Toledo Lounge Closed

Just got news that The Toledo Lounge in Adams Morgan is closing. We just went to The Toledo Lounge last week for their Swiss Onion Melt burger, and it was pretty good. The bar was bought by the owners of The Black Squirrel (practically next door in Adams Morgan). Luckily the new owners say they aren't planning on changing too much. The burger at Toledo Lounge was pretty good, so let's hope they don't mess with it too much.

Blinging the Burger

Usually the CBC views McDonalds with disdain, but this shows that at least they are making an effort. Here's a link to an article on DCmud about how McDonalds is redesigning their restaurants in the DC area. Consider this a step in the right direction. Now if only they can work on the food.

http://dcmud.blogspot.com/2011/02/blinging-burger.html

Toledo Lounge's Swiss Onion Melt

The Toledo Lounge is a laid-back place to grab a burger and chill. The casual vibe and relaxed dive bar atmosphere was an excellent place to take respite from the cold winter weather and just enjoy a few beers and a good burger. The burger wasn't the best, but it's pretty damn good.

It was Tuesday night so burgers were half-price. We ordered the Swiss Onion Melt burger, and it was definitely well worth the four dollar price. The burger patty was about 8 ounces, maybe a little more; a sizable morsel of meat with decent flavour and a fair amount of juiciness. The burgers took a while to come out and this was reflected in the meat. The medium-rare was more like medium, and the medium was more like medium-well. Do yourself a favor and get it under-cooked of what you usually order. That being said it's a good burger that could only get better if it was cooked properly.

The bun was a toasted, fluffy white bun with sesame seeds on top that managed to support the burger without falling apart. The bun was surprisingly soft to the touch and yet held all the grease without falling apart; a very good bun. Nothing outstanding, but it's great to see effort on the bun front. Sesame seeds and toasted grill marks let you know they care.

The Swiss cheese had good flavour and served it purpose of complimenting the burger. It was delicately melted over a layer of sauteed onions. The pairing of sauteed onions and well melted Swiss were excellent compliments to each other. In addition to the sauteed onions, the burger came with raw onions, a huge slice of tomato, and a whole leaf of lettuce. No frills but they got the lettuce, tomato, onion (LTO) combination on the money. Oh yeah, they serve an awesomely big pickle on the side.

Toledo Lounge is a dive bar with the chillest atmosphere and a great relaxing vibe. The fries were hand-cut skin-on fries, and were very good, but could use a little seasoning. In addition to the burger, everyone managed to demolish the fries as well. The beer selection is nothing outstanding, but they still have some good beer. You can never argue against Yuengling and Sierra Nevada, and it's almost a plus if they don't have Bud Light on tap. The service is slow characteristic of a dive bar as such. The music was excellent but you could still hold a conversation while listening to the grooves. Toledo Lounge is a great dive bar that serves up a solid burger. There isn't a whole lot to criticize about the burger. Maybe not the best burger, but it's still damn good and worth it if you're in Adams Morgan. The chill relaxed vibe will make you feel right at home if dives are your scene. The service is slow so don't come here in any rush. Luckily, there really isn't any reason to leave, so just enjoy a beer and a burger.

Rulon Gardner's Rulon Burger

Rulon Gardner is the 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling. Rulon Gardner is currently on the Biggest Loser after he skyrocketed to 474 pounds after winning the gold. Rulon Gardner is also the owner of Rulon Gardner's Burger Barn. While it may seem hypocritical to be one the Biggest Loser and own a burger joint, Rulon has lost a lot of weight and is doing well on the show. One thing Rulon probably isn't doing much of anymore is eating the Rulon Burger from his own restaurant. The Rulan Burger is a 1.5 pound burger on a well-endowed bun finished off with ample amounts of cheese and toppings. That is a ridiculously big burger for one person to eat. Apparently if you can finish off the Rulon Burger, a basket of fries, and a 44-ounce drink in under 20 minutes, you get your name on Rulon's Wall of Fame and a signed t-shirt. For any takers, Rulon's personal record is 8 minutes 23 seconds.

The Sloppy Roethlisberger

In honor of Superbowl Sunday, I'm sure many people are inventing their own version of 'The Roethlisburger', but none can top 'The Sloppy Roethlisberger' from the guys at Epic Meal Time. 13 pounds of ground beef, 7 pounds of sausage, 20 pounds of bacon, cheese sauce, bbq sauce, and a 10 pound bun result in a monster burger weighing in at over 100,000 calories. This burger is likely to kill you, or at the very least rape you.

