Overall impression of the Graze burger:
- High quality meat. Menu says it is sirloin, ribeye, and short ribs. I love all of those things.
- Buttery bun, perhaps too much butter; it was just about as greasy as picking up the meat with your hands and eating it. I feel like a lot of the flavor was wrapped up here. They grilled the bun with the meat: genius.
- No cheese on this one, interesting choice for a restaurant in Wisconsin. The chef wants you to taste the meat apparently. Minus points.
- The grilled onions added a contrast of sweetness.
Started with cheese curds, which had a sweet batter and large, creamy curds. Definitely worth checking out. I'm not sure if I preferred the Ouisconsing Red or the Snake Hollow IPA. I probably lean toward the IPA if only because it doesn't have a French-sounding name. Finished up by splitting a slice of cherry pie. Despite my aversion to desserts, this was the best part of the meal (beer aside).
Starting weight: 171.2 lbs
Notable observation: Trina paints aioli and ketchup onto her burger with a french fry as a brush.
Ned-
Graze - The Graze Burger
The evening started after a lengthy afternoon nap as Dusty (Jason) and I began The Three Amigos on Blu Ray. After literally almost passing out from laughter (Are Gringos falling from the sky?), we drank a beer, jammed to some new fun. (buy it or else), and then met Lucky (Trina) for the brief walk from the Penthouse to Graze. Alright... enough small talk. Let's get to the details:
- Decor - The lofted ceilings were nice and I really enjoyed the chalkboard wall. However, you could tell right when you walked in that a light wallet would get you nowhere in this establishment.
- Service - Other than the fact that they wouldn't seat us until I was inside (I was outside on the phone), the service was great. Good beer recommendations and solid service all around.
- Food (the important stuff)
- Appetizer - The fried cheese curds were decent at best. The batter was thick and the cheese too creamy... not your typical "squeaky".
- Burger and Fries - The burger was obviously made with quality meat... there's no doubt there. However, if I'm going to spend that much money on meat, I'll take a steak any day of the week and twice on Sunday (dessert steak, anyone?). Overall, the burger was underwhelming and the onions were overpowering. Now for the fries... straight TRILL. Some of the best fries you will find anywhere, not just in Madison.
- Beer - Sleepy Hollow IPA. Smooth beer, not overly hoppy. Not bad.
- Dessert - I wasn't super excited about dessert as I was already beginning to feel like Violet Beauregarde (Oompa Loompa Doompa Di Doo) after those fries. However, the 1-2 bites that I had of the cherry pie were spectacular. I'm fairly certain Trina had the rest...
Graze - The Graze Burger
Tastiness – definitely yummy. Though I don’t think I would have recognized the quality meat if I hadn’t read the description. I don't know if in a blind taste test I would know the difference between the quality of the meat in that burger and the quality of a Big Ten burger on game day. (although I think the Big Ten burger is usually accompanied by a quite a few more beverages...)
Toppings – whatever that onion stuff was on top, that was good. They noticeably didn’t bring out ketchup, though I eventually sacrificed the ketchup from my fries to put on it. The burger would have been severely enhanced with cheese. Bacon would have made it even better. But bacon makes everything better so that comment is unneccessarily obvious.
Sides – fries were good, cheese curds were good, but the Door County cherry pie was life changing. I’m ashamed to admit, but as a Door County native, you put that tag line in front of anything and I’m about 1000 times more likely to order it. Gotta admit, we were pretty darn full when we ordered it and definitely didn’t need it. I was already calculating in my head how bad it would be if I unbuttoned just one button on my pants. Overall though, best dang cherry pie I've ever had (and yep, that's coming from a Door County girl).
Portion size - The most important thing about a dinner out, if you're from my family at least, is the portion size. They definitely exceeded expectations. Huge burger. I can't justify why I ate it all. I'd like to say it was because it was $19 and I felt like I should get my money's worth. But the real answer is I have no self control.
Bottom Line - Graze Burger was good and a refined palette would appreciate it much more. No one's ever accused me of being refined. I would still pick that Big Ten burger over this one.
