It’s that time of year when my “research” into my 10 best burgers in SW CT is in full swing. Last week I visited Geoffrey Zakarian’s new haunt, The National in Greenwich CT. The place is pretty well done, lots of woods and marble on the tables, and prices on the high end. I ordered the “Ugly Burger” for $19. It is served with house made fries.
It arrived arrived on a wooden cutting board, with a pickle speared through the top of the bun. The melted cheese was oozing around the edges, dripping towards the serving board. The sautéed shallots were peeking from under the cheese, partnered with the edges of a single lettuce leaf. If the taste was as good as the presentation, this would be a great burger. The burger was accompanied by the chips that were vertically arranged in a separate metal vase.
The verdict - The ingredients were perfectly balanced. The meat delivered a medium level of richness, was juicy and incredibly smoky. The melted Cheddar cheese was creamy and very nutty. The two unique and delicious ingredients were the sautéed shallots that were very sweet and the sauce, with a tomato-tanginess…they were excellent additions. And the smokiness that the wood-burning grill infused into the meat was more than outstanding. The challah bun was a great choice, not only with its taste but it did not disintegrate during the meal.
The chips were in a different place, they were really bad, borderline burnt and I tried a couple and left the rest. And for $19, how about some fries.
I’m supposed to go Sunday for my big birthday, but alas, they are predicting a snowstorm. Go figure. It’s been in the 60’s all week, and the first day of spring we get a storm!
After the meal, I was home and writing the review. I wanted to verify some facts and called. The MOD told me next time to ask for fries.
You serve chips at a Sunday Church BBQ with burgers and fries at a restaurant. If you charge $19, it should come with fries. The other sides were all ~$9. If the fries were around that as well it would be $28 for a burger and fries, not happenin’
Thanks for posting, jfood. I may have to get myself there to try that burger. To clarify, they told you that next time you can substitute fries for the chips? Or would you have to pay extra?
The burger did look good (saw them being brought to several tables),but while I’m always on the lookout for a good/great burger. However $19.00 just seems too much for one. I’m still not sure about trying 5 napkin burger @ around $16.00 but I think it’s 10 oz. Your recommendation helps…but $19.00 seems like sticking it to the customer
