Blog Archives
A Trio Of Burgers
There are few things I love more then a good burger. The more combos the better. Recently, I have had some interesting burgers and, while it took me awhile, I am gonna show you them now.
Burger at The Grey Lodge
The Grey Lodge had, in the past, really disappointed me with a really nasty cheesesteak. Well, with their new chef Eric, they seem to be turning this around. They now make almost everything in-house, which is refreshing. It is so easy to trot down to Jetro in South Philly and load up on frozen burgers, fries and munchie food. It takes balls to step out of that shadow and stretch the boundaries of bar food, especially in Mayfair, where people are used to Chickie’s and Pete’s frozen crinkle fries.
They have some neat stuff on the menu, including a tasty Cuban sandwich I had one day. But the burgers are pretty good. You first figure out if you want the burger, then pick what kind of cheese from about 6 and then go to town customizing it. The burger you see above has mayo, cheddar cheese, a fried egg and pickles. The pickles are sliced deli pickles, which is a nice touch and added a nice crunch to the whole package. The bun was fresh and the egg was, well, an egg on a burger is always a great touch.
The fries were fresh, hot and overflowing. I hate it when they skimp on fries. I ordered the spicy mayo to dip in and it did not disappoint. It was spicy without your face on fire and I even found myself trying to dip my burger in it too. Overall, the burger was about 12 bucks, which might seem pricey but the base burger is 8 bucks. So, that’s about reasonable.
I am super excited about the food at The Grey Lodge on the upswing. They have fantastic beers and now they have food that’s catching up. Go check it out!
Jack Daniels Burger @ PYT
PYT is a burger bar joint in the Piazza. They have a burger of the week and this was one awhile back. It’s a burger with cheese and bacon that is basted in a Jack Daniels sauce. Also on this thing are fried pickles.
You would think the bacon would make this burger but the fried pickles actually sneak in and steal the show! Also stealing my heart is the dill mayo dipping sauce for the fries. It is subtle and dances in your mouth when it mixes with the fries and the grease. If I could, I would have swam in a vat of it. Yes, I have no shame.
Peanut Butter & Bacon Burger @ Urban Saloon
This burger here I almost did not order. I originally ordered a chicken salad sandwich on whole wheat bread but the chef came out and told me they were out of it. So, I ordered this. Wow.
This, from Urban Saloon in Fairmount, is a burger with Peanut Butter and Bacon on Texas toast. While the fries were typical Jetro coated fries, the burger was pretty great! It was done exactly how I ordered it, medium, and the peanut butter was melted just enough to cover the burger but it wasn’t dripping down my arm. They are not skimpy with the bacon either, so extra mega points for that. The patty is a bit small but it does the job.
The only thing I did not like was the texas toast. I am not a fan of texas toast at all, and I think if this was on a nice potato roll, it would be a grand slam. As of now, it’s a home run 🙂
Finally, I did enjoy a Yards Pale Ale with the burger, altho I prefer the Philly Brewing Co’s “Philadelphia Pale Ale”, but they don’t carry the PBC stuff there. Let’s get with the program Urban Saloon!
PYT’S Big Mic
I had to pop on by the Piazza today and stopped in at my favorite burger joint, PYT. I’ve not had anything on their menu except the Reuben Burger, so I decided to try a standard. Well, a standard on steroids. I had the Big Mic: 3 patties, cheddar, bacon, tomato, lettuce, and thier special sauce on a Martin’s Potato roll.
I ordered it to go because I am housesitting and had to go check on the cats. To Go containers make me angry because, for the most part, your food gets soggy by the time you get it home. So, I figured I would take a pic in the car, since it was about a half hour drive back to the house.
PYT'S Big Mic
I got onion rings instead of the chips, and I should have specified a full order of rings because I only got 4. They are batter dipped, as opposed to breaded and have cracked pepper on them, which I thought was awesome. Yes, I did eat one in the car.
The burger is so tall, they put the top off to the side, which let me check out the thick cut bacon they use, not that cheap crap. As someone who works with food for a living, lemme tell ya, bacon is expensive. It’s nice to see someone using good bacon. The special sauce is a mayo mix, which always works nicely with burger grease.
Big Mic Assembled
While the patties aren’t wide, they are thick, not overly seasoned or overly dry, and with the special sauce, it was A-ok! Nitpicking? I liked the thinly sliced onion and tomato and I also liked what I think was butter lettuce. It kept the sauce right in place, for the most part.
They also offer this burger in normal single and double patty sizes, so go on over and check it out!
Reuben Burger at PYT
Before I was to attend what would turn out to be only the second No Hitter in the history of playoff baseball, I had a meeting at PYT in the Piazza. The Piazza is a big apartment complex where the bottom floor is a collection of shops, bars, restaurants and whatnot with a big courtyard (or, a Piazza!…ah-ha!) for bands to play, games to project and markets to peruse.
PYT is a burger bar in there. I had not been there, and had only been to the Piazza once to visit my friend Doctor Satan, who was one of the first people to sign a lease there. So, I checked out the website and drove on over. It is a cute place, bright and happy, has a super clean (a pet peeve of mine) bar and friendly staff. They do burgers of the week, and while I had some time to kill, I decided to order it….The Reuben Burger!
I had read about this thing on facebook, and frankly, I was a little giddy to try it. No disappointment here. (please click pics to embiggen)
Reuben Burger @ PYT
They start with bread from one of my favorite bakeries, Kaplan’s, at 3rd and Brown. My grandpop used to get bread from there for the holidays and I love their challah and rye. The rye makes an appearance here, all buttery toasty and delicious. What I loved about it is this: the bread is toasty and buttery but not toasted to the point where it rips your mouth apart like a bowl of Captain Crunch. Underneath the thick burger patty is a nice pile of corned beef, and on top is kraut (made with one of my favorite beers, Kenzinger!)and I think some cole slaw. It’s the kind of burger that makes you not want to engage in conversation. Quiet deliciousness.
Peeking inside the Reuben Burger
I dig the fries too. Thin fries are easily overfried, overdone to the point where they turn into potato straws, which I hate with the exploding burn of a thousand exploding suns. Coming with the fries is a zippy dipping sauce that I kept dipping my burger in after I hoovered up the fries. It’s a nice spin on the russian dressing you’d get on a reuben in a deli.
Inside the Reuben Burger
I am not sure how long this Reuben burger will be on the menu at PYT, so get your collective butts over there and buy one! They have a nice beer selection, and since it’s the Halloween season, why not get a Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale, one of my faves! You will not be disappointed with this burger or this place. Nine thumbs up!
DidjaEat? 