Black Sheep Lodge – Another Reason to Eat Burgers In Austin

Black Sheep Lodge
http://www.blacksheeplodge.com
2108 South Lamar Boulevard
Austin, TX 78704

THE CONQUEST
BBQ, Tacos, Brisket, Migas, Tex-Mex, Ribs, Burritos, etc … all things people want to eat as soon as they get off the plane when visiting Austin, TX. I’d agree, Austin has a plethora of great versions of these items and are all things I want to eat when I’m there, I’ want to eat them. Especially EVERYTHING at Rudy’s BBQ, The Migas at Ancho’s in the Omni, the Brisket & Link at Smitty’s Market, The Duan Juan Breakfast Taco at Juan In A Million, The “Rancher” (A sampling of our Brisket, Pork Ribs, Sausage and Turkey) at The Salt Lick in Driftwood or the Brisket Breakfast Tacos at their location in the airport, Torchy’s Tacos and so on and so on. But there’s one food item that Austin does really well and no one really talks about like they do the above….The Hamburger.

Texans like Beef, it’s  not news by any means and when you love Beef as much as a Texan, making a darn tootin’ Burger out of it is a sense of pride. There’s a ton of great Burgers in Austin and they’re often overlooked in favor of what us non-Texans would consider the local-fare listed above. But I dare you, try the Burger at any of these places and you’ll be a happy-Beef-eatin-mofo:

• Second Bar + Kitchen
• The Jackalope
• Dirty Martin’s
• Casino El Camino

I go down to Austin every year for the annual SXSW conference (I’ve been 15 years in a row) and when I’m there, I’m always on the hunt for a new and delicious Burger.  This year, I pulled the whammy; get off the plane, do not check into hotel, do not get coffee, do not pick up SXSW badge, no, go right for Burger & Craft Beer.

The Black Sheep Lodge in  claims to have “The No. 1 Burger in South Austin.” You’ll know it too when you see the massive sign in their front window and the repeated phrase all over the rustic restaurant in Austin, TX. It’s a non-assuming, no-frills, one-step-above-white-trash, cabin-esque Beer & Burger joint that has a large selection of rotating (mainly) Craft Beer. Curious to know what’s on tap today? The Lodge regularly updates their Beer focused fans on their website. There’s more than just Burgers on their menu including Green Chili Queso, Wings, Chili, Fried Pickles, Sandwiches, Hot Dogs and 2 Burgers. Yeah, that’s right, only 2 Burgers (unless you count the minis). Both Burgers come on your choice of White or Wheat bun and a selection of Battered Fries, Tater Tots, Sweet Potato Fries, Onion Rings or the Daily Vegetable. So park yourself in a seat, grab a Brew and pick either the Black Sheep or the Black Buffalo Burger and get ready for a tasty meal. Not hungry? NFBD, The Black Sheep Lodge has shuffle board, darts, pool and WiFi all of which go great with a cold Beer.

THE BURGER
While the Buffalo Black sounded amazing (Half pound Angus Chuck Patty spiked with Frank’s Buffalo Sauce and Blue Cheese) I thought better to ease in a little to my SXSW eatcation and got the Black Sheep with the same Patty, Lettuce, Onion & American Cheese. Instead of Fries, I ate one of the only green things / Vegetables I had on the whole trip, Sauteed Green Beans. It was the right choice, they were delicious but let’s not focus on the healthy stuffs. I loved this Burger. The Wheat Bun was thick but pillowy and held strong throughout the whole Sandwich. The Lettuce and Onion were crisp and market fresh, used in right quantity although I would’ve preferred a Butter Lettuce or simple Romain over the fancy Greens. The Patty had a great backyard char-grill flavor while still remaning juicy, hot and cooked to a nice medium-rare. If you like a nice simple joint where you can wash down a delicious Burger with some crafty suds, the Black Sheep Lodge is your spot.

8 out of 10 ounces
-Rev

THE BURGER COUNTQUEST
487 Burgers

Mar 12, 2012 – 12:40 pm

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.

Black Sheep Lodge scores a PERFECT 10 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!