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