eat brgz, Fast-Casual Hamburger Chain with Mix-In Toppings, Open on 7th Street SE near Eastern Market

[Pat]

I got takeout from the fairly new Brgz hamburger place across from Eastern Market last night.  The fries were thin, crispy, and good. The burger I got was okay. The dipping sauce ("spicy ranch") that came along with what I ordered was not good. It was watery thin and tasted more of sour than spicy or ranch.

The concept behind the restaurant is that the "toppings" are mixed into the meat, so they are not actually toppings. It put me in mind of the mix-in ice cream places that used to be popular (or maybe still are?). Before embarking on my visit, my tiny poll of two people I know who had eaten there resulted in one person who thought the food was fine but too expensive for what it is and the other absolutely HATED the concept.  This is not the place for someone who wants bacon and cheese on top of the burger.

I got the signature Buffalo Burger, which included the following: Celery, Carrots, Scallions, Blue Cheese, and Buffalo Seasoning. I swear there were small bits of pickle in this burger. Either than or something in the seasoning quick pickles the celery bits or scallions. I couldn't figure it out because I knew it didn't have pickles listed, but something sure tasted like tiny pieces of pickle.

In addition to the 8 signature burgers, they also have a build your own option. All the burgers are $9. I can see this being a good place to go to if some people want vegetarian or non-red meat options. In addition to beef (which I got), they have chicken and impossible burgers. So if you want bacon mixed into your vegetarian burger, it appears you can do that.

The concept worked okay for me. I didn't love it and didn't hate it. The only outright bad thing was the dipping sauce. The price could have been lower, but it wasn't obscenely expensive. I'd stop by for the $4 fries again.

[DonRocks]

On 10/19/2019 at 11:33 AM, Pat said:

I got the signature Buffalo Burger, which included the following: Celery, Carrots, Scallions, Blue Cheese, and Buffalo Seasoning. I swear there were small bits of pickle in this burger. Either than or something in the seasoning quick pickles the celery bits or scallions. I couldn't figure it out because I knew it didn't have pickles listed, but something sure tasted like tiny pieces of pickle.

In addition to the 8 signature burgers, they also have a build your own option. All the burgers are $9. I can see this being a good place to go to if some people want vegetarian or non-red meat options. In addition to beef (which I got), they have chicken and impossible burgers. So if you want bacon mixed into your vegetarian burger, it appears you can do that.

I suspect you solved your own mystery - someone almost surely mixed pickle into the Buffalo Burger blend; nothing you mentioned sounds like it could have mimicked pickle (especially not sweet pickle).

Ah, Steve's Ice Cream in College Park, the memories.

[Pat]

1 hour ago, DonRocks said:

I suspect you solved your own mystery - someone almost surely mixed pickle into the Buffalo Burger blend; nothing you mentioned sounds like it could have mimicked pickle (especially not sweet pickle).

Ah, Steve's Ice Cream in College Park, the memories.

Most likely somebody did mistakenly throw a handful or scoopful of pickle bits instead of celery into the mix. That would be the most logical explanation.

I realized when I walked back by again that the "eat" that is part of the web url is actually on the signs on the restaurant. So technically the name is "eat brgz." The building fronts on two streets (it's at the northeast corner of the re-opened C St.), and has signs on the outside of the building on both C and 7th. I checked both of them yesterday.

[Pat]

I picked up an order from here the other night. I got the Memphis BBQ beef burger (Sautéed Mushrooms, Caramelized Onion, Aged Cheddar, BBQ Seasoning), which comes with a tasty bbq dipping sauce. My husband had the Capitol Fire burger with chicken, and the combination of hot seasonings (Jalapenos, Bell Pepper Medley, Scallions, Pepperjack, Fire Seasoning) worked well with chicken. He really enjoyed the Fire Sauce that came with it, after he adjusted to the heat level. It's hot. 

We each had an order of fries, which was probably too much, but I was really craving fries. With this and the leftovers of a salad we had on hand, we were stuffed. We finished everything but the dipping sauces, but they were both fantastic on some Costco rotisserie chicken we had for lunch the next day.