Tru Burger Co. (Anthem, AZ)

Reviewed by: Kate

This past weekend I had the privilege of working The Compassion Experience in Glendale, Arizona (a suburb of Phoenix). If you have never heard of Compassion International you should check them out. They are doing incredible things to release children from poverty around the world (shameless plug).  It was a whirlwind of a weekend, but I never turn down an opportunity to travel and I had never been to Arizona before.

If you have read this blog before, you know I like to try new burgers when I travel. I’ve decided there must be something about the west — maybe it’s the dry air or those beautiful mountains — but the west makes me crave burgers. All the burgers. I ended up eating 3 burgers in a 24 hour period. Am I ashamed? Nah. Two of those burgers were from In-N-Out because…well, do I really need to explain myself here? The other burger was from a place called Tru Burger Co.

Tru Burger Co. prides themselves in using only antibiotic and hormone free meats. They have several unique burgers to choose from. I decided to go with the PB&J burger. I’ve been wanting to try peanut butter on a burger for a while now, and the bacon-jalapeno jam sounded intriguing. I paired my burger with the garlic parm fries. The burger was…good. I really liked the mix of the sweet peanut butter mixed with the spicy savory jam on a burger. It was a lot of unique flavors mixed together, and they complimented each other well. The patty itself left something to be desired. It didn’t have much flavor and was even a little bit dry. I ordered my burger medium and it was served medium-well. I just wish the patty had more flavor because this burger had the potential to be outstanding. I really enjoyed the fries! They had a lot of flavor and were nice and thin shoestring fries.

 

So will I dream about this burger? Probably not. Would I go back to Tru Burger? Maybe. But it satisfied the craving, and I will definitely try peanut butter on a burger again.

Does anyone else have a burger suggestion for the next time i’m in the Phoenix area?

 

Burger Flavor:  2/5

Bun Goodness: 3/5

Burger Value: 4/5

Toppings: 5/5

X Factor: 3/5

Abbey Burger Bistro (Baltimore, MD)

Reviewed by: Kevin

Has it really been since February? My sincerest apologies, dear readers, and many thanks to Kate and Cameron for stocking (see what I did there?) the blog with incredible guest posts and annual recaps in my absence. Anyway…

I need to reveal a secret to you. A dark secret. A secret that will show you just how much cooler you are than me. Are you ready? I don’t like soccer. *Gasp* I know! Someone with a trendy food blog, who has better taste in music than you, and who wears only the most fashionable haircuts doesn’t follow the trendiest sport of all – Fútbol? So imagine my leery-eyed confusion when I walked into Abbey Burger Bistro, an Arsenal bar, in the middle of a match with Tottenham Hotspurs. If you don’t know why that’s significant, that’s alright. You’re an American, just like me.

But Kevin, you live in California. What brought you to Baltimore? Is it the soft shell crab?

No. Well, yes, but not primarily. I was in Baltimore interviewing for jobs. And while none of the jobs panned out, Abbey Burger Bistro made the trip completely worth it.

A friend and I entered the restaurant –me a poor, unenlightened American and he, even worse, a Tottenham fan – and were shown nothing but unbelievable hospitality and great food. Being the only two not wearing red could have made us feel out of place, but I felt totally at home. The server, a friendly, robust, very Irish man, sat us and explained the extensive beer list and exotic menu. Despite a variety of unconventional meat options (elk, bison, boar, etc.) I opted for traditional beef, pairing my beer – Banana Bread by Wells – with the Peanut Butter Burger.

Let me stop right there, because I can see the horrified looks on your faces through this computer. Peanut butter? On a burger?! Madness! But consider this – the sweet and salty combo has been around a lot longer than this blog. Do you like Hawaiian Pizza? BBQ sauce is often much sweeter than peanut butter, and it has been put on countless burgers without objection. And if you’re not tracking with me on those two things, we’ll probably never agree. You probably don’t dip peanut butter sandwiches in your chili either, you monster. Wait, is that just me?

So this burger. Topped with thick, applewood smoked bacon and slathered with creamy peanut butter, this burger was a dream. The patty was juicy, salty, and cooked perfectly. The bacon added a smokiness a contrasting texture to the patty. And the peanut butter brought it all together, turning the saltiness on its head, bringing a unique peanut-y flavor to the burger, and, in true peanut butter fashion, bringing the whole burger together like glue. It was delicious. On the side I ordered – no kidding – the best sweet potato fries I’ve ever had. A perfectly velvety inside held in by a crispy, buttery skin. Delicious.

All in all, this was an incredible burger, in a fun, personality-filled restaurant, located in a charming part of town. If you find yourself in Baltimore, skip the crab and go to Abbey Burger Bistro.

Here’s where you come in, readers. Want to judge me for not liking soccer? Think I’m crazy for liking peanut butter on my burger? Want to tell me I have a nice smile? As always, the comment section is below.

Burger Flavor:  4/5

Bun Goodness: 4/5

Burger Value: 4/5

Toppings: 5/5

X Factor: 5/5