The Burgers of Birmingham
We ate
four burgers during a recent trip to Birmingham, AL, which has turned into a
sneaky good foodie town. Here are my thoughts about the burgers:
Fancy's on Fifth
I
think these guys own all the food spots on 41st street near the Avondale
Brewery, except for maybe SAWs. Fancy's is setup as a stylish bistro with a
rotating menu of "chef's choice", except the menu I saw appeared to
match every menu I saw online before the trip, so I'm not sure that's really
true. However, they do have featured entrees and burgers that I'm assuming are
changed up regularly. I got the 'Strange Brew' burger and it was very good.
They've clearly measured this burger out to mix the flavors and amounts to
exactly what they want them to be, and it works. Great flavors and everything
worked together. I have to assume that all of their other signature burgers are
the same, so now I want to go back again. And maybe again.
Jack Brown's
So,
this place is at the top of a lot of 'best burger' lists in Birmingham,
including Yelp. It's a dive bar with a list of signature burgers. We got the
Dr. Gonzo and, well, I wasn't impressed. It was a smaller burger, which is
fine, except for all the hyped up toppings (Guinness Fried Onions?) added
nothing to the flavor. The meat itself was cooked well, but it also didn't
stand out as anything special even though it's advertised as wagyu beef. To be
fair, everyone in B'ham that we spoke to about this burger said we should have
just gotten the cheeseburger, but I've got to be honest, I don't see us going
back. The service at the bar really sucked and $28 for one burger, a side of
fries and two beers is about $10 too much for what we got out of it. I don't
like to write bad reviews, but it's my blog and Jack Brown's is nothing
special.
Back Forty Beer Co.
After
wading through the sea of small children at this brewery with their parents
drinking at noon, we found a delicious burger. They have a delicious cheesy
double-patty burger. Even through the beef and cheese, the fresh onions and
house pickles popped. Solid burger here that hits everything I like in a
burger, which is mostly beefy cheesy deliciousness. I liked their fries too,
and of course the beer.
Chez Fonfon
Several
Birminghamians told us the best burger in town as at the French bistro Chez
Fonfon. We were even told how to go about obtaining this burger, which is later
at night at the bar. So that's what we did. I would love to go back to this
small French restaurant for a full meal, but I don’t think I would go back for
the burger. Not because it wasn’t very good, but because it’s of the ‘fancy and
expense’ variety of burger. High quality ingredients cooked with precision. We
asked for medium-to-medium well and we got a burger on the lower end of medium
simply because they didn’t want to overcook their (I’m assuming waygu) beef
blend. It was delicious. But I think they probably have even better food on
their menu, and the next time I go there I think I'll try that out instead of
paying a premium for the burger.
Birmingham
Burger Rankings (from this trip):
1a.
Back 40 – gets the bump for affordability and style that we like.
1b.
Chez Fonfon – great burger but pricey, really good restaurant
2.
Fancy’s – I’m guessing all their burgers are as well paired and delicious as
the one I had, can’t wait to go back.
10.
Jack Brown’s – way down on the list, nothing special, doubt I would go here
again.
Till next time.....
