Slater's 50/50

Ben: SLATER’S 50-50, 50% beef/50% bacon patty with an egg, avocado mash, pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayo on a toasted white brioche.

HOW THEY STACK UP:

1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5

2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5

3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5 

4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5 

5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5

6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5

7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5

8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5

9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5

10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 44

NOTES:

- this is the reincarnation of Point Loma Sports Grill & Pub, which we blogged previously

- this is definitely and upgrade

- has most of the positives of the previous place with a much better menu and a far superior beer selection, 100+ beers on draft

- lots of outdoor seating and an outdoor bar as well

- my only real problem with this visit was that the service was rather slow in our section, we sat outside next to the outdoor bar and were being served by the bartender who had too many customers to handle

- the only other minor problem with that if you get a 50/50 burger it has to be at least medium or more cooked because of the bacon, this leads to a bit of dryness for my taste, I recommend getting a beef patty and just adding bacon on top for best results

 James: SLATER’S 50-50, 50% beef/50% bacon patty with an egg, avocado mash, pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayo on a toasted white brioche.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 44

NOTES:

1 – has a giant burger statue

2 – pretty much everything you need

3 – would prefer slices of avocado

4 – almost 4, but too dry, prefer bacon on top, no juicyness

5 – sweet and delicious

6 – salty & savory, but no kick, they do have other options that could make a 5

7 – you can make it as big as you want, I didn’t but was still stuffed

8 – industry standard

9 – good service, good burger cohesiveness

10 – great beers, booze

Bopp (guest blogger): SLATER’S 50-50, 50% beef/50% bacon patty with an egg, avocado mash, pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayo on a toasted white brioche.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 43

NOTES:

- incredible draft selection

- service was a bit slow

- located in the flight path near airport = loud and lots of tourists

- great appetizers

- taps are split between inside & outside which can slow service

- bacon mixed with beef = bombastic!

Darrin (guest blogger): SLATER’S 50-50, 50% beef/50% bacon patty with an egg, avocado mash, pepper jack cheese and chipotle mayo on a toasted white brioche.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 47

NOTES:

- over 100 beers on draft

- half bacon, half beef burger options

- beautiful, bemusing, bountiful, belly filling

- huge burger statue on site that should be prayed to before you are seated

Kurt (guest blogger): BURGER CARBONARA, peppered Sterling Silver ground beef patty with signature chili, creamy cheese sauce, raw onions and 1000 island dressing, added sun-dried tomatoes, on a ciabatta bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 43

NOTES:

- sun dried tomatoes = yummy

- ciabatta bun was delicious and held it together well

- great selection of beers, but pricey

Have Blog Will Travel - Charm City Burger Company: Deerfield Beach, FL

(the back entrance)

Ben: STEAK BURGER VOLCANO STYLE. 1/3 lb. steak burger w/ pepper jack cheese, volcano sauce, jalapeno, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, charm sauce & an onion ring topper (add-on) on a toasted sesame seed bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 38

NOTES:

1 – a little strip mall feeling, but okay on the inside, could use a bigger bar area

2 – great burger selection w/ many add-ons available

3 – came on a plastic tray in a paper basket

4 – cooked perfectly as ordered (3 options available), well-seasoned & great flame char on the outside

5 – made fresh daily sesame seed bun that was toasted just right

6 – very spicy over all with lots of flavor

7 – great deal on the burgers ($5-7 + add-ons) & decent beer prices ($4.20 on micros)

8 – pretty large, especially w/ the onion rings, but easily devoured

9 – the burger was a little messy and you have to order at the counter and pick up your food when it’s ready

10 – beer only, 2 micro drafts and a pretty solid selection of micro bottles

Jenn Russo (Guest Blogger): STEAK BURGER COWBOY STYLE. 1/3 lb. steak burger w/ aged cheddar cheese, bacon, sautéed mushroom, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, charm sauce & truffle aioli (add-on) on a toasted sesame seed bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:

1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5

2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5 

3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5 

4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5 

5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5

6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5

7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5

8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5

9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5

10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 39

NOTES:

Good burgers are hard to come by, but this place definitely delivered. I opted for the “cowboy style” burger, a 1/3 lb. prime meat covered in aged cheddar, thick cut bacon, sautéed mushrooms and grilled onions, each topping was included in every single bite! I decided to add a little flare with the truffle aioli… and that was a good decision. The bun was soft and slightly sweet, the meat was perfectly char grilled and the hand cut fries (which I doused in malt vinegar) were a perfect compliment. I gave this Charm City Burger Company an overall rating of 39. I’ll definitely be back!

