Good Stuff Eatery, Burgers, Fries, and Shakes in Capitol Hill and Crystal City

[monsterriffs]

I saw the same today. I picked up a menu and almost went in myself. The items certainly sound tempting (applewood smoked bacon, farmhouse cheddar, etc.). It looks like this may be a very welcome addition to the Hill lunch scene.

Provided they don't give out free Spike hats.

[DonRocks]

Hmm...It seems to me that he has made it very clear that his main interest in the Washington area is as a less competitive and more easily star-struck launching pad for his franchise operations than New York would be.

Charming he may be, but his failure in his many media opportunities to recognize and show respect to the real chefs ahead of him who have worked here for years and have earned their accomplishments--most notably Mssrs Richard and Ruta, whose burgers truly are unsurpassed, if not unequaled (and Tom Power's too, if he ever brings them back!)--is certainly graceless, if not entirely enough to deny him the benefit of the doubt.

At least according to the terms of the restaurant world.

Mendelson Strikes Back

Does anyone know if this 2005 CIA graduate will be here permanently running the restaurant? Just as importantly, will Good Eats cook to medium-rare?

Click.

[Tujague]

Bob and I decided to grab an early (11:30) lunch here today, and the place was at best semi-chaotic. It wasn't so much the number of people, but that they really didn't have their ordering and pick-up system in order at all. You stand in line, order and pay from the cashier, who then mumbled a direction to go to Spike to pick up a beeper to let you know when your order is ready. I didn't catch that direction from my cashier, so I didn't get my beeper right away. What seemed to confuse people is that their order numbers and beeper numbers didn't match up, so orders were getting confused right and left. Bob ordered a plain farmhouse burger and wound up with a bacon cheeseburger. I waited another 15 minutes to get my order (even though he ordered after me). After awhile they cut off new customers from entering trying to deal with all the mix-ups and increasingly frustrated patrons. Spike's mom and dad were trying to help out but they seemed to be confusing each other that much more, and they got very snappish with one another.

The food? I had a perfectly fine farmhouse cheeseburger--juicy with a nice sauce, medium to medium rare inside, though not overly flavorful, a good, not gut-busting size. The handcut fries were okay, but seemed more like the stubby leftovers from the batch. They were giving out samples of the toasted marshmallow shake, which was tooth-achingly sweet. I'd go back if I thought they could get their ordering act together. I think it would work better if the cashier gave the customer the beeper rather than having the customer go to the pick-up counter--and to make clear the beeper number, not the number on the receipt is what you respond to. What role the cooking line had in the confusion is hard to say.

The whole kerfuffle about Spike dissing the gourmet burgers of DC seems sort of silly from both sides, once you've been there. Palena, Central, or even Ray's Hellburger isn't really what's on his radar--his target seems more like Five Guys (and maybe Fuddruckers). That makes Spike's comments seem much more silly and naïve than arrogant, and the critical responses misplaced as well. Taken as a Five Guys competitor, it should do quite well once (and if) it works out the kinks.

[bookluvingbabe]

My boss and a coworker went today (I was home with a sick baby) and reported that it was a madhouse, expensive, too long of a wait but a Really Good Burger in the end.

[monsterriffs]

Mendelson Strikes Back

Erm, I think that that sign is targeting McDonald's rather than ML, as evidenced by this close-up.

[DonRocks]

Erm, I think that that sign is targeting McDonald's rather than ML, as evidenced by this close-up.

No shit Sherlock and thanks for ruining my one moment of being funny. :lol:

[monsterriffs]

No shit Sherlock and thanks for ruining my one moment of being funny.

Happy to deny you of any happiness.

[JoeHoya]

FWIW, Good Stuff already has the candy combo on site - Spike's fellow chef is Mike Colletti, so the Spike & Mike team-up is set.

Somewhere the animation festival organizers are wondering what all the fuss is about.

[davidphotek]

Spike: “I saw Five Guys grow pretty quickly in this area,” Mendelsohn says. “I do like their burgers, but I find their burgers a little too greasy. It’s a heart attack waiting to happen. You kind of feel like going to the gym afterwards. That’s what I don’t want you guys to feel when you come over to my place. I want you to feel good about eating my burger. You’re going to feel good about eating a really tasty burger.”

Would someone please tell me how much more healthy Spike's burgers are in terms of calories and cholesterol ? I had a double cheeseburger at GSE and it was delicious - it tasted like a 1,000 calorie bomb in my stomach - and I loved every bite. That's why I ordered it.

I wish Spike would stop insulting folks' intelligence.

