Thunder Burger & Bar
http://www.thunderburger.com
3056 M Street, NW
Washington, DC 20007
THE COUNTQUEST
I love Pizza, Tacos, Curry, BBQ, Thai, Italian, Salads and all other kinds of Food. In fact, other than Seafood, I like a whole lot of different Food items and ethnic cuisines. One of my favorite things about traveling is trying local eats. But when you write a blog about Burgers, people have a tendency to think that’s all you eat and when you come into town, that’s all they want to suggest to you. On one hand, that’s the beauty of Burgers, if there isn’t one in your town that you don’t think is the best, well, you probably don’t like Burgers at all.
While recently on an overnight trip to our Nation’s capitol I reached out to my good pal Mike to meet up for a drink and he suggested we meet up at a Burger spot. When I told him “no Burger needed, just Beers. Your town, you pick” he replied “it has beers. Don’t let the name fool you – you don’t HAVE to eat.” While Mike is certainly right, he doesn’t know me that well … or maybe he does. I had to eat the Burger.
Nestled up along the Potomac River in Washington DC, the Georgetown neighborhood is filled with homes, shops, the Washington Harbor, a little university by the same name and a super kick-ass restaurant called the Thunder Burger & Bar. It’s a kick-asss Rock-n-Roll den filled with cool taps of Beer, high leaether back seats, gothic decorations and a menu boasting 15 different gourmet Burgers. The patty’s of which are 8 ounces and made from a premium all-natural, free-range that’s freshly ground. They’re served in between a toasted Sesame Seed Challah Bun and accompanied by a list of toppings so long you’ll need a pen and paper and possibly a coin to flip to decide which to choose. Take a quick breath before diving into this:
Tomato, Charred Jalapeno & Poblano Peppers, Raw Red Onion, Grilled Red Onion, Sautéed Mushrooms, Roasted Red Peppers, Caramelized Red Onion Relish, Thousand Island, Ancho Mayo, Wasabi Mayo, Remoulade Sauce, Ginger Aioli, Mustard, Ketchup, BBQ & Ranch, Gorgonzola Blue Cheese, Pepper Jack, American, Swiss, Sharp Cheddar, Tobacco Onions, Thunder Beef Chili, Home Made Pico De Gallo, House Pineapple Salsa, Havarti, Tillamook Aged White Cheddar, Belle Etoile Triple Cream Brie, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Guacamole, Avocado, BBQ Pulled Pork, Fried Egg & Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras.
Head hurt yet? Ask the bartender for a pen and grab a couple napkins…
THE BURGER
First of all, for a Rock and Roll bar fir for a Viking, I’m not sure who was DJing or which iPod playlist was on but it certainly did not fit the motif. I can only best describe the style of music being pumped into the bar on this Monday night as “ambient dub step played at half-speed.” Thankfully my company was so good that I was able to tune it out.
As for the meal, let’s start with the sauce, yes the sauce. Each Burger comes with a house made Remoulade that is so good, that it’s worth ordering French Fries alone just to eat it. In fact, all of the Sauces are fantastic and worth ordering. The Seasoned Fries are hot and fresh like a French Fry should be but taste more like a fresh made Potato Chip.
As if the toppings conundrum wasn’t already enough to tip you off, these Burgers are not for the weakly constituted. They may arrive looking gorgeous but between size, condiments and preparation, the Burgers are …thunderous. The hefty sized patty comes on an equally hefty, yet a little too large Bun. While every Burger comes automatically cooked to a “warm, pink center” mine arrived medium-rare as requested. The Charred Jalapeno & Poblano Peppers are a must for any taste collector out there and could just as easily be served on top of Nachos, Pizza or a number of other items. In fact, as I write this, I am salivating thinking about them. Also worth trying, the Tabacco Onions which were caramelized to be both sweet and a little smoky. Visually, the Burger appears to have a deep char to the outside but flavorwise, it doesn’t overtake the the natural Beefiness of the Patty.
Note: If they have Avery Ale to the Chief on draft, drink it as it’s only made every four years.
You don’t have to be a Viking to appreciate the tasty Burgers at the Thunder Burger & Bar but you might need an army to choose toppings and eat it!
8 out of 10 Ounces
-Rev
THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
577 Burgers
November 13, 2012 – 12:31 am
The Rev Meter for Social Community
“The Rev Meter” is a social community meter for assessing how optimized a bar or restaurant is with social networking. By taking what I consider to be the 10 most important social networks and creating a point system, I can accurately asses how well your business is using social networking as a tool. My goal here is to educate and assist great business to better effectively use these tools.
The Thunder Burger Bar scores a 6 on The Rev Meter.
SCORING:
4 points or less You’ve missed the 5 basics and are less than optimized
5 points You’ve covered the basics, which is better than most but far from optimized.
6 to 9 points You’re doing better than most and on your way to becoming a well respected social community whiz.
10 points Congrats on a perfect score!
