Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage

Posted by Edmund in Boston, Burger, Featured Articles, Restaurants | 0 comments

Dec 22, 10

Cuisine: Gourmet Burger Restaurant/Slow Fast Food.
Location: 1246 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA.
Price: About $10 for a burger. $3-$5 for fries, milkshake, onion rings (each).

Before I headed over to Boston to check out Harvard, I had a chance to talk to a few friends of mine who lived in the area about the eating scene. When they found out I was staying in Harvard Square, they told me that I absolutely must try out Bartley’s, the burger joint of Boston.

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I was a little bit skeptical, needless to say. I’d heard of Bartley’s Burgers a couple times before, but I’ve really never had good luck with a restaurant/fast food joint that caters mostly to a college crowd (with the exception of Standburger in NYC). I hate to say it, but college students aren’t really the most discriminating eaters. But, if I’m going to go to Harvard next year, I’m going to need to find some good local eateries, and so I decided to see what the fuss was about at Bartley’s.

As I approached the restaurant (and yes, it is more of a restaurant than a simple fast food burger joint), I noticed a half-hour line forming in the back! I understand that any popular place should have a line—but this was at three o’clock on a Thursday. Now that’s popular! Lucky for me, as an individual, I was able to gain entrance almost immediately at the only open seat in the whole restaurant.

The experience wasn’t too bad either, as Bartley’s has a couple huge positives. First is the ambience, which was pretty cool, for lack of a better word. The restaurant is very small and cramped, like a true burger dive should be. But this one’s got some class, with jokes, lampoons, billboards, ads of famous celebrities, and Harvard gear covering all the walls. It feels like there’s some history here, as you see old black and white photos of the Beatles and Elvis, stop signs and warnings, Advil capsules, cigarette advertisements by Reagan, etc. It really is a nice compromise between old and new and even a bit charming. Seating will be cramped, but that’s honestly part of the charm of this place.

The service was another highlight. It was extraordinary for a burger joint. The waiters were respectful, referring to me as “sir,” always coming back and asking how everything was going, and giving me time at the end of the meal to leave whenever I want, even though a whole crowd of people was waiting outside. That excellence may actually have to do just as much with the city as anything else, though: I noticed that type of respectfulness throughout most of the city’s restaurants, as people tend to be more approachable and more service-oriented (compared to cities like NY). This is a place that knows how to cater to its customers and appreciates their business.

And finally, th selection is a big standout. The burgers themselves are quite unique, and the restaurant offers such a large variety that almost anyone can find something to like. This isn’t just a burger joint, serving high-quality, “slow fast food” burgers. It goes to the extreme and offers about 20 options.

The problem, though, is that the taste doesn’t quite live up to the hype. The burger I ate had tons of toppings to it, just as I like my burgers, but the meat didn’t hold up. That’s really a fundamental error for a burger joint. It doesn’t matter what toppings you add on—if the meat doesn’t perform, then none of the burgers are going to be outstanding. Making matters worse, I didn’t have a fantastic experience with my sweet potato fries or the “award-winning” onion rings.

I won’t elaborate further here (it’s all down below), but as far as burger joints go, Bartley’s Burgers had everything going for it except for the food, which is a shame because you really don’t find burger restaurants with so much atmosphere, service, and just an all-around fun vibe. I guess I’ll just have to keep searching for a great quick meal in Harvard Square.

What I Tasted

1. Elvis Frappe (Chocolate with Reeses PB cups and banana): Really solid flavors all around.  Everything is pronounced—the chocolaty sweetness, the heavy PB influence (with chunks of actual PB cut into it probably, considering how strong the taste is), and a really nice fruitiness, especially in the aftertaste. The flavors come sequentially (chocolate to PB to fruit), and the banana definitely helps to balance out some of the bold sweetness. Thick, but extremely smooth and drinkable, and even though it seems there are chunks in it, it seems they are ground perfectly. Unfortunately, it’s still cloying—not so much that you can’t drink it easily, but just enough that it does detract from the whole shake, especially since the restaurant gives you such an inordinate amount. 4.2/5.0
2. Onion Rings: These are greasy suckers! They are just drenched in oil, so that you feel a bit nauseous eating them all. They leave you feeling oily, for sure. And the onions are not really seasoned at all, so all you taste is the batter and the oil. In fact, I had to try drenching them in ketchup just to add flavor. Still, you can’t beat the fried batter on these rings. They are about as crunchy and perfectly flaky as possible, to the point that the batter actually chips off constantly. It’s like eating tempura, and an incredibly satisfying one at that. While I’m not a fan of these rings, just for that perfect batter, they can be very enjoyable. 2.8/5.0
3. Sweet Potato Fries: About as tasteless as sweet potato fries come. The whole point of sweet potato fries is to get a nice savoriness, but these fries really just taste like normal potatoes with a bit of a sweetness to them. They’re not seasoned either, making them seem even more bland. You might as well just peel a sweet potato and eat it, because the way these are fried, a lot of that sweet potato flavor is overshadowed by all the oil, so that there’s almost no sweet potato flavor. 1.3/5.0
4. The American Idol (Bacon, American Cheese, Grilled Onions, Mushrooms): This is one of the 3 most popular burgers Bartley’s serves, so I expected it to be great. This burger looks small, but it’s dense as can be. The patty is HUGE, so that you get an intense meatiness in every bite. However—and here’s the main problem with the burger—the meat is underseasoned and underflavored. It’s not even very succulent, so you don’t really get that intense savory flavor that you’d expect from a burger joint with this much of a reputation. Since the meat is so big, too, its taste really does overshadow everything, so there’s not much left to deal with afterwards. Still, the cheese was amazing—this is about as gooey and melted as cheese can get, and it amplifies every bite with a perfectly creamy flavor. The mushrooms and onions, too, are great, and they are just STACKED on like no tomorrow. The onions especially add a nice sweetness that this burger needs, given the boring flavor of the meat. The bun didn’t add much, but it was nicely crisped and held up under the heaviness of all the ingredients. Finally, the bacon is crisp and perfectly cooked, with a great savory fattiness to it. It’s just way too salty for me, and it can be offsetting. Overall, this burger wasn’t bad, but it was a disappointment. I do see, though, how something with a little more flavor—such as a burger with a special sauce of some kind—could be great here. Still, this is one of the 3 most popular burgers, and I’d expect far better. 3.2/5.0

Scores

Ambience: 3.5/5.0.
Service: 4.5/5.0. I don’t normally consider service for restaurants of this type, but Bartley’s is exceptional. It is some of the best and kindest you’ll ever find at a burger joint.
Taste: 3.0/5.0.
Value: 3.0/5.0. Pretty standard for a high-quality burger joint, but the portions are exceptional.
Overall Score: 3.5/5.0