Neighborhood Services Bar & Grille - August 2, 2010

This week's burger adventure took our group to newest location of the Neighborhood Services group of restaurants - Neighborhood Services Bar and Grille. This location recently opened on the southeast corner of Preston and Royal and in September will the first of the group to be open for lunch. When we entered the restaurant, we were promptly greeted by a hostess who put our names on the waiting list and then pointed us in the direction of the bar. The menu at this location is very similar to the other locations and consists of a variety of grilled meats, pastas, fish dishes, daily specials. We found seats at the bar which was placed in front of an open kitchen which gave us some wonderful smells and sights as we waited. We were hungry so we decided to eat at the bar instead of waiting for a table and I ordered the cheeseburger ($15) cooked to medium which is served with a side of hand-cut French Fries and secret sauce. After ten minutes of watching my burger being cooked over the flame grill, the following burger was placed before me:



The hamburger patty is made with a mixture of chuck and brisket that is ground daily at the restaurant and placed on top of a bed of lettuce covering the toasted bottom bun. A thick slice of cheddar cheese was slightly melted in the middle of patty which was then topped with thick slices of fresh tomatoes, purple onions and homemade pickles. The burger was then topped with the crown of the toasted sesame seed bun. When I took my first bite, I tasted a very juicy and flavorful patty that had been cooked slightly under medium. The fat in the brisket and chuck mixture gave a the patty a great flavor which blended well with the mild cheddar cheese and the fresh bun. The patty also had a nice char on it from being cooked over flame. The cheddar cheese was probably my least favorite part to the burger. While it had a good flavor, it had a gritty texture in every bite that I took. I also would have like for it to have been melted a little more evenly over the patty. Next the sesame seed bun held up well to the juicy patty but it did not overpower the flavor of the meat. Finally the French fries that were dusted with red clay sea salt were very good especially when dipped in the spicy secret sauce. They weren't as crispy as other offerings but I enjoyed the fresh hand-cut fries.


Overall, I enjoyed the hamburger offering from Neighborhood Services Bar & Grille. The fresh ground beef was seasoned well and worked well with the toasted bun. The cheddar cheese was not my favorite but it did add to the gourmet quality of the hamburger. This is one of the more expensive burger offerings in the area but I would order it again when having lunch or dinner at Neighborhood Services Bar and Grille.


Ratings (1-25):


Bun - 19, nicely toasted sesame seed bun, good flavor


Meat - 21, great combination of brisket and chuck with good fat content, juicy patty


Appearance - 20, nice char on patty, fresh ingredients


Taste - 20, good seasoning, flavors of beef cheese and bun melded nicely in each bite


Overall - 80