Location: Bethesda, Fairmont Ave. There is a running joke amongst us: "How much do you wanna bet that Greg makes the wrong turn coming out of the Metro?" And yes, I did it again. I took a wrong turn coming out of the Metro. Lucky for me that the Burger Joint is an easy walk from the Bethesda Metro Station. Once I located, ahem, Wisconsin Ave.(Northbound), the walk was pretty direct. Turn on Fairmont and the restaurant is staring you in the face. Originially, I was torn between driving and taking the Metro. Since I metro'd and walked, it seemed to me that driving would have been just as easy (barring wrong turns). There is street parking available but there are also public garages within walking distance.
Atmosphere: Since I was late, I did not have too much time to look around the inside of the restaurant and my companions were just about to place their orders. What stood out to me was seeing the food service/preparation area. This an honest approach to business, in my opinion. I like to see things like the grill, the fixins area, cook habits. And Everything passed muster. (For me, presentation starts with the building itself and the staff.) We were there late in the afternoon on a Saturday, so it's hard to assume how the small restaurant handles a workday lunch crowd. We opted to sit outside, in the shade directly in front of the restaurant. It was somewhat cramped and it was just the six of us with none of the other tables occupied. But what I liked most of all was the constant stream of 80's music.
Service: Overall, pretty quick. My order took the longest as I ordered my burger well-done (and it was a double burger). I also had to wait a bit longer for my fries; I did not ask why probably because I was in awe of my burger. The burgers seemed to come out in the same order of which they were placed.
Presentation: The burgers were neat and nicely put together. The side dishes added to the show. The onion rings, in particular, were very thick, as if to send tribute to the thick burgers about to be consumed. Two of my companions shared fries with parmesan cheese. It looked quite appetizing (again, presentation worked in this case). But getting plain fries as I did offered no more than the tradition of just having them.
Meal: I'd ordered "The Burger" and I decided to "double it"; at $2 extra, I saw it as a bargain. I was prepared as I only had a few nutter butter cookies for breakfast (at 8 am) and it was now 3pm. What a stack of meat!! My companions doubted that I could finish the burger, but I could not hear past my own growling stomach. The burger, again, was a nicely stacked sandwich. I ordered it with American cheese and onions and it already came with bacon. It came with 2 types of American cheese ("white" and "yellow") ,the onions were nicely cooked, and the bacon, well, no sandwich can go wrong with bacon. The beef patties were well formed and juicy (but not overly so). There was a slight "peppery" taste; I got the feeling that the patties had a dry marinade; that is, the dry seasoning was kneaded into the ground beef or was sprinkled/dusted on; it did not seem to permeate into the juiciness. That was just my feeling. Unfortunately, I did not know enough ask for the sauce nor was I asked if I wanted it. No big deal, the burger was just fine without it. The bun was toasted and had a mild crisp; it did not fall apart and added to the burger, I think.
Opinion: My bill came to about $16: Burger/doubled w/onions, cheese,bacon; fries, drink. Not an everyday indulgence but well worth the effort over commonly accessible fastfood outlets. I would do it again and I would recommend it. This was the first stop and it was a good start.