Bergie's Pub - A Return Visit

I just wanted to drop a quick note that I made a return visit to Bergie's and was pleasantly surprised by the changes. This place has improved greatly since our first visit and has pretty much corrected everything we had beef with.


- burgers served on wooden boards, no plastic baskets
- more local beers available
- real menus, no more newspaper style menus trash talking about other burger joints
- added burger options, no need to add all the ingredients ala carte
- burger cooked to order & better overall taste


We didn't officially blog this time so I can't say an exact score but I would guess it'd be in the low 40's. Now if they'd just do a little remodeling in the bathrooms...

Regal Beagle

Ben: BEAGLE BUGER w/ chips. Sausage shaped burger patty with cheese, shredded lettuce and special sauce on a toasted buttermilk bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:

1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5

2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5 

3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5 

4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5 

5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5

6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5

7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5

8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5

9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5

10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 35

NOTES:

- a copious cornucopia of condiments

- only 1 burger to choose from with not much in the way of toppings

- I ordered a tasty jalapeno cheddar sausage to top my burger with for an extra $6

- burger + sausage = no side necessary

- the building is a little stripmall-ish on the exterior, but it’s pretty nice inside, complete with a real dart board

- excellent beer selection, if you’re indecisive I recommend spinning the wheel of beer fortune and leaving it up to fate

- they are definitely pushing the boundaries of what a burger is with this thing

- seems like they could have taken it a bit further with the toppings

- the shape of the party and size of the bun foiled my plan to add the sausage, I could only fit half on top

- I’m not sure the sausage added much to the burger, I recommend keeping them separate

- the meat was well seasoned

- this might be the only time I’ve actually thought shredded lettuce was appropriate

- definitely not a burger destination, but if you’re stuck here and you’re all sausaged out, it’s not a bad option

James: BEAGLE BUGER w/ chips. Sausage shaped burger patty with cheese, shredded lettuce and special sauce on a toasted buttermilk bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:

1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5

2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5 

3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5 

4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5 

5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5

6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5

7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5

8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5

9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5

10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 27

NOTES:

- good beer selection

- nice little spot off the beaten path

- lots of interesting mustards to choose from

- only one burger, but you can add a sausage to it for 6 bones, I did, and it was Moroccan and it went bahh in its life

- even though the sausage and burger meat were delicious when isolated, together they didn’t hit the right harmony to make it really sing to me

- the burger was served in a sausage bun and only comes with shredded lettuce, cheese and thousand island dressing

- bun broke right away when I tried to stuff my sausage in it
- good sausages and relatively tasty burger but definitely not a “burger” destination per se

Bergie's Pub

Appetizer: Loaded Tots

Ben: BERGIE CHEESE SINGLE, 1/3 lb burger with swiss cheese, grilled onions, sautéed mushrooms, tomato, lettuce, pickle and onion on a toasted bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 35

NOTES:

- advertised as “upscale” but the burger was served in a red plastic basket?

- I liked the mayo “B” on the bun though, a nice touch

- advertising 12 micros on tap is a little misleading: Coors Light, Guinness and Pacifico are not really micros

- more local beers would be preferable

- the trash talking of other burger joints in the menu/newspaper seemed unnecessary and a little over the top

- mushrooms were sautéed to perfection and onions were grilled just right

- a little over priced for what it was, you have to pay an extra $1 – 1.50 for anything other than cheese

- no options requested by server for how I wanted my burger cooked, other than that I can’t complain about the service, very friendly and cool

James: BERGIE CHEESE SINGLE, 1/3 lb burger with bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickle and onion on a toasted bun.

Review to come...

Bopp (guest blogger): BERGIE CHEESE SINGLE, 1/3 lb burger with fried egg, bacon, cheddar cheese, tomato, lettuce, pickle and onion on a toasted bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 41

NOTES:

- first one here so they let me choose the Pandora station, I went with Pelican

- Apps of loaded tots: gravy, cheese and bacon, how can you go wrong?

