Saturday, August 3, 2013

Burgerless at the Burger Joints

So this past week I went to two burger places for dinner.  The first place I checked out was Prime 16 in Orange.  It's in the former location of Jacob Marley's.  I went with my mom and Judy on a Wednesday night.  We had to wait for about 10 minutes but it wasn't too bad.  The waiting area is a little odd.  It's near the bar but not.  They have leather benches that you can sit while you wait.  It's weird.  It's like you're at a zoo- Just sitting on the outskirts watching the other people.  There were all kinds there.  Mostly an older crowd though.  Some loners at the bar, some double daters.  We were brought to a booth that was comfortable.  The restaurant is very dark.  Dark wood, black leather, dim lighting.  The menu was a decent size.  They mostly have burgers but they also have a few hot dogs, some salads, some wrap/sandwiches.  They also have a large list of beers on tap and other alcoholic choices.  It seemed to be good.

On that night, Judy ordered a simple cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato.  She said that hers was very good.  My mom ordered a mushroom burger with no bun.  She also said her burger was delicious.  I was a little full so I chose to not order a burger or hot dog.  I had the Vermont wrap.  It was also very good.  The wrap consisted of marinated chicken, applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, apple slices, and sauteed onion with honey mustard.  I ordered a side of mixed greens instead of fries.  Our waitress was very nice.  I was pleased with my experience.  I say it's a keeper and I can't wait to go back to try a burger!

The next night we went out for a little celebration with DJ, Jessi, Paul, Dana, and Dan to Plan B.  I'm not particularly a fan of Plan B but I think I may have found something on the menu that I like.  I'm not sure what it is exactly about Plan B that makes me dislike it.  The meat tastes a little funny to me.  It's like when I bite into it, I feel like I smell raw meat.  Anyone who has made a meatloaf, meatballs, or homemade burgers knows that it takes quite a few washes to get that meat smell off of your hands.  It makes my stomach turn.  It also could be that I went one time and ordered the disco fries.  I'm a fan of going to the dinner and getting some fries with cheese and gravy on them, but the ones at Plan B felt like they we sitting like a rock pressing on my stomach.  When I say, "Plan B" I get nauseous.  But nowadays it seems like there's a burger craze.  There are burger restaurants popping up all over the place.  So anyway, we went to Plan B. 

I thought about what I was going to get before we went there.  I decided that it's the ground meat that bothers me.  Other than ordering a burger, your options are slim.  They have salads and a few meals and appetizers.  I would've loved to order a couple apps but they are so damn expensive that if you're going to do that, you might as well order a dinner.  In the end, I ordered a steak salad.  I have to say, that it was very good.  I ordered the steak medium rare and it was served over greens with tomatoes, cucumber, blue cheese crumbles, frizzled onions, and I'm not sure but there may have been other little things mixed in.  It's served with horseradish blue cheese dressing but I asked for it with the tomato vinaigrette instead.  Excellent choice.  If had the original dressing then what's the point of ordering a salad?  It also came with a triangle of garlic bread.  Very good.

Everyone else ordered a variation of a burger.  I know DJ and Paul had the bacon cheeseburger but I forget which ones everyone else had.  Possibly a California?  Everyone was pleased with their burger.  They sounded good, they looked good, but I just don't think I can do their burgers.  I can't do the burgers at Plan B Burger Bar or the chicken at Archie Moore's.  Go figure.  The salad was good, but it left me feeling full but not stuffed.  DJ and I decided order dessert.  I had the key lime cheesecake.  It was strange.  They served it parfait style in a glass.  I wasn't that crazy for it.  I wish I had skipped dessert and made DJ go through the Popeye's drive thru for the blackberry cream cheese cake they have.  Divine.  DJ had the funnybone.  Great in thought. Chocolate cake, peanut butter mousse, chocolate ganache.  I'm telling you, after the peanut butter thing at The Place, nothing can compare.

Overall, I'm not a huge burger person.  If I wanted to eat a burger, I would just go to Outback.  Their burgers are so underrated.  But seriously, in this Burger Battle, Prime 16 wins.  Both places are popular and are good, but in the world of Betsy's Bites, Plan B is not al dente.  Until my next bite....

No comments:

Post a Comment