Great Austin Burger Hunt - Elevation Burger

Elevation Burger
2525 Anderson Ln #1-200
Austin, TX 78757(512) 419-7444

 

I do not mind paying more for a burger that tastes better, but I really have to wonder about a place that advertises something you cannot taste. That is my first reaction to Elevation Burger...but, let's go back and start at the beginning.

 

I ordered the Elevation Burger, with two slices of cheddar, fries and a regular drink.  The total was over $11.  For a place that is not a sit down restaurant, that is definitely a premium burger price. They do not ask how you want your burger and it was delivered so quickly that I can only assume that they pre-cook their patties.  I do not  believe that it is possible to cook beef, even unfrozen, all the way through in the amount of time that passed before my burger was on my table.  It arrives on a metal baking tray, the kind that is used for baking sheet cakes, or I believe more properly, half-sheet cakes. I was shocked to see that the burger was quite small.  For $6, with cheese, and without fries included, I expect more.

 

The burger comes in a little half bag, and then wrapped in waxed paper.  I took it out of the bag, which was a mistake and took a bite, and ended up with grease on my shirt, and all over my table.  Yes, you could say that the burger is juicy.  You could also say that it was greasy.  I ordered it with lettuce, which was wilted and disgusting after about 5 seconds.  I removed it. The burger is tasty, but not tasty enough to warrant that price.  The burger is go greasy, that as the grease drained off into the wrapper, it looked like it took about half my cheese with it.

 

The fries were on a par with Mighty Fine, and 5 Guys.  Greasy, but tasty.  One thing to note, while their order of fries is not as large as the one at 5 Guys, it is still quite large and can easily be shared by two, or maybe even three, unless you really like fries.

 

I find the idea of a Health Food Burger Shop to be a bit of an oxymoron, but that is what Elevation Burger is trying to be.  Organic, Grass-Fed, Free-Range Beef, at least that is what their sign says.  Fries cooked in "heart healthy" olive oil.  Fries may be...healthier...when cooked in Olive Oil, but somehow I doubt that makes them "healthy."   And, while organic grass-fed beef may be healthier, I do not see that making a burger a healthy choice.  To me, what they are selling is the antithesis of a great burger.  Now, that would not matter one bit to me, if they delivered a great burger, but they don't.  It is a good burger, but not great.

 

One interesting side note.  Some time back, I reviewed Terra Burger.  The location that I tried is now an Elevation Burger.  They both sold organic beef burgers, but the burgers could not be more different.  The Terra Burger was dry, and the Elevation Burger has gone too far off the opposite end of the scale.

Unless Organic, Grass-Fed, Free-Range beef is the deciding factor in your burger choice, you can do better than Elevation Burger...and for a less.

Great Austin Burger Hunt - EZ's

EZ's Brick Oven Grill
3918 N. Lamar 
Austin, TX 78756 

(512) 302-1800 

 

I have driven by EZ's dozens...heck, possibly hundreds of times over the last few years and never stopped in.  My wife and I fixed that situation a few nights ago.

 

The restaurant on Lamar is done up in a sort of retro 50s style.  It reminds me of Mighty Fine, but that is the 50s as done by a big national corporation.  EZ's is a smaller chain, with only 5 stores and they have done a better job with their retro style.

 

We both ordered Bacon Cheddar Burgers.  I ordered the Curly Fries and my wife ordered the Sweet Potato Fries. The problem is that I ordered a soda, and when I made my way to get my drink and found that they are a Pepsi house, which is a big negative for me.  Worse, they had no Diet Dr. Pepper.  I ended up having to drink Diet Mt. Dew, and that is nasty.  This is definitely a case of a restaurant not caring about their customers, especially those who want or need to have beverages without sugar.

 

Our food arrived quickly, and the burger was pretty good.  It would probably make my top ten.  It comes on a wheat bun, and that is without them asking me, so I have to assume that is the regular bun.  The meat was well cooked, and the bacon was crispy, which is a big plus.  The only negative, it was a little bit heavy on the mustard

 

The sweet potato fries were very crispy, but the chipotle sauce that came with them had crusted over.  It tasted okay, but the crust made it less than appetizing.  Now, when it comes to the curly fries...well, it is going to take a bit of explaining. 

