Island Burgers and Shakes: Gluttony at its finest

May 30, 2008

65 varieties of flame-grilled burgers or grilled chicken sandwiches (called churascos). Sixty five! And that’s not counting your own creations. The possibilities are limitless, but once you decide on what you want, I went with a Tijuana ($9.25, pictured below), with bacon, jack, guacamole, and sauteed onions, you’re in for a heart-stopping treat. Island Burgers loses points for not serving fries, but they have a reason why and they offer 2 other potatoey snack options instead. Read on for amazing photos and the inside information.

The “no fries” issue is one that’s addressed on the back of Island Burgers’ menu. Lack of funds initially prevented the existence of a deep fryer, but as time went on and funds increased, there wasn’t even room for a fryer or an expansion. Instead Island Burgers offers Dirty Potato Chips and “Real Big Baked Potatoes”. I haven’t tried either, instead I grabbed some fries from Ted’s Montana Grill, near my office.

The Tijuana burger is a beast.

The flame grilled burger arrived warm despite delivery from 9th Avenue to 6th Avenue.
Jack Cheese arrived melty but not spicy. I like to see some jalapenos in my jack cheese.
Bacon was crisp but portion was lacking. I counted two big strips. I need at least three or four on a burger like this to give the bacon the flavor presence it deserves.
The guacamole was creamy and fresh. The cilantro didn’t overpower the burger as one might imagine.
The sauteed onions, which tasted like they’d been sprinkled with Cajun seasoning, weren’t crispy at all and soggied up the top bun almost halfway through. I could do without these if they’re not going to be crispy.

The beef wasn’t very flavorful on its own, but it possessed a nice outer char and it was loosely packed, fatty, and cooked to order.

Conclusion

Since the burger was so loosely packed, the nice outer char was essential. It was tasty and really held the entire thing together.
The best method of attack was cutting it in half.
The bun was fluffy but not airy, it had some well-needed structure which helped absorb the moisture of the onions, guacamole, and burger patty.
The no fries was an annoyance because I had to coordinate the timing of getting fries from somewhere else and the arrival of my burger delivery. Maybe next time I’ll just try a classic baked potato ($5) with bacon, butter, sour cream, cheddar, and chives.
I’ve heard good things about their namesake shakes but at $4.75 each, I was hesitant to get it by delivery. If I have the chance to eat at Island Burgers, I’ll definitely check it out.