Review: TJ’s Restaurant and Drinkery

In my search for restaurants to review near work, I consulted Yelp! and came across TJ’s Restaurant and Drinkery. One of the reviewers claimed it was the best burger they had ever had. I checked their site and found out that they had won a “Best of the Mainline” award, that in addition to all the good reviews on Yelp! led me to put TJ’s on my short list of places to check out.

One chilly Wednesday afternoon, I rounded up some lunch mates and we headed down to TJ’s. It was a little hard to find in Paoli, but it was nice enough looking from the outside, with an ample parking lot.

I was pleasantly surprised at the decor inside of the restaurant. It was fun and modern, and divided into two different sections, the bar and the restaurant.

The menu was wonderful and full of so many interesting choices from the Appetizers, to the Panini, Frittatas, Burgers and Salads. Not only was the menu varied and large, but it had a very neat metal cover to boot.

As we had three people for lunch we decided to make strategic choices and try to sample as much as we could on the menu. We started off with the Mojo Chicken Quesadilla, as it came very highly recommended, but I also could NOT resist the Mac n Cheese, it just sounded so good. And to be honest, it did not disappoint. Instead of your typical elbow macaroni, TJ’s used cavatappi aka double elbows. A wonderful pasta for a more unique Mac and Cheese experience. The cheese sauce was superb, smooth and creamy, I think it was a lovely sharp white cheddar.

The quesadilla was also very tasty. A nice mixture of jack and cheddar cheeses, grilled chicken and jalapenos made it very nice combination. I would hardly call it the best I ever had but it was certainly better than average.

For mains, we split the duty of sampling the menu evenly, one of my lunch mates went for the burger to see if it truly lived up to the “best burger” rating given by the reviewer on Yelp. He ordred the Wild Mushroom Burger. A very large patty on a brioche roll, topped with smoked mozzarella and sauteed mushrooms. I snagged a taste and I have to say it was a very, very tasty burger. The mushrooms were tasty, the cheese was perfectly matched… quite a burger.

My other friend decided to give the Montchevré Chicken Panini a try. Pale ale marinated chicken, Montchevré goat cheese, caramelized onions and a orange vinaigrette combined to make an incredibly tasty panini. I will say that it was a bit messy but sometimes a good sandwich is!

I decided to go in an entirely different direction and sampled the Belgian Ale Shepherd’s Pie. Ground Beef in a beer flavored gravy, lots of fresh veggies and topped with mashed potatoes. It was positively delicious. I hadn’t had Shepherd’s Pie in quite some time and it really made me happy!

Our lunch at TJ’s was turning out so well that we all decided to go all the way and sample some desserts. My friends ordered the Apple Pie a la mode and the Peanut Butter Cheesecake. I went for something a bit out of the ordinary Thin Mint Cheesecake.

The Apple Pie was on point. A perfect slice of pie with a nice helping of vanilla ice cream, drizzled with caramel… I mean it’s kinda hard to mess up Apple Pie, but TJs was wonderful.

Now to the cheesecake. I have to say that while I was really pleased with the Peanut Butter Cheesecake, I was really disappointed with the Thin Mint Cheesecake. The cheesecake was something between a ricotta cheesecake and a New York style cheesecake. Not so sweet, and kinda creamy. It was a perfect match to the Peanut Butter. I’m going to go on record as saying this was the best Peanut Butter cheesecake I’ve ever had. I could have inhaled the entire thing!

Now what made the Peanut Butter so tasty, was also what made the Thin Mint (yes the Girl Scout Cookies) cheesecake not so great. The cheesecake itself was not too sweet so the Peanut Butter matched well, the Thin Mint cookies however, didn’t hold up as well. Their flavor was not quite strong enough to bring the mint flavor in. Not bad… but not at all as good as the Peanut Butter cheesecake.

All in all TJ’s Restaurant and Drinkery did not disappoint. Not only did I have a great meal from start to finish, but the atmosphere was fantastic. The service however was a bit slow, and I had to wait quite a bit for a refill on my water and they weren’t so great about clearing used plates, but that was minor blip on an other wise fantastic visit. 4 pans.

TJ’s Restaurant and Drinkery
35 Paoli Plz
Paoli, PA 19301
(610) 725-0100
www.tjsbeer.com

The Burger Lab: Salting Ground Beef via Serious Eats

Salt plays a major role in making burger for me. I have to give the guy who posted this lots of credit because he did all the work to show us how it would effects the beef. I do heavily salted my burger way before before cooking. That seems to be the wrong way of doing it. Also read into the comments, there are a lot of info to help you understand it a bit better. Thanks J. Kenji Lopez-Alt and Serious Eats for posting this.

Posted by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, December 11, 2009 at 7:30 AM

It’s time for another round of The Burger Lab. Got a suggestion for an upcoming topic? Email Kenji here, and he’ll do his best to answer your queries in a future post.

[Photographs: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt]

WARNING: This article contains graphic images of burgers being smashed, maimed, cut, tortured, and otherwise destroyed. The material is not suitable for children, pregnant women, or individuals who show an undue degree of compassion for ground beef.

DISCLAIMER: Before I get any comments along the lines of, “ugh—why are all those burgers overcooked? I’m a tough guy and like my meat bloody rare,” I’d like you to know that this week, I’m bending to the wills of several readers who requested more coverage of medium-and-beyond burgers. This one’s for you guys.