 

When you put the words "curly fries" on the menu, it carries a certain connotation that goes beyond the shape of the potatoes.  Curly fries are seasoned fries, but not at EZ's.  Also, they were not terribly crisp.  They were alright, but not great.

 

Because of the beverage situation, I will not be putting EZ's on my list of places to try again.  The burger is not good enough to make up for having nothing to drink.  After seeing a few of their pizzas, I may be tempted to brave the lack of drinks to try the pizza.

New Mandarin Chinese Restaurant

New Mandarin

212 E. Oltorf St.

Austin, TX 78704-5531

 

Today's review is on carry out food, which is not new, but this time someone else went out to bring it back, so I got it probably 15 or more minutes after it was prepared.
 

Now, if you remember my review of Rice Bowl Cafe, you may remember that I was looking for another restaurant in the same area of town.  Well, that was Mandarin Chinese and I think they may be connected with the north Austin Mandarin that went out of business about two years ago.  I say this because the New Mandarin website is using exactly the same template as the site for the out-of-business Mandarin website.  Fortunately, the south Austin Mandarin, or New Mandarin is still going strong.
 

I ordered my usual.  Sesame Chicken, Hot and Sour Soup, Fried Rice and it came with an eggroll.
 

The Hot and Sour Soup is quite peppery, and quite good.  Now, I am a fan of Hot and Sour Soup, but mostly I am fan of Hot and Sour Broth.  I do not mind the egg, but the mushrooms, tofu and other ingredients are not something I care for.  I tend to skim off the broth and leave the rest.  Well, when I got to the bottom of the bowl, I found that there wasn't much left, so I give them an extra point for giving me lots of broth.
 

The Eggroll was in the box with the rice and chicken, so it is a bit soggy, though it does retain some of it's crunch.  Tasty enough, considering that I did not have to move from my desk to enjoy it.
 

The sauce is quite dark, and a bit less sweet than average, but still good. The chicken is cut into smallish pieces and mostly cooked properly.  As I am eating it, I hit occasional pieces that are a little overdone and chewy, but mostly the chicken is done correctly.  The pieces are well coated, but there is not an abundance of sauce.
 

In an unusual but welcome surprise, there are no vegetables or onions in the fried rice.  It's a bit bland, but a little soy sauce takes care of that.  I wish there were more of the sesame chicken sauce to mix with the fried rice.
 

I managed to miss New Mandarin in my own searches for Chinese restaurants, but I will be happy to give them another try.

Great Austin Burger Hunt - Burger Tex

Burger Tex
5420 Airport Blvd
Austin, TX  87851
(512) 453-8772

 

I ordered the #3 with Swiss Cheese. That is a half pound burger with fries and a drink.  I was prepared to be disappointed when I saw that they serve Pepsi, but then I saw that they have Diet Dr. Pepper so it is okay.  The building on Airport is really old and when you walk in it looks like an old Barbeque joint, with unfinished wood floors, or at least it looks like they have not been refinished in my lifetime.  Now, don't take that as a negative, I didn't.  Small hole in the wall burger places are often very good, and though this one is not all that small it does have that hole in the wall feel to it.

 

The food came quickly and then I had to hit the salad bar for condiments and fixings.  That makes it feel a little like Fuddruckers, but again, that is not a negative.  The first bite of my burger had me very impressed.  I would have to judge it a little below Phil's Icehouse, but Burger Tex might be in second place. To the lady in front of me, the gentleman behind the counter was bragging that they make their own buns, and that may be true, but it is not much to brag about.  There is nothing wrong with them, but they just do not add much to the experience.  I do have to give them one plus point for having brown mustard.

 

I was tempted to ask if they double fry their fries, because they were excellent with a very crispy crust that I associate with double frying.  They were good from first to last and never got soggy and saggy.

 

Overall, I was very impressed.  The burger was tasty, and the fries were great.  Burger Tex goes on the short list of places that I will look forward to visiting again.