TD Burger, Timothy Dean's Entry Into The Burger Wars at 3rd and K NE in NoMa and Capital Center in Largo

[DaRiv18]

"I'm back!"  So says the Timothy Dean poster outside this 3rd and K St NE restaurant.  My inner voice responds, "How long you gonna stay?"

I'm somewhat resigned that Barrack's Row will attract "more desirable" restaurants than H St NE, which I attribute to the spacious sidewalks that accommodate patio table service.  TD Burger has a unique advantage in H Street for having almost as much outdoor seating  as it does indoor seating (about 70 seats total).

This past Friday night, our large group decided to dine al fresco there.  The dining was a little closer to al Fresca, in that the menu "ostensibly cater to discriminating adult tastes" (to borrow from Wikipedia's entry) but delivers a somewhat hollow product.

 

Chef stated that his beef is grass fed and the burgers do present well.  Decent brioche bun.  But I heard that a real burger can't cost less than $10 in this town, and this basic $7.50 cheeseburger didn't taste like grass-fed beef to me.  Also, instead of Bibb lettuce per the menu, ye olde iceberg found its way to my plate.  And during happy hours, 4-7, you can get a burger and an Oktoberfest for $5.  Hmmmm.

 

POPville has the menu, my friend pronounced the The Jean-Louis ($13) delicious, with foie gras, rhubarb, mache, and black truffle aioli. 

 

The beer selection here is actually fairly good, I enjoyed a milk stout.  Before too long, I was enjoying the evening air with my friends and finished my burger almost as an afterthought.  Probably just as well.  I do think you actually get your money's worth here for DC, but not much more than that, if any.

[Kev29]

Yikes - watch Chef Dean smash his burgers dry in this trailer - http://video.pbs.org/viralplayer/2365086578/ (1:30 mark and on)

[Josh]

Yikes - watch Chef Dean smash his burgers dry in this trailer - http://video.pbs.org/viralplayer/2365086578/ (1:30 mark and on)

Anyone who tortures meat like that has no business opening a burger restaurant.  I am shocked and dismayed.