BURGER REVIEW: BGR (Arlington, VA)

I have been hearing about the burger chain BGR for a long time and took advantage of my proximity to a BGR outlet in Clarendon to finally check it out on a holiday. I ordered The Burger ($6.99) medium-rare on a fresh, buttery-toasted brioche bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, mojo sauce, American cheese (+$0.99), and applewood bacon (+$1.29) with regular fries ($2.29).

The burger was excellent, but I have discovered in my Quest for the Ultimate Burger that even though a "buttery-toasted brioche bun" sounds great, it is often too much bread and can overwhelm the patty. This was the case with BGR's bun and so I took off the top half and ate it as an open-faced burger. The combination of the crunchy bacon with the decadent melted American cheese and the perfectly cooked beef patty is the very definition of a transcendent burger experience.

The burger was well-matched with the fries. BGR has an interesting selection of items to pair with their burgers, including regular fries ("the gold standard"), sweet-potato fries ("the orange standard") and grilled asparagus spears sprinkled with parmesan cheese ("the green standard") and onion rings. The fries were definitely above average in quality (but not quantity), thicker than typical but piping hot and lightly salted. Again, near perfect.

Overall, the burger experience at BGR was surprisingly good. The quality of the food surpasses the product at places with much higher price points. I will definitely try to return there in the future, perhaps to try their ahi tuna burger with the asparagus spears.

Name: BGR The Burger Joint.

Location: 3024 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22201.

Contact: 703-566-1446.

Visit: July 4, 2013.

AMBIANCE: B+

SERVICE: A-.

VALUE: A.

FOOD: A+. 

OVERALL: A/A- (3.83/4.0)