[Sthitch]

Spike: “I saw Five Guys grow pretty quickly in this area,”

Yeah, between 1986 and 2004 they grew at a blistering pace of .3 restaurants a year. I have plenty of issues with the present quality of 5 Guys food, but they built a reputation for providing people with what they wanted before deciding that they wanted to turn it into a regional or even national chain. Maybe Spike should look at how they did that instead of how they grew quickly once they were firmly established.

I do have to agree about not feeling clean after eating a 5 Guys burger, but it is a shower not a trip to the gym that calls to me.

[teddyk]

What a shockingly political thread for a new Hill restaurant!

Putting that aside, I and two friends ate there today. I had the smokehouse burger (great quality bacon, good ketchup with a kick and sweet onion rings), Village Fries (a little stubby, spices were good, and dipping sauce -- particularly sriacha, were very good) and Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake, so good it should be illegal.

The ordering system remained chaotic, but I think once the celebrity factor lessens and the crowd reaches a more reasonable size, it will improve. All told, about thirty minutes from line to food service.

We will happily return.

[Banco]

All told, about thirty minutes from line to food service.

I look forward to trying this place but shall wait for the lines to diminish. I was there at 1:15 today and the line out the door must have been at least 20-people long.

[youngfood]

I look forward to trying this place but shall wait for the lines to diminish. I was there at 1:15 today and the line out the door must have been at least 20-people long.

Probably a good idea based on my experience tonight as they were packed and are not somewhere to that I will rush to return to. This is a good addition to the Hill (for what that is worth), but for anyone who tried Rays last week it is almost sure to pale in comparison. I liked my burger much better than Five Guys, but I really don't think that is saying much. Big picture, this is probably the best burger on the Hill (only real competition seems like the pimento cheeseburger at Taqueria Nationale on mondays for lunch which is too inconsistent: sometimes great, othertimes overcooked and overseasoned - though I will have to try Argonaut's) and likely to do well given its location, competition and otherwise tasty and reasonably priced product, but not somewhere that is or should be a destination. Most exciting parts of my burger was the applewood smoked bacon. Otherwise average sized, average beef taste, average looking tomato and lettuce. I tried the regular fries which were mediocre as well - not quite crisp enough on the outside, not quite creamy enough inside, not quite seasoned enough to be otherwise noteworthy, the onion rings were more exciting - made with Vidalia onions and nicely breaded, the toasted marshmallo shake fun, but not going to put any serious ice cream shop out of business. It is hard to be more descriptive about this spot: it beats Five Guys, it is not competition for Rays and it does not change the face of DC dining.

I'm certain GSE isn't top five burgers in town and doubt it is top ten. After Palena, Central and Rays, I've got Eat Bar, Chef Geof's and Taqueria Nationale all well ahead.

[Tujague]

I wonder if the lack of table service and fights for tables will make GSE less appealing to families than it might otherwise be (as someone also noted about Ray's Hell-Burger). Also, it occurs to me that with nearly all the seating upstairs, with only some high tables in the mobbed front area, that this place is also not very friendly to folks in wheelchairs or other special physical needs, unless they want to eat outdoors.

[MsDiPesto]

No families?

I'm there!

[Apples & Bananas]

I don't want to keep adding to the idea that there's nothing but hate out there for Spike and this restaurant, but I just wanted to post a quote (along with the associated paragraph) of his from the article about him in the Express today and get reactions:

Tall and lanky, with a wiry beard and a rotating collection of pork-pies, fedoras, and panamas, Evangelos "Spike" Mendelsohn left his job and his digs for what he calls the next gastronomic frontier: "D.C. is the next big food city. It's like Vegas was a few years ago. And nobody is doing what we are yet. We're paving a way for ourselves here in D.C., but also, we're paving a new direction for the food culture here."

Discuss.

[mdt]

I don't want to keep adding to the idea that there's nothing but hate out there for Spike and this restaurant, but I just wanted to post a quote (along with the associated paragraph) of his from the article about him in the Express today and get reactions:

Tall and lanky, with a wiry beard and a rotating collection of pork-pies, fedoras, and panamas, Evangelos "Spike" Mendelsohn left his job and his digs for what he calls the next gastronomic frontier: "D.C. is the next big food city. It's like Vegas was a few years ago. And nobody is doing what we are yet. We're paving a way for ourselves here in D.C., but also, we're paving a new direction for the food culture here."

Discuss.

Has this guy actually been around the city to see what the city has to offer? Maybe some journalist type folk will interview him and ask him to explain his statements in a bit more detail.

For a place that has been described here as competition for Five Guys those are some pretty funny words. Does he really think that a burger place is bringing culture to the food scene here?

