Now Serving: All About Burger

For something that should just be a review of another burger joint, I sorta have a lot to unpack here. I’m not sure how all-over-the-place I’ll be, and may be hard to read, but will be kinda freeing for me.

Note: All About Burger did not send me to therapy.

Don't Go Changing, to try and please me

In 1998, As a young lad in my first year of community college, I took a summer job on The Avenue at the movie theatre  That summer job lasted 14 years, but my time there, I got to see the Avenue evolve. A lot has changed. The name on the front of the theatre is different, as well as the seats (they recline now). The coffee shop next door wasn’t always corporately owned. The pizza carryout used to sell pretzels.  Then hot dogs. The ice cream shop used to sell steaks all the way from Omaha.

Even All About Burger, the spot I went to this week for a nice tasty burger, used to be a very nice Italian restaurant. And even the name on the shop has changed since it changed to Burgers (was once a Z-Burger, that's a legal mess i'm staying away from).

And that’s change is just one side of the street. I'm not even gonna start on the ice rink they built.

Instead of showing off the competition, here are 5 random guys
Imagine if the producer of this TV decided to open a chain
of burger shops? Nah, wouldn't work. 

On the same hand, we have to talk about 5 Guys. Their simple model changed the Burger game (it’s not a game) in general, and this, has sparked imitators. Sometimes it’s a cheap imitation, sometimes, it’s an improvement. The idea of making a single product very well isn’t new, but instead of trying to change, people want to copy. In this style of shop, it’s impossible to make direct comparisons to the market leader, and I don’t shy away from that here, although I'll just be calling them "Market Leader".

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Even though technically, All About Burger came out 2 years earlier.

Ok, I’m tired of philosophy. Congrats for getting past my ramblings. I mean, some people scroll past for the photos, and I’m fine with that too.

Midweek, I was back in White Marsh, and through the construction on the Avenue, went in for a burger. All About Burger (henceforth to just be abbreviated to ABB) is a small DC chain with 4 locations, with White Marsh being their sole MD store. Empty shop, aside from a few employees cleaning up after what I’m assuming was a lunch rush, so I had all their attention. The space itself is very large, benefiting from the former restaurant that occupied the shop before. And very welcoming decorum. It’s like Five Guys Market Leader, but you don’t feel like you’re eating in a bus terminal.

Their menu is very basic. Single or double, burger, cheeseburger, with or without bacon. Add toppings and sauces. AAB's offerings are a bit more than you’d get at similar model stores. They have 4 kinds of cheeses to 5 Guys Market Leader just American, and we’ll as a few more spreads. I tried to play as close to basic as possible. My double cheese had cheddar, their core toppings of lettuce tomato mayo pickles, then I added crushed red peppers and fried onions.

Also, of note, AAB's milkshake selection is plentiful. They aren’t much for actual ingredients (powder instead), but my chocolate marshmallow tasted very much like chocolate marshmallow. (They have 9 variety of chocolate shake). You don't get that from V Guys Market Leader.

After a few quick minutes, I pick up my burger wrapped in tin foil. It's very towering. I can't tell if they were being gentle with the wrapping, or if they just didn't wrap it properly (there was some exposed burger on one side. Party Foul).

 Unwrapped, AAB's burger is just as amazing. Stacked high with 2 well done patties, cheese on each, thick tomato, and iceberg lettuce as thick as an iceberg. I do believe they use the smash patty method, where they'll flatten the never frozen beef to speed up the process. Makes for meat that hangs just a bit over the bun.

Bravo to me for my personal choices on the burger. The extra bite of the peppers complimented the crunchy sharp chopped onion. Thick bun held up well to the massive mountain upon it. The burger did come off a bit greasy, which is what you'd also expect from 3 plus 2 guys Market Leader, but this was a little excessive. Not entirely a complaint, but if this had instead found it's way into my stomach, I could have felt a little uneasy.

Ultimately, AAB is a very solid option, hits all the points you'd hope for, and feels like a small step up from Market Leader Five Guys. A few more locations, and locally could challenge for the fast casual crown.