Kseniya K.
Yelp
Came here for a super late brunch at 4pm, Saturday. The place was packed and remained so the entire time we were there. A poppin' local spot.
The ambiance is super casual. Large bar takes up a good portion of the space. Very loud noise levels. You won't be having any soulful conversations while here, so just prepare for talking very loudly and leaning in to hear what your company across the table are saying.
We weren't as lucky with our waitress as other patrons have been. She was curt and sulky. Other staff around us were very upbeat and welcoming, so can say positive feedback about the establishment's service level. Our waitress seemed to be the exception. She probably got off on the wrong foot in the morning so we felt uncomfortable interacting with her. We got a sense that she was annoyed with our decision to frequent this bar and wanted us out as soon as possible. She was probably having a bad day so we tried not to let her attitude influence our experience.
The bacon dusted fries ($7) were spectacular. A must try. Golden, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. The bacon dusting is brilliant--ads that punch of flavor that you'll be craving over and over.
The establishment claims that their burgers are all-natural, and sourced within a 250-mile radius in Nebraska. Read from their web, "Production is single-sourced, meaning when the animals are slaughtered they are all from the same farm. All animals are pasture-raised and grass-fed for the last 90 days of their healthy lives. We use ground beef chuck, beef brisket, all-natural pork shoulder, bacon, fresh garlic, and rosemary. You're not going to get burgers like this anyplace else in Portland, ME."
The last 90 days clause sounds ridiculous--so the animals can eat whatever for their entire, albeit short and unhappy, life, but if they're grass fed their last 90 days that is supposed to rectify all the prior damage? Nonetheless, have to say that my bf and I greatly enjoyed the burger patties, as they were flavorful, juicy, and tender.
As the name promise, the apocalypse burger ($21) will bring you into a high carb, high fat food coma upon its consumption. It comes with American cheese (we substituted for Swiss) crispy pork belly, smoked bacon, foie grass pate, mayo cherry jam on a grilled brioche bun. My first time trying foie grass pate on a burger, and as a foie grass connoisseur, I really enjoyed how well the pate paired with the burger patty. The pork belly was not necessary. The slab of fat didn't add anything to the dish so we left if out. Otherwise, all other ingredients combined well together. This was a very fatty burger, so prepare not to count your calories.
The mac and cheese burger ($14) with two patties, special sweet sauce, pickles, American cheese (we substituted for Swiss) and onions was simple but definitely a must try that exceeded my expectations. I'm not a fan of mac and cheese but this burger was masterfully conceptualized and executed so I finished every last crumb. A juicy, flavorful patty between two fried, crunchy blocks of mac and cheese. Very oily, leaving greasy residue on the plate, but it was worth it. You can splurge and treat yourself from time to time. Find an occasion and come here for the mac and cheese burger to do it.
Overall, a solid experience that I'd recommend to others and would like to enjoy again when visiting Portland.