[tripewriter]

Discuss.

The quote from the Express article essentially reinforces the impressions I posted upthread.

"Hat" indeed.

[Spiral Stairs]

"...And nobody is doing what we are yet. ...."

He's right. No one else is operating a burger restaurant located at 303 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E. I really don't see how you can argue with that.

I posted a mild defense of Spike upthread, and do still intend to eat his burger. But the "D.C. is a cowtown" attitude is getting a little grating. (I'm from Kansas City. I know whereof I speak.)

[theakston]

[Sthitch]

"Hat" indeed.

I find this fascinating, I too find his condescending statements about DC dining scene annoying, however, there are plethora of other examples of chefs in this city making similar statements, especially those that are disparaging about their customers but these chefs are fawned over.

Too bad for Spike that he couldn’t keep his mouth shut before he became a sacred cow.

[monsterriffs]

Before Spike's arrival, we were still eating roast mutton and garum, and drinking mead.

Still, I'm gonna check out the GSE because a good burger is still a good burger.

[mdt]

I find this fascinating, I too find his condescending statements about DC dining scene annoying, however, there are plethora of other examples of chefs in this city making similar statements, especially those that are disparaging about their customers but these chefs are fawned over.

Too bad for Spike that he couldn’t keep his mouth shut before he became a sacred cow.

Care to elaborate?

[edenman]

Too bad for Spike that he couldn’t keep his mouth shut before he became a sacred cow.

The best beef comes from sacred cows.

[porcupine]

"D.C. is the next big food city. "

Discuss.

DC was the next big food city; now it's the next big burger city. And I had hoped it was going to be the next big pizza city.

[meatwad]

Steve Ells couldn't make as many D.C. kitchens laugh with a 6' barbacoa...

[pizza man]

DC was the next big food city; now it's the next big burger city. And I had hoped it was going to be the next big pizza city.

[mxyzptlk]

My wife and I went here tonight. I guess we arrived during a relative lull as the line outside was only 2 people deep when we showed up.

On the continuum of burgers, here is how they stack up with me....(100 being best and 1 being worst):

99.98--Ray's Hell-Burger

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|

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52.00--Good Stuff

51.25--Johnny Rockets

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45.00--Five Guys

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32.00--Ben's Chili Burger Sub

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15.00--Checkers

14.75--White Castle

14.50--Sonic

13.00--Wendy's

12.50--Burger King

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5.10--McDonalds

4.50--Old-school original MRE dehydrated beef patty

[Spiral Stairs]

I made a special trip here (well, not that special -- one side of Capitol Hill to the other) today, but found it was inexplicably closed when I showed up, a little after noon. (I checked the website before leaving; according to the site, it opens at 11 a.m. on Sundays.) The only sign on the window said they would be closed from 3:30 to 5:30 every day. A couple other people were gathered outside, similarly confused.

How about a fricking sign? Annoying.

Time didn't permit a trip to Ray's (which is why I headed toward this place to begin with), so we had to settle for the decidedly less exciting Five Guys.

[Pat]

The only sign on the window said they would be closed from 3:30 to 5:30 every day.

I was talking to someone who tried to go there for dinner this week (Wednesday, I think) and got there about 5:20, only to discover that they had sold out of everything during lunch and were closed from 3:30 to 5:30 to restock. It didn't sound as though it was a set policy, but maybe they've needed to make it one. They seem to be more slammed than they anticipated. (The same person who had this experience also reported having tried the mushroom, turkey, and beef burgers. He thought they were all good but raved and raved about the turkey burger.)

[JoeHoya]

How about a fricking sign? Annoying.

They had a sign up when I was there on Friday at lunchtime. Said something to the effect of "we will be closed on Sunday to regroup" after being slammed every day this week. Wonder where it went?

[arglennon]

I made a special trip here (well, not that special -- one side of Capitol Hill to the other) today, but found it was inexplicably closed when I showed up, a little after noon. (I checked the website before leaving; according to the site, it opens at 11 a.m. on Sundays.) The only sign on the window said they would be closed from 3:30 to 5:30 every day. A couple other people were gathered outside, similarly confused.

How about a fricking sign? Annoying.

Time didn't permit a trip to Ray's (which is why I headed toward this place to begin with), so we had to settle for the decidedly less exciting Five Guys.

I, too, made a special trip to GSE today. I had coordinated a lunch with my family (wife, infant son) and my 85 year old father who metro-ed in from Rockville with my niece and her fiancée who just arrived from Denver. CLOSED -Hello?. Very annoying. Thanks for the notice on the website (or, something)!