- first fried egg burger, tasted like breakfast

- bun was sweet but not too sweet

- kinda small dining area

- seriously though, the Pelican station, fucking choice!

- a bit over sold

- I like the specials, including Fedora Fridays where you get 25% off your bill for wearing a fedora

- flavorful patty, but I would touch it up with some spice

- bacon was appropriately crispy without being over done

- friendly staff

- not as much beer selection as the online menu/website would lead you to believe

- egg was over-medium which is how I’ll ask for it on my burgers from now on

Encinitas Ale House (North County)

Ben: SIGNATURE HARMONICA BILL BOOTLEGGER BURGER with fries. ½ lb. burger w/ hot whiskey bbq sauce, crispy onion straws, bacon and pepper jack cheese on a toasted bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 46

NOTES:

- the name is a mouthful and so is this burger

- I finished it but felt the pain later

- what isn’t better with hot whiskey?

- this was one of the best burgers I’ve eaten in awhile

- it was a tower of tasty goodness

- the onion straws were an excellent addition to the burger

- great beer selection

- the only issue is the size of this place, I recommend going off peak hours if you want to get a seat without waiting a long time

- I look forward to a return visit

James: SANTANA BURGER with onion rings. ½ lb. burger w/ fire-roasted poblano peppers, avocado, grilled onions, pepper jack cheese and ancho mayo on a toasted bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 47

NOTES:
- sweet little burger & beer nook off the 101

- we tried to blog this place before, but we couldn’t even get a table

- this burger was friggin’ amazing

- boldest burger ever

- it came with a bunch of super hot peppers that made my face sweat

- my only complaint was that it was almost too hot, so it slowed me down a bit and the juices soaked into the bun a little more than I anticipated

- the burger was cooked perfectly medium rare without even asking me how I wanted it prepared

- they must have a wizard in the kitchen or some shit, reading minds and blasting burgers with boldness

- onion rings were some of the best I’ve had

- beer selection is awesome as the name implies

- I will definitely come back until I’ve tried every burger on the menu and had every beer

Callahan's Pub and Brewery

James: BUFFALO BUGER w/ tater tots. ½ lb buffalo burger with tomato, lettuce, onion and cheese on a toasted wheat bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 29

NOTES:

- the best part of eating this burger was the thought of ripping it up on this blog

- this burger sucks

- I got a buffalo burger and it was pre-made and shitty

- imagine taking ground meat, freezing it, thawing it, freezing it, thawing it, mixing it with paper mache, freezing it and then microwaving it, that would actually be better than trying to grind through this atrocity

- service is good, beer selection is ok

- nice outdoor area, burger is bad, very bad

- I honestly don’t know how to rank its belt-busting, I could easily demolish it, should it have been desirable, however it was way too much shitty burger to finish

- not finishing this burger was the best decision I’ve ever made

- horrible music

Matt (guest blogger): GUACAMOLE PEPPER JACK BUGER w/ fries. ½ lb. buffalo meat patty (substitution) with guacamole and pepper jack cheese on a toasted bun.

HOW THEY STACK UP:
1. BACKGROUND 1 2 3 4 5
2. BONUSES 1 2 3 4 5
3. BUNDLE 1 2 3 4 5
4. BURGER 1 2 3 4 5
5. BUN 1 2 3 4 5
6. BOLDNESS 1 2 3 4 5
7. BARGAIN 1 2 3 4 5
8. BELT-BUSTING 1 2 3 4 5
9. BURDEN 1 2 3 4 5
10. BUZZ 1 2 3 4 5

TOTAL SCORE: 27

NOTES:

1. Playing home sports on only a few tv’s without sound. Music selection sucked.

2. Good variety, but nothing special.

3. No lettuce or tomato c’mon! Guac had zero flavor.

4. Pre-frozen, not juicy, very little buffalo flavor. It was like eating a moccasin.

5. Held together nicely. No complaints.

6. I’ve had tastier tasting turds.

7. Expensive for a crappy, non-juicy burger.

8. Unfortunately finished without a problem.

9. No mess. Held together well.

10. Good house beer Shamrock Gold. I had 3.