Red Robin - Bleu Ribbon Burger (4 stars)

5582 Spectrum Drive
Frederick, MD 21703
Phone:  (301) 620-1081
Website: http://www.redrobin.com/

Multiple locations across the United States and Western Canada

Time of Visit:  May 21, 2015 at 11:45 am

My Order:  Bleu Ribbon Burger

                     Steak Fries
                     Peach Iced Tea

Red Robin is, of course, a large chain with many locations.  I visit this location often, as it is close and you can get a good meal.  I’ll admit I made this trip because I’m a member of their Royalty Club and I had a free burger coming.  Because of that, I ordered a burger I had never tried before, the Bleu  Ribbon Burger.  Although the food didn’t score exceptionally well, the non-food factors bump up the overall rating.

Burger Rating = 3.7 (****)

Presentation, Overall Rating 4

The food comes out on a small platter, with the fries placed in a silver-colored cone/cylinder.  Very attractive, but not something that takes your breath away, a 4.

Meat, Overall Rating 4

My burger was cooked just as I like it, cooked all the way through with no pink, yet there was still some juiciness to it.  Not dripping down your arms juicy, but not dry either.  It was char-grilled but didn’t have an overwhelming charred flavor.  Very good in my opinion, a 4.

Bun, Overall Rating 4

The standard bun option for this burger is an onion bun and I didn’t change that.  It was a good, firm bun that held up well in the sandwich, but wasn’t tough or dry.  It had a good flavor and went well with the burger, a 4.

Toppings, Overall Rating 3.5

Bleu cheese:  The cheese had good texture and tasted really good.  Bleu cheese doesn’t melt well over the burger, but just softened instead.  Because it was crumbles instead of a slice, the distribution across the burger wasn’t even and some bites had a lot of cheese while others had only a little or none.  Pretty average for Bleu cheese, a 3.
Steak sauce:  I can’t say this did a lot for the burger, but it wasn’t bad, a 3.
Chipotle aioli:  I didn’t really notice this and wouldn’t have known it was on the burger, except for the slight heat it gave the sandwich.  But, again, it wasn’t bad, a 3.
Tomato slices:  This was just very average tomatoes, like you can get in any supermarket out of season, so they didn’t add much flavor to the burger.  But since they did add a nice fresh juiciness that the sandwich needed, I’ll give them a 4.
Shredded lettuce:  I don’t think shredded lettuce adds much to a burger, other than a few greens for your diet.  When the lettuce is shredded, you lose the crisp bite of a lettuce leaf.  It didn’t detract from the burger, but sure didn’t add anything either, a 3.
Onion straws:  These were certainly the dominant topping on this burger.  They were crispy and held up well until the end, a 5.

Balance/Taste, Overall Rating 3

The burger maintained its integrity all the way to the end, which I think was mainly due to the onion bun.  The standard bun Red Robin uses sometimes doesn’t hold together, especially if moister toppings are used.  The onion straws dominated the flavor, although the bleu cheese bite did come out at times.  The bun was just a little too big for the patty.  While there was a little meat in each bite, in a few bites there was very little.  Good flavors, but the balance was a little off, so I’ll give it a 3.

 

Other Notes:

Location and Access

The place is real easy to find, just off I-270, right at the entrance to the Francis Scott Key Mall.  It’s situated across the parking lot from Sears, so there is a LOT of parking available.

Facilities

This building is only a few years old and was recently remodeled when the chain did a reimaging.  There is quite a bit of seating, but none outside, so you can’t eat outside on a nice day.  Restrooms were adequately sized, clean, and easy to find.

Staff and Service

I sat at the bar this trip, so I didn’t have much interaction with the hostess, just enough to tell her I was going to the bar.  The bartender recognized me, as she had served me many times before.  As usual she was very friendly and responded quickly to my needs.  The menu has lots of options, including several non-burger entrees.  Even though they had to cook my burger to order, it still didn’t take too long.  The service was excellent.

Sides

Steak Fries:  I’m not a big fan of steak fries, as they don’t seem to get the crispiness I like.  Except for when they first came out, these fries quickly become soft.  You can have as many refills as you want, but I really only got a refill because I could.
Peach iced tea:  This tea had a good peach flavor, and I wasn’t overwhelmed with sweetness.  A good flavor and balance, but some might want it a little stronger.

Value

Since I got this burger for free, it was a good value this time, but I don’t think I would get this particular burger if I had to pay full price.  It costs a little more than most of their burgers and just doesn’t warrant the extra cost, in my opinion.