I wanted a burger this week. Sue me. It had been a while since I’d had a really, really good one, and once I started thinking about it I couldn’t stop. Right off the bat, a few different places ran through my head, but it didn’t take much thinking before I settled on Hopdoddy Burger Bar, located right down the road from Commons at 1805 21st Ave S. I’d been several times before, but in this case I felt the completely unnecessary need to document my excursion.
I planned my visit for February 18th, and at around 6:45 P.M. I arrived outside, ready for a great dinner. In hindsight I probably should have taken some pictures of the outside. My bad. I was a little distracted. Upon entering Hopdoddy I was greeted with a lively and energetic atmosphere that was coupled with an overwhelming fragrance of french fries. The smells that seemed to hang in the air made my stomach growl louder and louder until I finally made my way up to the counter to order. I’d been here before, so I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted. Thus, I wasted no time with the menu. The time had finally come. My mouth was watering as I walked up to the counter and asked for a Magic Shroom burger ($11.50), Parmesan Truffle fries ($8.95), and a “regular” sized vanilla shake ($6.50). Color me basic, but there’s no alternative for a vanilla milkshake with a burger and fries. It should be noted that Hopdoddy only has two sizes for their shakes: regular and mini ($3.00). After tax, my total ended up being $29.44. The food came out quite fast, which I gladly welcomed to the table with open arms and mouth. All three items arrived separately, the fries first, the burger second, and the milkshake last. At these reviews the camera eats first, so naturally the first thing I had to do was give my food a mini-photoshoot before digging in.
After I was done being the paparazzi to my dinner I launched an assault (emphasis on the salt) on the Parmesan Truffle fries. I found that they had just the right amount of crisp, and maintained a delectable balance between the moderate dusting of parmesan and fairly high salt volume. Over the few times that I’ve been to Hopdoddy, these fries have never disappointed. I wasn’t entirely sure what the sauce they were served with was (some kind of ranch-?, I apologize for my lack of sauce expertise), but it provided a creamy complement to the fries that I believe lessened some of the saltiness. However, one aspect I wasn’t the biggest fan about was their size. They were pretty thin, and towards the middle and bottom half of the bowl they felt increasingly weighed down by both the oil and parmesan, a factor that did eventually feel a little heavy and too rich. Once I had moved on from the fries it was time for the main event: the Magic Shroom. The first bite was glorious. The goat cheese, tomato, mayo, basil pesto sauce, onion, and lettuce all came together with the patty in that initial taste. Quick sidebar: You know that satisfaction you get when you eat the food you’ve been wanting? Best feeling ever, right? That’s what was going on in my mouth, but at least 5 times better. This burger was near perfection. As a whole it was firm but not stiff, able to collapse just enough to get a solid bite. The bun had little to no seasoning and was quite pliable, which I enjoyed for the flexibility. I found that the patty itself wasn’t the main event of this burger, but it rather worked in complete unison with every other element between the buns. The aspect that I found most striking about all of this was the presence of the goat cheese. It seemed to pull the hamburger together through working in tandem with the tomatoes. I discovered that the thickness of the cheese was very well balanced by the juiciness of the tomato, something that I particularly enjoyed the entire time I was eating. Lastly, the milkshake. I came to the conclusion fairly quickly that it was very thick. While it was rich, sweet, and smooth, in all honesty I could’ve just had the fries and the shake as a meal by itself. The only thing I was able to finish by myself was the burger, which was slightly unfortunate. However, the milkshake did pair incredibly well with the other two items I had gotten.
Overall, Hopdoddy Burger Bar provided a fantastic dinner, with the only drawback being the price. I don’t think that spending almost $30 of meal money on a burger, fries, and a shake isn’t the most ideal or efficient. That’s not to say I wouldn’t do it again, but probably not until I feel the need for another “review”.