BURGER FRIDAY
Red Dwarf proves good things come in compact packages.
Big, bigger, biggest. It’s easy to get caught up in the Texan-ness of towering, weighty burgers. But today I come in praise of the little guy: the modestly proportioned burger that can be hoistedwith one hand and wolfed down with dispatch.
Do include Red Dwarf’s Comeback Burger in that category. It’s a compact cheeseburger anchored by a 4-ounce beef patty and discreetly accessorized, the better to enjoy its elemental nature.
It’s a highly suitable bar burger, of the sort served locally at Cantina Barba and FM Kitchen — festive and satisfying while still leaving a bit of room for the enjoyment of the cocktails and beer on offer.
A friend tipped me off to the Comeback Burger’s qualities, knowing I liked the genre, from Barba and FM even unto Burger Chan’s original 5-ounce patty model, now avail
able through Click Virtual Food Hall until a brick and mortar opens in the spring.
After ascertaining that the Red Dwarf name was an astronomical reference rather than an unfortunate slur, I headed to the vine-encrusted, 4-month-old coffee shop, bar and local-music venue that has replaced Mongoose and Cobra, the late Midtown beer and cocktail bar. Here’s how it went. PRICE: $8 for the Comeback Cheeseburger with chips, $5 for a Karbach Love Street beer in a can, for a pre-tax-and-tip total of $13.
ORDERING: There’s no online ordering (yet, I was told), so to carry out, you’ll need to phone them at 832-582-5052. I was able to order for pickup at a specified time (the kitchen opens at noon), and my order was waiting when I arrived. You can pay with a credit card over the phone or at the counter, upon arrival.
ARCHITECTURE: No salad stuff. On a toasted potato rolls goes a slather of pinkish “Comeback Aioli,” a styling that made me chortle; a scattering of chopped raw onion; the 4-ounce ground beef patty; a drape of what read as American cheese; a paving of thinly sliced house pickles; and a little more Comeback Aioli for good measure.
QUALITY: I enjoyed the stout, no-frills nature of this cheeseburger and the way the extremely vigorous sear of the thin, enthusiastically salted patty added crunch to the textures. The savory onions, the slide of the melted cheese and mayo-like aioli; and the hottish afterbite of the house pickles all came together in a very satisfying fashion. Personal note: Although normally I shy away from well-done patties, I am beginning to see how they can work in certain burgers. I could definitely see myself sliding by Red Dwarf for this particular specimen on my way to and from my home in the East End.
OOZE RATING: With this much of a well-done sear, not much. LETTER GRADE: B-plus
VALUE: Would be better if they dropped the chips (who needs ’em?) and dropped the price by a buck or two, to match Cantina Barba’s.
BONUS POINTS: I loved the breezy, well-ventilated setup, with big front sliding windows flung wide onto the patio, where there were high-top tables and chairs and a green urban view of trees and the venerable Leon’s Lounge in all its scarlet glory. If I must go inside to pick up food and pay, I want it to be in a setting like this. And had I realized the front patio was set up for outdoor dining, I would have been comfortable eating my burger on the spot.
STUFF FOR LATER:
There’s a compact bar menu by chef Grant Keaton, so I was able to score a lively white bean dip with rosemary to snack on later with toasted baguettes. A Sarina flatbread spangled with prosciutto, good raclette cheese, Castelvetrano olives and arugula wilted in garlic oil turned out to be nice for snacking, lunch or a light supper, with flavors spirited enough to compensate for the bread’s slightly wan texture. And for next morning’s breakfast, a Danish pastry from Cake and Bacon bakers held a peppery nest of spinach, mushroom and cheese that was most excellent.
LOCAL COLOR: At 1 p.m., there were a couple of guys at a far table in the long, high-ceilinged space and a single gracious staffer running the front of the house. I soaked up the midday calm, the unexpectedly soothing view and the surprise of finding a suitable addition to my pandemic-era foraging trails.