It was a veritable who’s who of celebrity chefs at Bobby’s Burger Palace on Tuesday, the Grand Opening of Bobby Flay’s newest — and first urban — location of the hamburger chain. The brightly colored dining room buzzed with press photographers, writers and, of course, hungry students. In between interviews and photo ops, Flay made sure to stop by a few tables and ask everyone about their meal.
The menu at Bobby’s Burger Palace is an upscale take on your average burger joint: the offerings are limited to fries, milkshakes and a selection of alcoholic beverages: beer ($3.50), house wine ($4.50), spiked shakes ($7.50) and a cactus pear margarita ($4.50). All the burgers are inspired by a region of the U.S.; the Philadelphia burger, for example, is topped with grilled onions and your choice of either Whiz or Provolone.
We sampled the Napa Valley burger ($7.50), slathered in goat cheese and a lemon honey mustard, and the Classic ($6.50) (American cheese, onion, lettuce, and tomato). All in all, our high expectations weren't quite met. The meat, though certainly tender and juicy, lacked any unique seasoning or texture; presumably it was the job of the toppings to create the interesting complexity of flavors. While the goat cheese was delicious, the thick layer overpowered the meat. Similarly, the Classic, while good, was not as remarkable as Flay's pedigree would lead one to hope. The lunch was redeemed, however, by the sweet potato fries ($3.00) served with horseradish honey mustard. BBP’s regular fries ($2.50),are fresh cut daily. Both types of fries were not too greasy, and were complemented perfectly by their respective sauces — special “fry sauce,” a chipotle mayo, accompanies the regular fries.
Any burger can be made with ground turkey or a grilled chicken breast at no extra cost. Additionally, diners have the option to “crunchify” any of the burgers, adding potato chips to every bite. Served with some fries and a milkshake, the burgers make for a juicy and filling meal. BBP certainly provides a good alternative to other campus options, but don’t expect to be blown away.
