The Lumberyard (North County)

We've expanded our blog to North County and opened a new world of possibilities. Here's our first excursion to the North in a little town called Encinitas. Our original attempt was to blog Encinitas Alehouse, but due to its small size and massive crowd we ended up across the street where we were pleasantly surprised...

Ben: BLACKENED BLUE BURGER w/ fries. ½ lb. burger, medium rare, with Cajun rub, blue cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickles on a pretzel 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: 42

NOTES:

- this was a pretty big burger, luckily I am pretty good at eating

- it was nice to actually get asked how I want my burger cooked and have it come out exactly as ordered, it’s been awhile

- I can’t fault the burden for a super juicy burger that I ordered medium rare, luckily my fries did a pretty good job of soaking up the run-off

- I was skeptical of the pretzel bun at first, seemed kinda gimmicky, but it came through in the end and held together beautifully, don't knock it 'til ya try it

- Genius Idea #29: stuff the pretzel buns with nacho cheese

- the blue cheese and rub were very zesty

- my only beef with this place was that there were 8 burgers on the menu, but most of them contained pretty standard toppings, a few specialty topping options would boost the bonuses score

- full bar, but they could use a few more good beer options in my opinion

James: SOUTHWESTERN BBQ BURGER w/ fries. ½ lb. burger, medium rare, with onion rings, bacon, white cheddar cheese, bbq sauce, lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickle on a pretzel 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: 45

NOTES:

- medium rare to perfection

- pretzel bun was probably my favorite bun ever

- could not finish due to the enormity of the burger

- bbq was tangy and bold

- place is very spacious and non-douchie, but could use a couple of bar games

- really nice woody interior, needs a stage for live bands

Darrin (guest blogger): BORDER BURGER w/ fries. ½ lb. burger, medium rare, with pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, chipotle aioli, lettuce, tomato, red onion and pickles on a pretzel 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: 45

NOTES:

- big open pub style seating, lots of booths, 10 HDTVs, solid lumberyard vibe

- 8-10 beers on tap, from all over, solid hard liquor selection

- great happy hour prices

- huge burgers

- perfectly cooked, perfectly delicious, perfectly seasoned

- pretzel bun motherfuckers

- bolder than beyond belief

High Dive

Ben: GORGONZOLA BACON BURGER w/ fries. ½ lb. burger with gorgonzola cheese, smoked bacon, grilled onions, lettuce, tomato and pickle 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: 41

NOTES:

- this place goes off at happy hour, even on a Wednesday, probably due to the great happy hour deal on local beers (a pint of Green Flash for $3!)

- last time I was here we got thrown out, but that’s another story not related to burgers

- despite the toasted bun holding up to the girth of the burger and toppings things still got pretty sloppy, might need a wet nap or two

- it’s one tall bundle, if you can wrap your mouth around it your mind will follow

- the patty was well seasoned but over cooked, would have been much tastier if done medium rare

- the bacon was amazing with lots of smoky flavor and somehow it was crunchy and chewy at the same time

- I think the Heinz ketchup was either an imposter or watered down, pretty runny stuff

- very friendly server, apologized for the wait for a beer and rewarded us with a free shot, now that’s service

(old timey style photo)

James: SPICY REED BURGER w/ fries. ½ lb. burger stuffed with cream cheese & jalapenos and topped with grilled onions, smoked bacon, mushrooms, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickle 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: 42

NOTES:

- pretty messy, I had to use 5 napkins just to be able to hold my pen

- it wasn’t soggy, however

- a generous burger

- I could barely down it, but I did , minus the lost burger toppings

- great bundle but almost had too much going on

- mushrooms probably don’t add too much to this burger

- only problem was it was a little charry

- good flavor, but kind of dried out

- bacon was perfect

- bun was average grocery store style, but at least toasted

- basically this burger could have been one of the best of all time if it was cooked medium rare and had a fancier bun

(old timey style photo)

The Local

Ben: BIG ½ LB. BURGER w/ steak fries. Burger with grilled mushrooms, grilled onions, pepper jack cheese, teriyaki sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle on a 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: 31

NOTES:

- pretty large and in charge

- slightly stupid prices, each side for 1 bone, including cheese (on top of $9.50), say what?

- tantalizing teriyaki saved this burger from Dullville

- grilled mushrooms made my mouth water while the shredded cheese made me question if it was meant for a taco

- more options & improved toppings would do this score an extreme makeover

- terrible music dropped this score like it’s hot

James: BIG ½ LB. BURGER w/ steak fries. Burger with bacon, gouda cheese, grilled onions, house bbq sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle on a 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: 36

NOTES:

- kind of a poser bar with a lot of shiny new longboards on the wall that are just there to make it look like a local place

- pretty good beer selection, above average, but not mind blowing

- burger was delicious, but kind of pricey if you want to get all the extras

- $1 for cheese, really? On a $10 burger? GFY!

- BBQ sauce was really awesome and the gouda cheese was a great compliment

- music really sucks, so if you’re thinking of staying for a few more, don’t

Darrin (guest blogger): BIG ½ LB. BURGER w/ steak fries. Burger with pepper jack cheese, bacon, lettuce, onion, pickle and tomato on a 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: 29

NOTES:

- place looks like a Boston dorm room

- $9.50 for the most basic burger, $14 for a burger that sounds good on paper but shitty when it shows up

- I hustled this burger down no problem

- they forgot to put my grilled onions on the burger, because the dummy waitress thought she could memorize by order, too bad she didn’t

- good beer selection and that’s about it