[Sthitch]

This Craigs List posting is more than a bit creepy (h/t eater.com)

[alaaro]

I ate there last nite and it was pretty good. It is what it is - a very good take out burger place. It's the next iteration of Five Guys. I got the Smokehouse with Vermont Cheddar, bacon, fried vidalia onions, and bbq sauce. My only gripe was the portion size with the fries and onion rings. My party of 4 got a large fries and an order of onion rings to share, but it was way too little food. I definitely liked the various mayo's, especially the chipotle mayo and the old bay mayo.

The line wasnt bad. They had people waiting outside until the inside line died down. Little wait, but it's popular, have to expect that.

I'm torn though as to which new burger place is better. The burger at Ray's Hell was massive, really juicy, with great flavor. Literally they are grinding tenderloin into burgers. At GSE, it's premade patties, but the finished product is pretty good - the sauces and the fries/o-rings really complete the meal.

Give me a burger from Ray's Hell, and some o-rings with chipotle mayo and a toasted marshmallow milkshake from GSE, and I would be all set.

[DanielK]

This Craigs List posting is more than a bit creepy (h/t eater.com)

Gone. Still in your cache, by any chance?

[Sthitch]

Gone. Still in your cache, by any chance?

Eater still has the very creepy text on its site.

[turbogrrl]

Gone. Still in your cache, by any chance?

[bonaire]

Went by here last night after bocce. I liked my burger -- it was a simple cheeseburger w/ just the "special sauce" and a pickle. It was about medium rare, which is how I like it. Boyfriend's burger, however, was quite well-done -- fortunately, he likes it that way. He got the some sort of double bacon cheeseburger concoction which he believes is far better than Five Guys. He's actually going back tonight for more. I'm not sure I'd have liked my burger that much if it had been well-done. I will be interested to see when I go back if a request for a level of "doneness" can be accomodated (I didn't ask this time, just lucked out).

I also had the toasted marshmallow shake. Now, I'm a sweet lover, so I really liked this -- thought the whole toasted marshmallows in the shake was a nice touch. However, I'd plead w/ the power that be to offer smaller sizes! I adore sweets and couldn't even get down 1/3 of this shake.

All in all, good meal, but this will be a "drop by if in the area" place rather than a "I MUST DRIVE AN HOUR RIGHT NOW FOR THIS BURGER" place. Unless they make tinier milk shakes, then I may have a problem....

[scj32]

Was there today for lunch for the first time. As many have observed, line snaked down Penn. Ave., while the line actually inside the restaurant was no more than 10 people long. Only burger place, I have ever been to with a bouncer at the door. Fortunately, it was the coolest day we have had in awhile.

After planning on ordering the generic "Lunch Bag" (Cheeseburger, Fries, and a Drink), my eyes caught one of the line cooks preparing the 5 Napkin Burger. As he put the top bun on, the yolk from the fried egg dripped down the side of the burger and I was sold.

I would say the burger was slighlty tastier and juicier than 5 guys, but the bun, cheese, bacon, sauce, and egg (which is not even an option at 5 guys) were much better. Haven't yet been to Ray's, but with Palena being in a league of it's own, I would like to compare this to Urban Burger (which I haven't been to in awhile). I think that would be a close call so I have to swing back by Urban this weekend.

Fries were way better than 5 Guys. I feel like 5 Guys fries taste like your ingesting peanut oil. These had a slight crisp to them with the perfect amount of oil and I loved the cracked pepper on them. That put them over the edge for me.

Not sure what happened with the fries, but I ordered a large fries. Got to my table and the bag seemed somewhat small and was pretty much the same as what my friends had who ordered smalls. I went down to Spike and told him I ordered a large. He said "no problem" and came back with the same size bag (could have even been the same bag but I could not see) this time filled to the top. I am guessing he just topped off my bag, but I still seriously doubt that it was large. Has anyone ordered the large fries that could confirm what I should have gotten.

No shake this time. Something to look forward to to next time.

I definitely will be back maybe on an every other week rotation as its a 15 minute walk from my office, but is clearly far better than anything else close to my office with the possible exception of Tacqueria Nacionale.

[SrtaJRosa]

My dining companion and I met at gse to give it a taste. We both loved the chipotle mayo with our fries, although the fries themselves I would describe as "small and nubby." Mentioned it to Spike, who said the size is due to the type of potato they use for the fries. I asked what type of potato, but he said he couldn't tell me but that they are working on getting bigger potatoes. Why the big secret?

Loved my fountain root beer and the selection of sauces. I tried the chili cheese burger, which was "good stuff" and a little messy. I liked it, and it was cool to see Spike in person. I'd go back if I were in the neighborhood but probably won't make the trek out there with gse being my destination for going to Capitol Hill.

