Wicked Cow Burgers and Brews - Upland — Restaurant in Upland

Altogether a mixed bag. The inside was pretty loud, so we waited for a clean table outside. When we were seated, our table still had water rings from drinks, and the table and chairs still had crumbs. I didn't give it too much thought, but after the wind whipped up outside, we asked if we could be reseated indoors, and our next table was also dirty. There's no excuse for that. It takes only a minute to properly wipe down a table, and then I don't have someone else's food on the back of my napkin, thanks. Otherwise, service was friendly, adequate.

As for food, I split an order of the short rib poutine, and I ordered the Bourbon burger with a side of sweet potato fries. I thought the poutine was genuinely quite good. While I personally know some Canadians who would've cringed at the heap of meat and the sparing amount of cheese (the cheese didn't look and feel like real cheese curds, by the way), I found that the short ribs were cooked well, the gravy was excellent, the fries were good, and altogether I was really pleased with how it came together to make something rich, meaty, smooth, salty, without being at all greasy or overly salty. If I ever go back, it'll probably be to pick up a thing of that poutine to go.

Now for the Bourbon burger and sweet potato fries. The sweet potato fries were fine; it's always tricky trying to get crispy sweet potato fries, but I could tell they're dredging these in some sort of starch slurry, which is good, and they hold up well enough. The Bourbon burger was not good. To be clear, I could tell the burger patty was cooked nicely; I asked for medium-rare, I got medium-rare with a nice smoky grilled sear on the outside. I mean to say that the burger construction was ill-conceived. I could only manage a couple of bites before the burger bun, and I, were totally overwhelmed with how greasy it was. The bacon was still floppy and very chewy, which might be your thing, but it tends to pull out of the burger after just a couple bites, and it was also dripping with grease. Same story for the onions, which were sauteed but not really caramelized, and they were thick-cut, so they also wanted to pull out of the burger. I didn't even notice if there were any roasted tomatoes, but there should have been. They don't mention on the menu, but the cheese was breaded and deep fried(!), which again added to this greasy mess. The garlic aioli was there, but not greatly noticeable, and again, that's an oily emulsion. The only thing providing even a semblance of contrast to all of the fat loaded onto that thing was what seemed like a smattering of bourbon barbecue sauce.

Contrast is essential; it can accentuate features of a dish while also bringing them into balance. The beef patty and bacon and cheese are going to be fatty and substantial, so the caramelized onions should probably be thin-cut, more caramelized, even a little crispy, and definitely not so greasy. Heck, do pickled onions instead. The roasted tomato should be at least noticeable, and add some much-needed acidity. The cheese doesn't need to be deep-fried, for goodness sake. The garlic aioli, optimally, should provide some much-needed zing and brightness, same for the bourbon barbecue sauce. Altogether, there's nothing wrong with a hefty, fatty burger (it's what I ordered and was expecting, after all), but if a burger is self-destructing from how greasy it is after just a few bites, it wasn't made right, and you need to go back to the drawing board. If you're positioning yourself as a gourmet burger joint, you should know...

This is Cecilia Cloughly of Claremont. I am not representing the symphony, but can't change the name that appears here. I wanted just a small bite before suppertime at the Wicked Cow. The food was OK, but I ended up paying $13.50 for a mini burger, a small mixed salad, and a small diet coke because the waitress didn't tell me about THREE add-on fees! I saw the regular $8.00 simple burger with two patties and one side and asked if they have one with only one patty. She said that they don't, but that they have a children's menu with a small cheese burger, one side, and "a drink" for $6.00. She did NOT tell me that they have (1) a $2.00 adult charge, (2) a charge of $ .50 for a piece of lettuce and some onion, and (3) a charge of $2.50 for a small drink other than water or milk.

When I saw the bill, I told her that the menu should state that the children's drink is a choice of water or milk with soft drinks $2.50 extra. Her response: there is a new law as of Jan. 1 that children's meals can include only water or milk, not soft drinks. She told me that management says that it isn't their choice, but a law, so they don't need to indicate that on the menu! I guess they make a nice profit from parents who don't question why they are paying an extra $2.50 when the menu says that a drink is included! I don't object to the fees, but I should have been told about them BEFORE I made my order decision! Extra charges should be clearly stated in a visible place, a practice that most...

DO NOT EAT HERE THEY DO NOT WEAR GLOVES AND HANDLE YOUR FOOD BARE HANDED

their service was terrible, nobody greeted me and they did not greet any of the following people afterwards. The tables were dirty and they had plenty of downtime to clean the dirty tables and sweep the floors. The short bartender girl With curly hair was flirting and giggling with all of her coworkers and being extremely loud and obnoxious. It was extremely unpleasant to be there. The worst part was when I noticed them handling my food and they touched my french fries with their bare hands. I stopped them and said hey I don’t want that she’s not wearing gloves. The obnoxious waitress/bartender turned to me and said oh don’t worry about it they all don’t wear gloves. To which I responded, “you do realize that that is a requirement when handling food correct?” And she said oh like she didn’t know. And she said, “well don’t worry about it then we’re not gonna charge you. And also Don’t come back, you’re not welcome here anymore.” This is extremely dangerous and how people can catch life-threatening diseases and viruses. The poor service was terrible and she made no attempt to resolve it or anything. Don’t even know who the manager was but one person looks like they were the manager and did nothing at all. I cannot believe this place is still in business and even has this...