The people: Restaurateur Francis Namin and partner Carlos Ramirez are practically staging a culinary coup on a single block of Wisconsin Avenue. Their trifecta of operations—Don Pollo; Beer, Wine & Co., and now City Burger—smartly offer everyday food and drink. The duo’s Fish Taco in Cabin John is similarly casual, while Food, Wine & Co., on another stretch of Wisconsin Avenue, is their fancier flagship. Executive Chef Michael Harr covers the kitchens.
The place: Here we go with another fast casual, counter-service restaurant with rough-hewn wood and exposed overhead pipes. Don’t get me wrong—I like the look, and it’s a vast improvement over the fiberglass tables and neon colors of yesteryear’s fast food eateries. It’s just that rustic is becoming as clichéd as kale.
The food: Compared to BGR The Burger Joint, Smashburger, Bobby’s Burger Palace, Bold Bite and even Five Guys, City Burger’s offerings appear to be the least expensive fast casual options in town, likely because the 4.5-ounce patty is also the smallest.
But the junior-sized burger holds its own, so long as the meat is not too overcooked. On my first visit (truth be told, this is more than a first taste), the patty on the City Classic was cooked to bland, grey doneness. And the potato roll—the standard Martin’s supermarket brand—turned mushy fast, soaked by the accompanying City Sauce, made from mayonnaise, ketchup, garlic, pickles and cayenne.
On a return trip, however, I was recognized as a critic, and my District Blue—with blue cheese, bacon, iceberg lettuce, tomato and pickled red onion—was cooked to medium rare as requested, a big improvement in showcasing the juiciness and flavor of the meat. (Unfortunately, since the meat is too thin to guarantee medium rare, especially during busy times, burgers are regularly cooked to medium; you can also request well done, but please don’t.)
City Burger recently added non-beef patties, and you should be glad it did—the turkey and lamb are stand-out versions of these alternatives, with meat and toppings full of zip. I’d also recommend the Baltimore-sourced half smoke, preferably juxtaposed with vinegary accompaniments (the Old Town, with crispy pastrami, coleslaw and City Sauce, was too much of a fat fiesta).
So long as you eat them quickly, the sea salt fries stay hot and crisp, and the onion rings have a lovely light coating that lets the onion flavor shine through.
By all means, save room for a super-thick, super-creamy milkshake made with house churned custard. Or just get one for lunch.
The bottom line: Not the best burger in Bethesda, but a good bang for the buck.
7015 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, 301-652-0006, www.cityburgeronline.com. Burgers range from $3.95 to $6.75; Hot dogs range from $3.25 to $4.85. City Combos, which include fries and soda, range from $5.99 to $7.59.