[demandalicious]

Why the big secret?

Exclusive organoponic farm fresh midget tranny taters, obviously. That crazy Spike! He's always got his fingers on the pulse of the hottest dining trends.

[mame11]

Needing to be on Capitol Hill today, I decided to try GSE for lunch. I was going to get a salad even though it is a burger place. I arrived at 11:10 to discover that they do not open until 11:30. Seems late for a lunch place. I opted to wait since I was not really on any kind of schedule.

I was toward the front of the line when the doors opened, there were probably 30 people in line at that point. Surprisingly they were not ready at the cash registers when the door opened, it seemed they were training two new people on the machines with Spike actually working the registers.

In the end I ordered a classic burger. It's a burger place after all. I opted for the burger as is so I could taste the quality of product. Here are my observations:

1) It came out of the bag looking like a burger from a fast food place of my youth as it was smushed.

2) At $5.35 I was suprised to find the patty was 1/3 the size of Ray's Hell, or put more accurately the same size as a McDonald burger from my youth.

3) It was HOT. It took no time for them to fill my order so they must have had a batch ready to go when the doors opened. The heat caused the the Good Stuff Sauce to be a runny mess, the tomato to cook and the pickle to wilt.

4) The meat was pressed into a perfect patty which made me wonder if they use a machine to press them (neither Tackle Box nor Rays do that).

I didn't get fries because I am trying to cut back and the ones that were prepared for the lunch rush didn't look tempting enough.

All in all, engh. It was definitely 100% better than the Five Guys burger I have had but not sure that is saying all that much. If I am craving a burger and on the Hill, I might go back. Otherwise I'll wait for Palena, Central, Rays, Tackle Box, Saint Ex to satisfy my craving. I still want to try a salad though so I might go back for that one day.

[bonaire]

2) At $5.35 I was suprised to find the patty was 1/3 the size of Ray's Hell, or put more accurately the same size as a McDonald burger from my youth.

I actually appreciated the size of the burger (although I agree the price may be an issue, I don't know enough about burgers to make a valid comparison). I just can't eat a huge hamburger in one sitting and find that leftovers are rarely as good. Something about it being too rich for me. Mine was slightly bigger than a Mickey D's burger and it was just about the right size for me. All of that being said, perhaps part of my problem was my attempt to conquer that massive shake!

[mdt]

Because I am loathe and too lazy to go through this entire thread so...if the burgers are being compared to those at the golden arches are they all cooked to well done or do they actually ask for temp? I cannot imagine that they could even get close if they are that thin.

[mame11]

Because I am loathe and too lazy to go through this entire thread so...if the burgers are being compared to those at the golden arches are they all cooked to well done or do they actually ask for temp? I cannot imagine that they could even get close if they are that thin.

Mine was well done. They did not ask what temp one would want. I think it is supposed to be more like 5 Guys and less like Rays Hell.

[squidsdc]

Because I am loathe and too lazy to go through this entire thread so...if the burgers are being compared to those at the golden arches are they all cooked to well done or do they actually ask for temp? I cannot imagine that they could even get close if they are that thin.

They didn't ask temp, but that never stops me from asking! I was there last Friday. The guy behind the register was really nice--when I asked if they cook to temp or not, he asked how I would want it; MR of course, and he said good, 'cuz that's how they usually come out. And lo' and behold, mine was MR. They were cranking and the waits for burgers were not long at all, but mine was not "mushed." It is a thinner patty, and definitely appeared like it may have been formed in a press, but I wouldn't say the meat was necessarily "pressed." Does that make sense? But I did enjoy it. I got the 5 napkin, and unfortunately forgot to take 5 napkins with me when I went upstairs to eat...big mistake. I definitely put it ahead of Five Guys, especially the fries. I got Spike's Village Fries and they were nicely crisp, not oily or soft like FG's usually are, and seasoned with cracked pepper, fresh rosemary and thyme. Quite tasty. They were out of ice cream when I arrived (3pm) so no milkshake to try.

I definitely would stop in again if I'm in the area...but I am rarely in the area.

[smithhemb]

How does it compare to The Burger Joint in Bethesda?

[Sthitch]

This bit of news makes me want to run over and give Spike's place a try. Maybe 5 Guys should concentrate on putting out a better burger and fries than protecting the sacred word Five.

[synaesthesia]

This bit of news makes me want to run over and give Spike's place a try. Maybe 5 Guys should concentrate on putting out a better burger and fries than protecting the sacred word Five.

Story's not true.

[youngfood]

Story's not true.

Nice investigative reporting!