Here's the link to the youtube page for Epic Meal Time: www.youtube.com/user/EpicMealTime

'Food & Wine' 25 Best Burgers in the US

Food & Wine released their list of the 25 Best Burgers in the US. Two are in the DC area; Ray's Hell Burger in Alrington and Palena Cafe in DC.

brgr:shack opens in Ballston

A new burger place called the brgr:shack just opened up in Ballston. Check out the the blurb from ARLnow.

RFD's Brew Burger

We tried to go RFD a few weeks ago but didn't due to an hour wait. This time we made reservations and didn't have a problem. RFD stands for Regional Food and Drink, and there is plenty of both. As we are a burger club, we decided on the Brew Burger. According to the menu the Brew Burger is "a half pound of lean beef marinated in Kostritzer Black Lager grilled to your liking." One does not turn away from a burger marinated in beer. Burger = good. Beer = good. Burger + Beer = double good. Simple math. The Brew Burger is a big half-pound burger that manages to deliver on quality as well. The quality of the meat was top notch, but the burger was a little over-cooked. But that's the cooks fault and should not degrade burger itself. While having a nice charred exterior, it remained somewhat juicy on the inside, but a far cry from a moist pink center desired in a burger.

The bun situation was pretty abysmal and it was the obvious weak link in the Brew Burger ensemble. The bun was way too doughy as if they didn't let it finish rising. It was a basic white bun, and while it managed not to fall apart, it would have been destroyed by a burger with any juiciness. It's a shame to have such a plain bun for such a burger. Toast it. Put sesame seeds on it. Something.

The cheese is hit or miss. The selection of nice cheese options is appreciated but having to pay a dollar extra is frowned upon. They have your basic cheeses like American and Provolone, but they also have Gouda and goat cheese. It is rare to see goat cheese as an option for a burger. That being said the goat cheese was spectacular, as it stood out amoung the common cheeses. The goat cheese provided a great texture and the cool, creamy balance was an outstandingly compliment to the burger. The Gouda is good(ah), but wasn't smoky like a nice smoked Gouda should be. Goat cheese is the way to go.

The Brew Burger comes with lettuce, tomato, and a supposed pickle according to the menu. None of us got a pickle. WTF? Don't promise a pickle and then fail to deliver. There have been riots over less. The tomatoes were ripe and very red, but that doesn't make up for shredded lettuce. Fail. It takes more work to shred a leaf of lettuce than just keeping it in leaf form. Why? Onions are a dollar extra, which is a direct affront to LTO (lettuce/tomato/onion) which should come standard on all burgers. There are several other options for toppings that are all an extra dollar. Sauteed peppers and jalapeno are a solid choice, but if the burger itself already costs nine dollars, the toppings shouldn't cost extra.

RFD is a great bar and a great place to grab a beer in Chinatown. It's sort of a sports bar, but it has that little extra that separates it from the crowd. RFD is a pretty popular place, as I've never seen it not be crowded. There is a nice atmosphere if you can manage to get a table or a seat at the bar. The fries were forgettable and obviously direct from the freezer bag. A lot of restaurants use frozen fries, so who cares, right? NO. Don't serve crappy fries that bring the burger experience down. Stop it. The service was good and the waitress was very nice, but the beer is what really stood out. RFD is the sister restaurant of the now defunct Brickskeller so you know RFD is going to have some good beer. Hand-pulled cask ales of Flying Dog were on special, and the Raging Bitch and Snake Dog IPA were a great pairing with the burger. Even if you don't get the burger, this is a great place to grab a beer.

The Brew Burger is a solid burger; a half-pound of delicious meat. It would have been even better if it was cooked properly. The bun was an utter disappointment; unworthy of the burger. Toppings were okay, but it's not worth paying an extra buck for onions, and shredded lettuce dooms any burger. If you are going to pay the extra dollar for cheese, be sure to go with the goat cheese to provide a creamy contrast to the charred burger. The fries sucked, so try the onion rings. Anything else has to be better. The location and beer at RFD really set it apart. It's right in Chinatown, so it's a great place to grab a beer before or after a Caps game. This also the time when it gets packed, so get there early if you are planning on going to RFD before a Caps or Wizards game. The beer selection is great and all the beer is quality. RFD has awesome beer, and pretty good burger.

RFD this Thursday

This weeks meeting will be at RFD this Thursday at 7:00pm for their Brew Burger, described on their website as "a half pound of lean beer marinated Kostritzer Black Lager grilled to your liking". The nearest metro stop is Gallery Place-Chinatown.

RFD
810 7th Street NW
Washington, DC 20001

Capital Burger Club on Yelp

Check out the Capital Burger Club page on Yelp.

www.capitalburger.yelp.com