a mediocre restaurant with a perv for a host. But I got over my initial resistance, and while I am still by no means a fan of Guy Fieri, I’m in the habit now, when I travel or go anywhere, to look for restaurants that were featured on his show because many of them are often hidden gems.

The closest one to Harvard, besides Bartley’s, is Boston Burger Co, and given the opportunity to go, I was happy to try it out.

Having looked at the menu and the prices, I was expecting a chain like Shake Shack or Tasty Burger, but it was an actual restaurant ambience, a clean place with actual table service and tableware, which was really nice.

The menu was extensive, another warming sign; a menu that tries to much fails more than it succeeds. But my friend and I ordered without incident: the mac attack for me, because that’s what Guy Fieri had, and the Sophie for my friend. It was an excellent sign that the waitress asked how we wanted out burgers cooked.

The burger was supposed to come with chips, but my poor stomach couldn’t handle the prospect of more junk food, so I just got a plain salad.

Then the burger was brought, and my first thought was that wasn’t as big as I would have expected. I actually think that was a good thing, considering the powerful flavors contained. Meat, mac n cheese, and bacon. That’s it.

And the flavor was definitely there. Not, it wasn’t gourmet, wasn’t extremely sophisticated, wasn’t enveloped in layers of flavors. But it’s a $13 burger, and gourmet does not necessarily mean good. It was solid. The mac and cheese was the gooey, stovetop kind, not a particularly complex flavor but also not one-dimensional and fake. The bacon was crispy and well cooked. The bun didn’t give way, holding it’s body without being stale or bland (although it had a shiny, almost oiliness that was a bit off-putting). Overall, it was a good burger and I enjoyed it.

Then I just had to order a frappe. I couldn’t help myself. I got the strawberry one, and looking back that was probably a mistake. Most strawberry desserts, if they are on the cheaper side, are usually fake strawberry, syrup or canned or even extract, and this was no exception.

The frappe came with a grand entrance, but the flavor didn’t deliver. It was just a rather think syrupy drink. The whipped cream was normal, not especially fresh or special. The Nilla wafers that were glued via frosting to the glass were stale. It came with a piece of cake on top, but if you’re going to put cake on top, either make it good or just don’t put it. It doesn’t help your case to stick on there two stale, dry squares on plain vanilla cake with syrup, clearly canned strawberries in between that had the bitter taste of preservation.

Like I said though, strawberries desserts are always tough, always a compromise. I’m sure that any of the other frappes would have been better, especially the Nutella one. If only Boston Burger Co. would invite me back to do a sampling! **wink wink nudge nudge**

So is Guy Fieri’s judgment sound?

I would say yes. Relatively affordable complex burgers are not rare, but that doesn’t diminish their value, especially if they are done well. It’s a solid standby that won’t blow your socks off, but still has a bit of a wow factor if you order the right things.

Remember to follow the Crimson Crave on Instagram at @crimson_crave and if you to see more about my personal food adventures, feel free to follow me at @tinyfoodtraveler!

By Estefania Lahera ‘20

This burger is over 6 years old, and you’d have thought the hype would have died down already.

But no.

This burger is still as highly recommended on the food internet; indeed, it has even been elevated into an icon of the Boston food scene. Articles by Eater, Boston Magazine, a cover on Bon Apetit Magazine, and more, all attest to its greatness.

But when was the last time that this icon was objectively reviewed?

Instead of accepting its greatness, I felt it was my responsibility as a foreigner to the Boston food scene, immune to the hype and build up, and see for myself.

If you know anything about this burger, you know that they only serve 18 every night and only on the bar side of the restaurant. Thus, I specifically called two nights before asking for a reservation on that side of the restaurant. Dedication, if I do say so myself.

I went on a rainy Sunday. It was a good day for a burger, the sort of day when you just want something warm and comforting, classic but not boring.

“We know you want the burger,” the hostess says when I arrive, ready for me, “do you want us to put one on hold for you now?”

Yes. Yes, I do.

Excellent service.

But seriously though, the service was friendly and efficient. The restaurant is small, which makes it easier for the staff to look after you properly. They are knowledgeable about the menu, and willing to offer their opinions if you ask, which I always do.

PRO TIP: Sit on the bar side and get access to the full dining room menu as well as the more affordable bar menu. And the burger, of course.

The bread basket, by the way, was excellent. I judge a restaurant by its bread basket, because it’s an integral part of the experience. It the restaurant serves stale, inferior bread, it might as well not give anything at all. I’d rather not have bread than regret biting into a dense, coarse brick. Thankfully, Craigie’s 3 varieties, a lovely crusty French baguette, a more ciabatta like roll, and a flax-speckled, nutty multigrain, were all fabulous. My favorite was the multigrain with flax for its depth of flavor, though you can’t go wrong with the other two.

We also order the octopus. It was a solid dish with a nice punch of flavor, a sort of smoky paprika flavor that worked well. Was it mind blowing, stunning, omigosh I’ve never eaten anything better in my life? No. But I think it was the only time in my life that I’ve had octopus cooked perfectly, absolutely ZERO chewiness. And that is admirable.

Now, onto what you’ve been waiting for: the burger.

This restaurant has a burger cult following. An hour into our meal, having arrived the moment the restaurant opened, we hear the bartender call out: “only one burger left!” and the entire restaurant cheered.

Clearly as popular as ever, this burger sold out within two hours of opening that night!

And it must be a very complex burger, because it took forever to come out, long enough for me to go through an entire bread basket (because I’m a carb-lover and I’m not ashamed).

I waited patiently, and it finally arrived.

Let’s just stop and appreciate that for a moment. It’s definitely a looker, is it not?

Now, the most important part: taste.

It was….

A burger.

Yeah.

That’s about it.

It was good, because how can a burger be bad? But was it the transformational experience that everyone promised? No, not really. Everything, the bun and the bacon and the grind of beef, are all made in house. If you’re going to make it in house, you would do well to make it less generic in my opinion. The bread was good, but it wasn’t special. Why not make the outside crispy if you can, and the inside soft and pillowy? A nice squashy bun is lovely and works, but I could get the same at the supermarket, even organic at whole foods. The bun was good, sure, good quality and it held its shape and structure reasonably well, but that’s all.

The ketchup was fine, a nice spice to it, not memorable. I’m also not a ketchup person.

The meat was very, very medium. It lacked a good sear, and was quite pink throughout the center. The flavor was also lackluster. If they’re not going to have enough salt and seasoning, at least make sure the beef grind has enough complexity to stand alone. But it was just a temperate beef flavor, which was fine as I personally like the taste of meat. But if could have been better, you know?

The cheese I couldn’t even taste, so I can’t really judge, but the lettuce and other dressings (a sort of pickled onion) were nice. That’s sort of all I can say. Nice. The bacon, which was house cured, was also good. Again, good. Not great. But good.

The salad complimented the burger, but was by no means necessary.

The fries, to my surprise, were excellent! Big, chunky wedges cooked perfectly, with a soft creamy inside, a super crispy, crackly outside, and aggressive but refined seasoning. Why couldn’t the burger be cooked like this?!

The final verdict?

Go to Craigie on Main if you can afford the splurge, but ignore the hype and get something more interesting. Go for the bread, the staff, the chance to try something awesome. The menu has so many interesting ideas. phytoplankton garganelli? What is that? duck rilletes? Sounds very classical French but I’m sure they’ve taken an innovative spin on it.

I, personally, will be back for the whole pigs head.

Tag: Burger

Diner’s Drive Ins, and Dives and Boston Burger Company: Can we Trust Guy Fieri’s Judgment?

Worth the Hype? The Craigie on Main Burger