Eating Around: Building a Better Burger

ARE YOU IN SEARCH of the area's best burger? Depending who you ask, the following three names are bound to pop up: Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries (multiple locations), Elevation Burger (in Falls Church) and Urban Burger Co. (in Rockville). There are others that are highly rated, but those three are clear local faves.

Now, say you're in search of bovine goodness: How do you pick between the three of them? Fortunately, on today's Ask Tom chat on washingtonpost.com, a participant came up with a basic plus/minus evaluation method to help carnivores make that difficult burger decision. From the chat:

+EB has potato rolls
-FG "controls" their napkins at some locations
+FG gives you TONS of fries
-EB doesn't give as many fries, a minus
+FG is Metro accessible!
+FG has peanuts!
+EB has milkshakes!
+UB has a great variety of burger options with cute names and yummy toppings (like avocado)
-UB is more expensive than the others
+UB also has fried Twinkies! Plus!

Hmmm. Fried Twinkies, you say ...
» "Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries" [Official Site]
» "Elevation Burger" [Official Site]
» "Urban Burger" [Official Site]

» SUGGESTED: Those who work near Union Station know the pain of finding a decent lunch spot nearby for a quick bite. Places at the station itself are generally mediocre and overpriced (sorry, Pizzeria Uno). Other options in the neighborhood aren't much better. But in the Hall of States building on North Capitol Street just south of E Street NW, there's the newish Taqueria Nacionale, brought to the neighborhood by chef Ann Cashion and restaurateur John Fulchino. So far, the carnitas tacos and yucca fries are big hits. Look for the place off the courtyard, around the corner from Johnny's Half Shell at 400 North Capitol St.

» MARK YOUR CALENDARS, because the giant August lull for the local restaurant industry is coming up and you know what that means: Summer Restaurant Week. The dates are set for Aug. 6-12. You know the drill — $20.07 for 3-course lunch; $30.07 for a 3-course dinner.

» OVERLOAD: Tom Sietsema noted an overabundance of choices during his recent trip to Il Mulino. Here's a snippet from his review in The Post:

The arrival of actual menus is accompanied by a verbal recitation of — is it 15? 30? — dishes that the waiter wants you to know about. While I admire his memory skills, the presentation only challenges mine. Plus, I'm dubious about menus that run as long as Il Mulino's, which stretches to more than 80 dishes.

Then again, Americans love a large selection.

Photo by Katherine Frey/The Washington Post

Posted By Michael Grass at 12:32 PM on June 13, 2007 Tagged in Food & Drink , Free Ride , Top Stories

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