First time here since the new owners took it over and turned it into Uncle Lenny's. If there was an option for half stars, I would probably rate this place about a 3.5
I got the James Burger (no onion) with fries, and a soda to drink.
Presentation:
It was plated well and looks tasty. The fries come in a paper lined reusable metal cup that you see at restaurants more and more. The lettuce and tomato for the burger are on the side.
The meat:
It's ground a little bit finer than what you would normally get from supermarket ground beef. I've had that texture before, especially at restaurants in the PNW, it's good, just creates a different mouth feel. It's advertised as smashburger, however I would not call it that. The two patties are cooked on a flat top and have that light char on the outside, but it is thicker, more like a traditional patty. If he are familiar with Culver's versus Freddy's. This is like the Culver style patty rather than a true smashburger like Freddy's.
The tomato:
Could definitely tell it was sliced by hand. It was cut at an odd angle so the slice of tomato tapered to one edge and was only big enough to cover about 2/3 of the surface area of the beef patties. It was a decent tasting tomato, fresh and had a good texture.
The lettuce:
Chopped lettuce like you would get in a bag from the grocery store. I would have preferred a whole leaf or two. Being chopped lettuce, isn't really conducive to putting in on a burger. The lettuce seemed fresh and did not have any brown spots.
The special sauce:
Looks like thousand Island but taste different. Closer to a fry sauce then thousand Island. I've had something similar, but I cannot remember where. It has a very familiar and pleasant flavor. They put the right amount on the burger. It was not overpowered by the special sauce, nor so light that you couldn't taste it at all.
The bun:
This is where the burger really struggled. The bun is way too big for the burger in both height and diameter. The burger patties are noticeably smaller in diameter than the bun. At first glance it leaves you with a feeling that you've been cheated on the amount of meat in the patties. When you look at it closer you realize it's just a large bun. It is also a very tall bun. When taking a bite, it leaves you with the feeling that the meat to bun ratio is off. You taste a lot of bread, compared to the amount of meat. The bun itself is good, just way too much of it. The bun, I think was brioche, seemed fresh.
The fries:
The fries were okay. A bit on the soggy side. I appreciated they weren't oversalted which seems to be the case at a lot of restaurants now.
The soda:
The cup they give you for the soda is a small, thin plastic cup, like one you might get at a counter service restaurant when you ask for a water cup. You fill it at a self-serve Pepsi station. Upon leaving I went to fill up my cup to take it to go. None of the lids at the Pepsi station fit the cup I was given. I asked an employee if they had lids to fit my cup and I was told no. She told me "only those cups have lids" as she pointed back towards the counter where you order. I asked her how do I get one of those cups, and she very politely went over and got me one. The conversation wasn't contentious, but it seemed odd that I had to get a different cup to fit the lids they had on display. The quality of the cup, or lack thereof, did not seem to fit with the decor or the plating of the meal.
The price:
The burger and fries are $14, the soda was $3. The burger seems priced about right given the quality and freshness of the ingredients. However, I believe the soda is overpriced.
Atmosphere:
I ate here a lot when it used to be Country Cafe. They put a lot of time, energy, and money to clean and spruce up the place. The clientele is definitely different. Feels more Franklin than Fairview. Gone are the ole timers in coveralls and John Deere hats. I miss having lunch with them :(
Overall:
3.5. It's not somewhere I would probably go regularly, but might be a cute little place to take visiting...
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