Beef, Buns and Paradise - Mammoth Cheeseburger (4 stars)

1201 East Patrick Street
Frederick, MD 21701

Phone:  (301) 631-0188
Website: http://beefnbunsnparadise.com/index.htm
Single location

Time of Visit:  May 17, 2015 at 12:30 pm

My Order:  Mammoth Cheeseburger

                     Onion Rings
                     Small Butterscotch Milkshake

 

Although I have lived in Frederick for many years, for some reason I had never tried this place.  After seeing good reviews I made a point to visit.  Their building looks like a house, so if you don’t know where to look, you might not be expecting it.  Their big sign out front does help.  The decorations are beach style and kitschy, plus there are many amusing signs.  You order by stepping inside to the counter.  The large menu is posted next to the window.  You can wait inside or out and they call your name when the order is ready.  If you are outside, you pick up your order at the side window.  Overall, a good experience and I will probably visit again to try some different things.

Burger Rating = 3.8 (****)

Presentation, Overall Rating 3

Since this is basically a carryout restaurant, the food came in individual Styrofoam containers in a bag.  Nothing fancy, but adequate, a 3.

Meat, Overall Rating 4

I like my burgers cooked well done and the patty was done right, cooked all the way through.  It could have used a little more browning on the outside.  I do give them credit for using locally-sourced, fresh meat.  A good solid burger, a 4.

Bun, Overall Rating 4

The bun was a Kaiser roll, split and lightly toasted.  It had a good flavor and held together well, a 4.

Toppings, Overall Rating 3.8

American cheese:  The cheese was well melted over the burger, a 4.
Lettuce:  Fresh shredded lettuce, but nothing fancy, a 4.
Dill Pickles:  Good dill pickles, a 4.
Onion slices:  Fresh onion, separated into rings, well distributed across the burger, a 4.
Mustard:  Regular yellow ballpark mustard, nothing wrong with it, but nothing special, a 3.

Balance/Taste, Overall Rating 4

Overall a good burger, but two criticisms:  1)  The bun and the patty did not quite match in size, such that my last two bites were nothing but bun and toppings, no patty.  2)  I like mustard, but it seems to overwhelm the flavor of the burger.  The sandwich held together well until the final bites.  Not perfect, but really good, a 4.

 

Other Notes:

Location and Access

The place was easy to find, right on the street.  A big sign out front makes it easy to spot.  Coming from the west, it might be harder to pull into if there is traffic at the light.  There is only limited parking, about a dozen spots in their lot, but there is additional parking on the street next to it.

Facilities

This is an older building, but it seems to be clean and kept up.  There is only limited seating and it is only outside, a definite negative if the weather is bad.  One big negative is there are no public restrooms.  But, it is basically a take-out place.

Staff and Service

The woman at the counter was very friendly.  When I replied that, yes, it was my first time, she made some suggestions.  Since they weren’t too busy, one of the men came around to the picnic tables to make sure everything was okay.  There was no problem in placing my order.  There were LOTS of options, so if someone doesn’t want a burger, that’s not a problem.  It does take a little while to get your order, but they make everything to order, so that’s to be expected.  When your order is ready, they announce it over the outside speaker, clearly enough to be understood.  The service was excellent.

Sides

Onion Rings:  These were GREAT!!  They were probably some of the best onion rings I’ve had.  They were batter-dipped and fried really crispy.  They even passed the bite test and each bite came off clean and the onion didn’t pull out from the coating.  These were great on their own and didn’t need any condiments.
Butterscotch Milkshake:  This was a really good milkshake.  The small size was still 16 oz. and more than enough for the meal.  It had a good butterscotch flavor and a pleasant thickness, thick but not too thick to sip through the straw.  Really good, but I wouldn’t call it the best I’ve ever had.

Value

I can’t help but feel it was a little overpriced for what I got at a take-out place.  I just don’t like to pay $15 for a meal in a bag.  It was more in line for what you might pay at a sit-down place where they wait on you, like Red Robin or Glory Days.  But, I did get a shake, and that always adds to the cost.  I didn’t feel cheated or anything.