Read the original story at A Hamburger Today

Review: Geaux Burger

Mooyah’s now known as Geaux Burger was a fairly recent addition in the pantheon of burger choices in Austin.  Although there are many other, more established joints that offer a very good burger, Mooyah’s had something extra special that made their cow sandwiches so delectable. 

Now Mooyah’s had recently received a make-over as a result of franchising disputes.  I’m not comfortable with change when it comes to things that I already felt were perfect.  Thankfully, changes are purely aesthetic.  Instead of the family-friendly white and red décor, the establishment is now decked in LSU purple and other NCAA football team logos.  Oh and lots of TV’s.  Mooyah’s has now turned into a sports bar burger joint to my dismay but at least the food is still tasty as ever. 

So what makes a Geaux Burger so fantastic?  Let’s start with the bun.  Geaux Burger uses freshly baked bread, specially made for them.  I don’t think they are baked in house, but the freshness of the sesame seed bun is quite evident.  It has a nice soft texture with a subtle sweetness.  It’s also solid enough to hold their immense meat patties.

Speaking of which, Geaux Burger prides itself in its fresh beef.  The beef, although insanely thick like most places, is cooked just enough so it’s incredibly juicy.  Not tough but tender, not super greasy, and super moist, Geaux Burger has managed to create the perfect beef patty. 

To top it off, Geaux Burgers have a generous listing of toppings, all of which are free unlike some places.  My preference is lettuce, tomato, pickles, mayo, ketchup, jalapenos, onions.  Bacon was extra.  Even better is the fact that you can choose your cheese such as American, Swiss, Jack, etc.  What makes the burger perfect is the fact that its built well so that none of the toppings fall out or fall apart.      

As for the fries, they are cut in the store and fried to order.  They have a nice crispness and super tenderness on the inside.  To make them even yummier, they use a special spice rub that I can’t really describe.  They’re generous enough to offer it as a table season for which I am so grateful. 

I’m not super happy about the new design but at least the food hasn’t changed.  Geaux Burger offers a super juicy, super delish burger that will satisfy even the most snobbish of burger lovers such as myself.  Some might think it’s a little pricey (a double cheese burger with bacon, fries, and a drink was about $10), but the quality makes it totally worth it. 

Geaux Burger

9070 Research Blvd #303
Austin, TX 78758

In-N-Out

I’ve heard a lot about “In-N-Out” bugers from my friends who live on this side of the US. And while it’s not usually my style to seek out fast food for a meal, every once in a while you have a need for a quick meal and there’s nothing wrong with going after a good burger. So while in California, I decided to give In-N-Out Burger a try.

In-N-Out is one of those places that doesn’t do a very wide variety of foods, but what they do, they do well. The menu isn’t fancy, they don’t offer a whole lot of options, no value meal, no dollar menu. In fact on the menu there are just just 3 choices of burgers… unless that is, you know their hidden menu Which was created by In-N-Out patrons over the years.

The place has a clean 1950s burger joint look, kind of what you would see in Norman Rockwell painting. Everyone still wears a white uniform and paper hats (see above). In a way, they are a little like Johnny Rocket’s Restaurant.

I ordered the double-double combo (Burger, fries, and a drink) and everything was cooked to perfection, not something I expect from a fast food place. The burger was medium well, the fries hot and crispy, and the shake (strawberry) was really good. All that for a little more than $5. Not bad!!!

To top it off, the manager was going around to make sure everyone was happy with their food. That’s a nice touch for a fast food restaurant in my book. I understand though that I was lucky to run into a decent In-N-Out location as some aren’t but still, this one made a good impression.

Below are some of there “Hidden Menu Items”

“3-by-3″ = three meat patties and three slices of cheese.
“4-by-4″ = four meat patties and four slices of chees
“2-by-4″ = two meat patties and four slices of cheese.
“Double Meat” = like a Double Double without cheese.
“3 by Meat” = three meat patties and no cheese.
“Animal Style” = the meat is cooked and fried with mustard and then pickles, extra spread and grilled onions are added.
“Animal Style Fries” = fries with cheese, spread, grilled onions and pickles (if you ask for them).
“Protein Style” = for all you low-carbohydrate dieters, this is a burger with no bun (wrapped in lettuce).
“Flying Dutchman” = two meat patties, two slices of melted cheese and nothing else – not even a bun!
Fries “Well-Done” = extra crispy fries . . . even better than the regular!
Fries “Light” = opposite of fries well-done, more raw than most people like ‘em
“Grilled Cheese” = no meat, just melted cheese, tomato, lettuce and spread on a bun.
“Veggie Burger” = burger without the patty or cheese. Sometimes we call this the “Wish Burger.”
“Neapolitan” Shake = strawberry, vanilla and chocolate mixed together.

It would seem they pretty much have taken the Burger King Motto—”Have it Your Way”—to the next level because the friendly employees of In-N-Out Burger will happily take your special order without question.

I have yet to review any fast food places but I am going to write about this place because they are well above average. They are getting a 5 from me. If you are visiting the 4 states that they are in, California, Nevada, Utah, or Arizona… try them on for size

http://www.in-n-out.com/

Burger King’s Whopper—Windows 7 Edition. Really?

I saw this on one of the site that I frequent—Cheapassgamer.com. The Burger has a total of 7 patties on it. From the look of it, it is very dry. I don’t know, I like burgers as much as the next guy but that is just way too many patties, thank god it wasn’t Windows 95 or 98 launch. Click on picture for the video.

Windows 7 Burger from Burger King