Peaky Grinders burgers yummy enough to eat twice
When I first saw the name “Peaky Grinders” pop up among the food vendors at the new Railway Heights Market, I thought they were going to be selling submarine sandwiches. Where I grew up, in Vermont, “grinders” were what we called heroes or subs.
But no: Here, the punning name that plays off the British Netflix series refers to the house-ground beef patties that anchor their burgers — and to their house-ground hot dogs, too. I’ll allow it.
I was eager to see the airy two-story market hall that opened this summer in Cottage Grove, on a curve where Washington Avenue segues into Hempstead Road. The whole area is developing so rapidly that just getting there can feel like an urban obstacle course.
It’s a worthy adventure. The market hall, with its secondstory food and drink kiosks, has been opening in stages over the past few months, and there’s an inviting balcony dining deck where you can catch the fall breezes and watch the sunset.
There’s a good mix of food options that’s ongoing, too. I spotted Ben McPherson of Bravery Chef Hall pasta-andpizza fame, looking frazzled. He said he had just opened his BOH Slice pizza kiosk that very day. Then he dashed off as if he were going to put out a fire.
PRICE: $8 for the single quarter-pound cheeseburger
ORDERING: Order and pay at the counter, give the exceedingly nice young staffers your phone number, and they’ll text you when your food is ready to grab. That gave me time to get a glass of McClellen Estate Vineyard Petit Verdot at the Puncheon wine and beer bar, conveniently located by the entrance to the outdoor dining deck. It’s a red from Walla Walla, and it’s great.
ARCHITECTURE: No salad stuff. On a toasted yellow potatotype bun goes a 4-ounce beef patty ground in-house; a mantle of American cheese; a layer of house-made dill pickles; a scattering of chopped onion; and twizzles of ketchup and yellow mustard. The burger is swaddled in faux newsprint, which makes it into a nice, neat package.
QUALITY: I found this burger to be madly scarfable. In fact, once I finished, I felt compelled to go back inside and order another one, something that never happens.
What was the magic? It was something about the way the modest proportions clicked together into a satisfying whole; and the way the thin patty held a singe on its surface while remaining faintly rosy inside, with a clear beef flavor. The sharp pickles kicked it up; the cheese and the dice of onion mellowed it out; and the condiments livened the sandwich without dominating the profile.
The burger might be simple, but it’s lovingly put together. Indeed, proprietor Sunny Vohra, who once plied the burger trade in LA, said he’s had to resist pressure to bang the burgers out more quickly in the face of weekend crowds. I like that.
OOZE RATING: Fair. No juice sploosh but a nice condiment slip and slide, with sufficient juice in the thin patty.
LETTER GRADE: A. The burger so nice, I ate it twice.
VALUE: Yes, eight bucks is a bit pricey for a modest-size burger, but the overhead here means the prices at all the kiosks seem higher than you might expect. You’re paying for the variety and the experience.
I felt a little faint when I spotted aguas frescas at one stand going for eight bucks, but then I realized that you got 32 ounces — which can basically quench the thirst of a family of three, or even four.
BONUS POINTS: Lovely onions melted in duck fat that you can get on your burger or as a side. I ended up eating them with my fingers as an hors d’oeuvre; they were that good.
MINUS POINTS: Fries and O-rings are frozen, so I skipped them. Life is too short. STUFF FOR LATER: The surrounding food hall is Stuff for Later Central. I picked up a Lomo Saltado, the Sino-Peruvian beef fry-up, from David Guerrero at his new Mykuna kiosk. I’ve missed his food from the late Andes Cafe, but he told me a new one is coming soon at Post Houston, the development in downtown’s old Barbara Jordan Post Office.
I also grabbed a couple aromatic bars of PopSoap, which I first encountered, and loved, at Canary Cafe in Lindale Park.
I could have snagged gumbo from Heads & Tails, samosas from the puckishly named Samosa Haus, or pierogies from Pierogi Queen. Next time!
LOCAL COLOR: The upper hall, with its high ceiling and processional of chandeliers, is as grand as it looks in photos. I ran into Martin Weaver, the talented young chef I first encountered at Kuu, who’s been hired as the market hall’s culinary director, and he briefed me on the locally sourced, vegetable-forward takeout and dine-in stall, Watever Fresh, he’ll be opening downstairs. It’s an outgrowth of the multicourse pop-ups he did at Bravery Chef Hall, Railway Heights’ downtown sibling, during the pandemic.
I’ve heard there can be a crush of customers on the weekends, but the Thursday evening crowd was modest. They ranged from young professionals to entire families, the latter taking good advantage of the wooden swings and playground out front.
Surprisingly big bald cypresses and sycamores make the grounds feel positively parklike. I ended up rocking quietly on a wooden porch swing, kicking in the gravel underneath to make a satisfying crunch. I hung around until the sun sank and the colors flared and died in the west.