Better than a Fast Food Burger

Two of my favorite burger joints are out west in California - The Counter and In-N-Out Burger. I'm waiting for the day that one of them opens an outpost in Boston but I'm not holding my breath. There are plenty of good burger joints in Boston though, and UBurger is one of them. Opened in 2006 to much fanfare and billed as the closest thing to In-N-Out Burger on the east coast, it took me two and a half years to finally walk through their doors. The date was April 19th, 2009 and I was on my way to an early season Red Sox game against the Baltimore Orioles. Looking for something quick in Kenmore Square, I ended up at UBurger with my friend Mike.

With an assortment of burgers, chicken, hot dogs and salads on their everyday menu, there is plenty to choose from. They also have a specials board with a nod to the local boys of summer. There is the Big Papi burger with cheddar cheese, guacamole, jalapenos and chipotle sauce - I wonder if the beef comes from cattle injected with steroids? There is also the All-Star burger with cheddar, swiss, grilled mushrooms, jalapenos and BBQ sauce. But I went for the UBecket, a 1/4 pound patty with pepper jack, grilled onions and mushrooms, and BBQ sauce. Mmm mmm good.

The bun on my UBecket was nice and soft and slightly grilled and the burger was nice and juicy. The grilled onions and mushrooms were cooked well and the pepperjack while peppery was not hot. The BBQ sauce was good, but nothing I would want to slather on a rack of ribs. I also split an order of french fries and onion rings with Mike. Both the fries and rings were crispy, salty, and cooked perfectly; UBurger knows how to make a great onion ring!

Although not quite In-N-Out Burger, UBurger did crank out some good burgers, fries, onion rings, and shakes. I ordered a mocha shake to wash everything down and it was thick and rich just like a good shake should be. The next time you find yourself in Kenmore Square and you're craving a burger, or onions rings, or a good shake, check out UBurger, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

UBurger
636 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 536-0448

Petit Paris in Scotland

My first dinner in Scotland was at this French restaurant called Petit Paris last Friday night. It is on Grassmarket right across the street from the hotel we were staying at. The food was excellent, the wine (private label) was drinkable, and the service was quite good. I think everyone really enjoyed their meals. Many of my colleagues started with the steamed mussels so I tried some, they were very good, served in a bleu d'Auvergne sauce. My dinner can be seen below, and it was great.

White Asparagus with Quail's Eggs, Walnut Oil Vinaigrette and Roasted Pine Nuts

The white asparagus was tender and delicious, and the quail's eggs were delicate and, well eggs. The salad was great.

Fresh Sea Bass Filet with Olives, Fresh Basil, Garlic Confit and Sun-Blushed Tomatoes

The sea bass was cooked perfectly, and well seasoned. The olives, basil, garlic confit and tomatoes tasted great together, I was very happy with my choice.

Sauteed Potatoes

Crème Brûlée and a Glass of Monbazillac

The crème brûlée could not have been any better. Nice and crispy on the top, sweet, smooth and delicious underneath. It went very will with the glass of monbazillac that I had. I asked for some sauternes, but this is what they had for sweet dessert wines. It was very good. Monbazillac is a French dessert wine made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadelle grapes that have all been affected by noble rot.

Petit Paris
38-40 Grassmarket
Edinburgh
EH1 2JU
Tel: 0131-226 2442

Stand ... and Eat

After reading Frank Bruni's Double Burger post a couple weeks ago, I was looking forward to eating a burger of my own while in New York this past weekend. While J was working, I would have plenty of time to go on a little burger tasting tour. As it turns out, I only made one stop on my tour.

I considered my options and decided to go to Stand. The restaurant was not very busy, although for 3 o'clock in the afternoon there were quite a few people there. The center of the restaurant was filled with picnic table-like tables and cushioned benches, I was comfortable and looking forward to my burger. If you like to lean back in a chair while dining, ask to be seated along one of the walls, their are chairs at these tables.

I decided to go with the classic burger (red onion, lettuce, tomato, sliced pickle, homemade ketchup, dijon mustard) with cheddar, a small order of French fries (at my servers suggestion that they are better than the shoestring fries) and a vanilla shake, a $6 vanilla shake. I know, crazy. While I was waiting for my burger, I looked around and saw the burger salad being enjoyed at the table next to me. It looked good. The salad itself looked a lot like a grown-up coleslaw and what made it a burger salad was the three small burgers lined up neatly, perpendicular to the rim of the large white salad bowl.

My vanilla shake arrived a few minutes before my burger and fries, I resisted the urge to drink it all down before my food arrived. It was $6, I wanted to make it last! My classic burger with cheddar and small plate of French fries finally arrived. The homemade ketchup served with the classic burger didn't cut the mustard though. As Frank pointed out in his review, there is no ketchup better than Heinz when it comes to a burger and fries. I couldn't really detect the homemade ketchup on the burger but it tasted more like a marinara when I tried it with the fries. My burger was cooked more to a medium rare temperature than the medium I asked for, but I didn't care, it was good. The bun was grilled nicely but probably could have been sliced a little closer to the middle. The bottom half of the bun began to deteriorate as I passed the halfway mark on the burger. I finished the last few bites of the burger holding it upside down. The bottom line on this burger is that was very good. Not great, not the best burger I've ever had, but it was very good. Worth the $10 I guess.

The French fries were also good, very crispy like I like my fries, and seasoned well. I do think that they needed to changed the oil in their fry-o-lator though. The fries were good and crispy but they tasted a little like they were cooked in old oil. The small plate of fries that I ordered would also have been plenty for two or three people to share.

Finally, the $6 vanilla shake. It was good and thick, really thick, the best $6 shake I've ever had. Well, it's the only $6 shake I've ever had, but it was good. Definitely a challenge to suck the shake through the very big straw.

I enjoyed my experience at Stand very much. The fries were good, the classic burger was very good, and the $6 vanilla shake was very good. What wasn't good was my $21 bill for a burger, fries and a shake! I'll try brgr next time I'm in the city, it reminds me of The Counter out in Santa Monica, CA.

Stand
24 East 12th Street (5th & Univ.)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 488-5900
(212) 488-5906 (fax)