Park - December 3, 2009

It's been almost a month since I have gone on the quest for the ultimate burger but between a much needed vacation, work and Thanksgiving, we have not been out to try something new. Last night I had dinner at Marc Cassel's restaurant Park which is located east of Central on Henderson Avenue. Park is a very pretty restaurant with interesting menus on both the food and drink side. After we handed over our keys to the friendly valet staff, we entered into Park and were promptly seated by a perky hostess. A few moments later our server offered us a choice of complimentary filtered still or sparkling water and the specials of the night were explained. I ordered the Henderson Honest Burger which is described on the menu as half pound natural beef patty on sesame seed brioche roll. I ordered it medium rare and asked if the kitchen could add bacon. The server was unsure about the bacon but when the burger arrived several slices of bacon were placed on top of the cheese.


The burger arrived with a generous serving of crispy french fries and the burger was skewered with a crown of in-house made horseradish pickles. The bun was fresh looking, was covered in seasame seeds and appeared to be homemade. The half pound patty sat on top of the bottom bun and was covered with two slices of mild cheddar cheese, several slices of bacon and thin sliced of marinated grilled onions. A few minutes later, ketchup, mayo and dijon mustard was also brought to the table. Taking a bite, the patty had been cooked to a perfect medium with a thin layer of pink in the middle and it had been seasoned well. The bacon was thin but crispy and added a smoky flavor to the burger as a whole. The patty could have been slightly juicier but I think they are using leaner cuts of meat ground in house to make them which limits the fat content. Finally the fries were wonderful. They were thin slices of potato that were hot, crispy and seasoned with salt and pepper.


Overall the burger at Park was a very good burger with fresh well seasoned ingredients. It's hard to pick the burger with all the great choices on the menu at Park but you can't go wrong if you need a burger fix.


Ratings (1-25):


Bun - 18, fresh tasty bun, lots of sesame seeds on top


Meat - 21, fresh ground beef seasoned well and cooked to medium, tasty bacon


Appearance - 19, nice stack of meat cheese and bun served next to crispy fries, cheese could have been melted more


Taste - 21, well seasoned patty, smoky bacon and fresh bun


Overall - 79