Wednesday, July 1, 2015

Red Robin - DGB 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:  July 1, 2015 at 12:00 pm

My Order:  DGB Burger
                     Steak Fries
                     Sweet Iced Tea
 


I have 15% off at Red Robin all this month because I was in the Army and, since I couldn’t decide on anything else, I figured why not go there and have another burger.  I decided to have one of the Red Robin’s Finest Burgers, the DGB (Darn Good Burger).

Burger Rating = 4.2 (****)

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.  It also had a very good texture, loosely packed, but not falling apart.  Very good in my opinion, a 4.

Bun, Overall Rating 4
As for all their Finest burgers, the use a toasted ciabatta roll for the bun.  This is a great choice for a burger, as the ciabatta is firm and holds together great.  Plus, it has a great flavor and soaked up some of the juices from the burger and toppings.  The only mark against it, and it’s a minor one, is that the rectangular shape of the roll doesn’t match the round shape of the burger.  So, I can’t give it a five, but it does get a really strong 4.

Toppings, Overall Rating 4
Arugula with citrus olive oil dressing:  This is very good, with plenty of greens to add to the burger.  The dressing has a nice citrus tang that goes really well with the other flavors.  The only down side is there was just a tad too much of the dressing and it made the sandwich a bit greasy, a 4.
Oven-roasted Tomatoes:  These also provided a nice pop of flavor to the burger.  Unfortunately, the pieces of tomato were sometimes hard to bite through and the pulled out, so that you would get some bites with a lot of tomato and some with none, so I can’t give these any higher than a 4.
Roasted Garlic aioli:  This didn’t stand out, but instead blended well with the other ingredients, so this also gets a strong 4.

Balance/Taste, Overall Rating 5
This is indeed a darned good burger.  All the ingredients blended well and provided a very flavorful experience.  Everything held together until the end and the ciabatta roll soaked up many of the excess juices.  All in all, an excellent combination, a 5.
 

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 was 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:  The steak fries were better than my last visit, but they needed a crispier exterior.  I did get refills.
Sweet iced tea:  This tea was good and wasn’t overwhelming with sweetness, a nice drink with the meal.

Value
Although this is a really good burger, I do think it’s a bit overpriced.  I don’t mind getting it sometimes, but certainly not on a regular basis.

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