5285 Buckeystown Pike
Frederick, MD 21704
Phone: (240) 379-6218
International chain in over 60 countries
Time of Visit: January
30, 2016 at 4:00 pm
My Order: Jack
Daniel’s Burger
Seasoned Fries
Iced Tea
It has been quite some time since I’ve eaten at Friday’s
and even longer since I’ve had one of their burgers, so I thought that’s what I
should do on a Saturday afternoon. I
wound up ordering their Jack Daniel’s Burger and I’m glad I did. It turned out to be quite a tasty burger.
The burger – a grilled beef patty, covered with Friday’s
Signature Jack Daniel’s glaze, with Applewood-smoked bacon and melted provolone
cheese, served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and onion.
Overall Impression – A pretty good burger, four stars(****),
not something I would make a special trip to get, but something I would choose
over other burgers.
What I liked
- The Jack Daniel’s glaze was really good, a thin sweet sauce that reminds me of the sauce we used to use for our burgers when I was a kid and we grilled outdoors. Plus, they provide an extra little ramekin with additional sauce that you can either add to your burger for more glaze, or use as a dip for your fries.
- None of the toppings overwhelmed the burger and each provided something nice to the experience.
- The cheese was nicely melted over the patty.
- The bun had a nice brown toasting, adding flavor and a bit of texture.
- I like my burgers well done and this one was cooked properly. Although it was cooked all the way through, it retained a good amount of juiciness.
- Overall, the combination of toppings provided some nice contrast. The sweet of the glaze was balanced against the saltiness of the bacon and cheese. The creaminess of the cheese was balanced by the fresh crunch of the lettuce. The sharp bite of onion flavor and the crisp bite of the pickles both added an extra punch in flavor.
What I didn’t like
- The bacon could have been a little crispier, although it wasn’t too bad. Plus, they used the standard method of arranging the strips into an X and laying it across the patty. This looks nice for presentation, but is not at all efficient for covering the patty and giving a consistent taste experience.
- They went a bit sparse with the onion and the pickles, such that the taste of each bite wasn’t consistent. Some bites had both onion and pickle, some had one or the other, and some had neither.
- The burger just didn’t hold together well as it was eaten, such that for the last half, I was constantly rearranging things so I could take a bite. A big part of the problem was the large leaves of iceberg lettuce which made things slide apart. Things were so bad, I wound up taking off the tomato and eating it separately.
- The pickles had a sweet taste, which wasn’t bad, but I feel the burger would have been better had the pickles been dill and provided a contrast to the sweet glaze.
- The meat had an acceptable texture, but the patty just seemed a little too perfectly formed for me. It was okay this time, but this is often a danger sign for an over-worked patty.
