Omakase Burger

A new burger joint at The Grandstand (formerly known as Turf City) that has been getting raves from the general press (never absolutely trustworthy). So the good thing is that this place has free parking. Lots of it. The place itself is spacious and very nicely done up with really chi chi lights, open ceilings and wooden chairs. Burger selections was basic: cheeseburger and its variations (with bacons, onions, etc). You can have it double too if you want. Price was not cheap at about $13.50 for a basic "omakase" cheeseburger (itself a misnomer...nothing "omakase" about it at all). You can add bout $2 more to add fries and a soda. There are french fries, sweet potato fries, the ubiquitous truffles fries, cheese fries and onion rings to choose from. Sodas are served in fancy, pretentious 250ml old-time bottles with a Bodum glass. (note: it is less than a standard can). The wait for the burger was about 10 minutes, which was not too bad given it is made to order (supposedly medium-doneness unless otherwise specified). I had the Omakase Burger which was small. Think MacD's Big Mac size. The beef was tender and juicy but lacked bite and beefiness. The juice was overwhelming such that the bottom bun became soggy. The patty lacked form and crumbled easily, and was definitely not medium-rare. The sweet potato fries was not bad. They had a nice crisp outer layer and was again, served in a Bodum glass. Unfortunately, this fancy way of presentation resulted in the bottom fries being soggy. It seemed to me that the price I pay is not worth the quality of the burger I get and that the consumers are instead paying for the fancy schmancy design and utensils.

Verdict: Will only come back if a) I'm at The Grandstand AND b) Valentino is closed AND c) I don't feel like eating anything else there.