Pickleicious!

There are two main reasons to eat downtown at Burger City. First,
the joint funnels its profits to ArtFare, a worthy nonprofit arts
incubator that’s managing to keep the buildings on the backside of
Hydra humming.

Second, and foremost: Burger City serves excellent burgers.

They aren’t especially large, maybe about a third of a pound before
cooking. The toppings may at first seem strange. (Apples? Refried
beans?) There’s not much on the menu other than burgers. But I repeat:
Those burgers are excellent.

Burger City sizzles on Sixth Avenue, right across from the Ronstadt
Transit Center. A few tables are spread along the sidewalk, in case
you’re interested in watching the city buses do their square dance in
the brick corral across the street. The interior is far more
interesting: Corrugated steel lines one wall, with art for sale on the
wall opposite. A paint-smeared wood-plank floor supports sturdy wooden
tables that have been decorated by artsy graffitists, under ceiling
fans that evoke 1930s airplane propellers. Perhaps because people on
jury duty wander over from the courthouse for lunch, a criminal-code
chart detailing sentencing options has been posted opposite the
restrooms.

More relevant to the business at hand—eating—is another
of Burger City’s unusual features: a pickle bar. It offers not only
what people usually think of as pickles (brined or vinegared
cucumbers), but also pickled cauliflower, beets, peppers and radishes,
all covering the gamut from sweet to tart. They’re free with any burger
order, but once you slop them onto the little plate that’s provided,
you’ll have to eat them with your fingers. The staff provides nothing
but knives unless you specifically ask for a fork.

Now, about those burgers: The menu lists a dozen variations on the
grilled-meat-patty sandwich (a chicken breast may be substituted for
the beef upon request); there’s also a sandwich of grilled vegetables,
and a chalkboard in the back announces that the place also now offers a
vegan patty.

The burgers begin with good-quality beef, although there are no
gourmet claims made, and ends with neutral-flavored but fresh buns
provided by Viro’s Bakery. Between meat and bread lies any number of
things. All burgers cost $6.75, except for the build-your-own Naked
City for $5 plus $1 per topping, and the $9.50 Sin City, which is two
patties and lots and lots of melted Monterey jack, cheddar and American
cheese. Here and in every other case, the patties are good and moist,
even when cooked to medium doneness.

The Ring of Fire is tamer than I’d expected; it involves a single
beer-battered onion ring, white cheddar and a house-made hot buffalo
sauce. The sauce isn’t all that hot by my standards, and the lone
little onion ring seems pretty skimpy. As long as you don’t want to
feel the burn, it’s still a decent thing to put into your mouth.

When I tried the MX Border City, I began to realize that Burger City
isn’t necessarily going after a flavor explosion; if subtle blends of
flavor are possible on a hamburger, that seems to be the goal. MX
Border City involves mild Southwestern seasonings, lettuce, tomato,
queso fresco and a smear of refried beans—not enough beans to
overwhelm the sandwich, but enough to give it an interesting texture
and taste.

The Hanalei is one of those burgers whose description might frighten
or repulse timid eaters, but it’s actually worth taking a chance on.
It’s sort of a sweet-and-sour burger, including juicy meat topped with
teriyaki sauce, candied bacon and pineapple jerky.

The grilled medley sandwich is no afterthought; it’s a real winner,
with lots of flavorful roasted red and yellow peppers, zucchini, yellow
squash, eggplant and tomato, plus spinach and Gruyère.

Only a few items are offered on the side, for $2 each. If you don’t
buy a burger, that’s what you have to pay for the pickle bar; the other
options are hand-cut fries, sweet-potato fries and roasted corn on the
cob with cilantro butter. The latter is superb—crisp and sweet,
with the cilantro adding a little green kick to the butter. The potato
fries are just right: crisp on the outside, tender on the inside and
well-drained, but perhaps a bit too salty for some tastes. The
sweet-potato fries are rather limp in comparison, but still tasty.

On a recent visit, the only disappointment came in the beverage
department. Burger City was out of coffee, and what was billed as a
fountain soda was as flat as if it had come from a two-liter bottle
left open all day.

The place can be crowded at weekday lunchtime, but it’s almost
deserted at dinnertime and on the weekend. Two other restaurant
endeavors have failed in this space in recent years; however, Burger
City deserves to thrive, for its philanthropic nature and for its
offbeat and always tasty fare.

This article appears in Apr 23-29, 2009.