Irene and Bobby Flay...Olé!

So, yeah...blogging hasn't been either possible or at the top of my list for the last 12 days or so.  We had Hurricane Irene come through.  She knocked out my power on Saturday, August 27th at 8:45 a.m.  Almost a full week later, my power returned on Friday, September 2 around 3 p.m.  We survived.  All safe.  My house was safe.  I just ended up whiny, oh about 10 p.m. on Saturday the 27th!  HA!  Also, my kids started school Tuesday, September 2.  We rushed to get a lot done that Labor Day Monday.  Anywho, we did have a night trip planned to Washington, D.C. to see The Script play at the D.A.R Constitution Hall during my power outage on Thursday, September 1 .  And, yes, that had to involve Bobby Flay's new restaurant, Bobby's Burger Palace, that opened on August 16, 2011.

Let me tell you that Bobby Flay is my favorite chef.  He grills like a mad man (I am the grill-master around here), he loves chilis, meaning all peppers (see the "Texan" part of my blog title), and he is extremely intelligent.  I actually trust his recipes and his tastes.  It definitely coincides with mine.

So, here's my take on my first experience at Bobby's Burger Palace (BBP):

K Street @ 21st!  It's like seeing the Holy Grail.  Nice colors, Bobby!  11:23 a.m.  No line outside, but I can see it inside!

So, we stand in line and I take a few inside pictures.  You walk in and there are three instructions.  1) Get in line.  2) Order food.  3) Have a seat.  Okay!  I can do that.

The menu, on the wall, right before the order-taking area.  Burgers on the left (any burger can be made with Angus beef, chicken or a turkey burger).  Sides, Grilled Cheeses, salads, and milkshakes in the middle.  Beverages (non-alcoholic, wine, beer, and margaritas) on the right!  Simple!  Check out his D.C. menu here: BBP's Menus

We took a seat on the far side of the restaurant so I could "watch" the action.

Right up, by the window.

Sauces on the bar and/or tables are: Regular Ketchup, Chipotle Ketchup, Yellow Mustard, Jalapeño hot sauce, and a Burger Sauce.  I put all the sauces on my plate and just dipped a little to taste as I went along.  The jalapeño hot sauce was hot, but tangy and had a strong vinegar taste.  Not sure what I would pair that with, but it wouldn't be my burger (and my burger had jalapeños on it!-- just a different kind of taste).  The chipotle ketchup was great.  I would put that on a classic burger, absolutely.  But, my burger needed no sauce as a whole.  And the burger sauce was really, really good.  It is tangy, spicy, umami, bold, just absolutely savory.  Kind of like a steak sauce, if you will, but unlike any steak sauce you can get in a grocery store.  And I will remind you that if you need actual "steak" sauce on your actual steak, you are doing something wrong! 

And for my burger.  The Santa Fe Burger, medium rare!  Yes!  You can order med-rare here.  Love you, Bobby!!!  The Santa Fe burger is topped with a queso sauce, pickled jalapeños and blue corn chips.  It was really, really good.  The beef was not greasy.  It was moist, but wasn't full of grease.  The burger was really fresh tasting.  Only thing I would have a complaint on would be that there was only like 5 blue corn broken up chips pieces.  

My husband ordered the September Burger of the Month: The Cheyenne Burger.  It was topped with BBQ sauce, cheddar cheese, thick cut bacon, and onion straws.  Yes, we shared a corner of each burger with each other.  His tasted FULL of flavor.  The bacon was the best part.  It was thick cut, not that flimsy stuff you get other places, and it was cooked perfectly.  Crunchy and again, not greasy.  The onions were divine, too.

And we shared a side of fries, with BBP fry sauce.  Mostly a horseradish (mild) thin aioli.  The fries were not hot. Warm, but not hot.  I am not a huge fan of fries, especially not hot fries, but I had to try that sauce.

It took about 50 minutes to stand in line, receive our food, and eat.  But, like I said, we got there fairly early.  I enjoyed it and would definitely go back.  Check it out next time you are in downtown D.C.!  

Check out the line when we left!