Burgerlicious has been around for about a year now, and even though I'm just now writing them up, I tried them pretty much immediately. I ordered the Blues Burger with curly fries, and my initial impressions were that there was definite potential, but they needed some time to refine things. The fries were pale and limp, served with a squirt of fry sauce directly into the corner of their little cardboard tray, but I'm used to mediocre fries. The problem was the sandwich itself, not in components but in proportions. You see, the hook at Burgerlicious is the sauce. Each of their burgers has a specific flavor profile driven by the condiments and sauce added. Other than that, the burger patties (admirably grass-fed beef) and buns are all the same. But when sauce is the driving force of your business it can be easy to get carried away, and that was the problem here: pretty much all I could taste was that bleu cheese sauce. For a while, they were parked down the street from my office once a week, so I tried them twice more: once with the Idaho Burger (fry sauce), and once with the Zing Burger (horseradish sauce). Both times, the sauce was doing all the talking. When I'm paying six bucks for a grass-fed quarter pound burger, I want to taste the beef. I put them back on my "to do" list, intending to give them another try a few months down the road if they were still standing.
It ended up being almost half a year before I caught up with them again, and things definitely changed for the better. The first thing I noticed as I approached was that their menu had been pared down a bit. Previously there had been options for sausages, hot dogs, grilled cheese and salad. All that remains now is their five core burgers. I decided to go back to where I stared and ordered the Blues Burger again, but this time I paired it with the garlic fries.
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| Blues Burger |
What a difference six months makes! Everything was improved from before. The plain bun had been replaced with the cornmeal-dusted variety (a personal favorite of mine) and was still given a little time on the grill, something I consider crucial for a truly great burger. The burger patty itself was juicier, the bacon crispier, even the veggies seemed riper and more colorful. And the sauce, while still as delicious before and definitely still prominent, was no longer hogging the spotlight. You could taste the beef now, and it made all the difference in the world.
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| Garlic Fries |
On to the fries. If you like garlic, and you like fries, you owe it to yourself to track down some garlic fries. Mind you, not all varieties are created equal. The Ram, as much as I dig them, serves a variation they call Vampire Fries which are basically tossed with big chunks of minced garlic and doused in a LOT of oil. The Burgerlicious version are tossed with a much more reasonable potion of oil, finely minced garlic, Parmesan cheese and parsley. And they are freaking astounding. So much so that recalling them now is making me wish Burgerlicious was out slinging today. I would happily drive to Boise or Nampa for an order, but alas they're one of those trucks that seems to be out very sporadically so your best bet is to keep an eye on their Facebook or Twitter account.
Food: Grass-fed beef, homemade sauces, awesome garlic fries. A
Value: Hard to judge since most "fast food style" burgers aren't grass-fed, but I think it's worth it. A-
Service: Always friendly and helpful in my experience. A
Atmosphere: It's a truck, I don't grade for those unless it's really something special. N/A
Final Grade: A
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