Burger Tavern 77

FOOD TYPE: Burgers
LOCATIONS: Columbia, SC
PRICE: $$-$$$ out of $$$$$
KIDS MEALS: If they have them, they aren't on the website
WEBSITE: www.burgertavern77.com 

The burger has developed into the classic American food.  We have burger joints all over the place.  And you have a lot of freedom in burgers - kind of like pizza.  You can go for something extremely simple and common.  Or you can go about as crazy as your imagination allows.  From what I have noticed, the burger joint is in another growth cycle.  There is the obvious fast food class of burgers: McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's, Hardee's/Carl Jr's, Checkers/Rallys, Jack in the Box, In and Out.  There is much variation within that genre, from the amazing quality of In and Out to the "how is this legal to serve" Burger King.  But, largely, you get what you expect at a fast food burger place.

Then I identify three classes above this.  There is the extremely high end burger places that charge more for a burger than for a bone-in ribeye.  I will ignore this class because they are stupid.  The two middle classes kind of have a delineation mark with if you order at a counter or if you order at the table.  There is a great amount of fluctuation between these classes.  When you have a wait staff, though, the price invariably drifts higher due to tipping.  There also are usually more "non-burger" items offered at these places.  This class also catches restaurants that are not limited to burgers, but are known for burgers. More local places seem to fall into this second category, as well. Here are some examples of the two classes, using chains, primarily, since they are more identifiable to the public.

Counter Class: Burger Fi, Five Guys, Smashburger, Burger 21, Bobby Flay's Burger Palace, Wahlburgers, Fuddruckers, Culver's, The Varsity

Wait Staff Class: Red Robin, Ted's Montana Grill, Ruby Tuesday, Chili's, Johnny Rockets

Obviously, there are some blurred lines between these categories - The Varsity and In and Out could fall in category one or two.  While that "Wait Staff" class may seem smaller, more of the growth in the local area seems to be in that genre.  As I was researching some of this, I found tons of local places that would have around five stores in a local market and that's it.  They are usually well-loved, popular, high quality, and busy.  The middle two classes are the ones that I have been working my way through in Columbia, along with my lunch buddy Greg Willson (gregwillson.com).  Today I offer my first review, hopefully followed by about a half-dozen others within a reasonable time.

Burger Tavern 77 could be the poster child for what I am calling Wait Staff Class (Category 3).  It is a stand along shop right on Devine Street in Columbia, SC.  They have a wide variety of options.  There are quirky items and promotions that make it stand out.  It isn't overly large and is frequently busy.  And it is very good.  As of this writing, it is my favorite of the burger places I have tried.  They just seemed to do everything well - which is something that is uncommon.  Many places will have a super burger, but they will have greasy fries or food-service mass produced fried pickles.  Burger Tavern 77 nailed it across the board.

To make us feel more like real restaurant reviewers, we usually will get an appetizer and a couple of burgers.  We want to gain a good view of the variety at the place.  Plus, we will usually get a "fancier" burger, rather than just a bacon cheeseburger.  On this particular afternoon, we well all out and got The Capital City Combo appetizer platter ($12.50) while waiting for our burgers.  This was stupid.  The platter was so filling that we then guaranteed we would have to eat through the pain to actually finish our grub.  The platter came with three chicken tenders, three cheese sticks, chips and salsa, and two pretzels with their accompanying sauces  The tenders were very juicy and large and the chips and salsa were tasty.  None of it appeared to be Tostitos or Tyson stuff on a plate, like some places can be (cough cough, Ruby Tuesday's).  I am a bit of a cheese stick connoisseur.  Some day I'll bore you with my opinions on those items.  I'm a sucker for a twist on the traditional stick, though.  These fit the bill - tortilla chip crust and pepper jack insides.  Very tasty.  The pretzels were made with Black and Tan beer, deep fried, and served with beer cheese dip.  Yeah, that whole sentence was confusing to us as well.  But they were super.  The frying didn't affect them as much as I thought it would - it almost gave it the same chemical reaction the traditional lye bath would give pretzels.  And you could definitely taste the beer flavor in the dough.

The burgers themselves took a lot of negotiation to order.  They have a ton of options, in addition to a "build your own burger" menu.  We decided to order two burgers and cut them in half and share them like some cute dating couple, but with a lot of facial hair.  The Memphis ($9.95) came with Smoky Flavored Bourbon BBQ Sauce, Aged Cheddar Cheese, Crispy Onion Tangles & Two Strips of Bacon.  We got that one with JoJo fries (translation: fries).  The other burger was The Southern ($9.95) with chili, american cheese, southern slaw, dill pickle slices, and yellow mustard.  That one came with sweet potato fries.  We had to get the slaw on the side due to my egg allergy (that also killed our ordering of anything with pimento cheese spread).

Both burgers were cooked perfectly.  They were huge and juicy and had great quality meat.  The toppings completely transformed the burgers.  The Memphis had a sweet BBQ joint vibe to it.  It would have been perfectly at home in a BBQ place as an alternative on their menu.  The Southern had the advantage to me, partly because it had one of the combinations that I have come to really enjoy on burgers.  I call it the Chili Pup combo.  If you've ever had a Chili Pup from Krystal, you know they come with chili, cheese, and mustard.  Why in the world that works together, I don't know.  If you take the mustard off, not as good.  If you leave the chili off, not as good.  You have to have them all together.  When you throw dill pickle slices on top?  Well, next level awesome.  The chili was hearty without being too much.  Sometimes a good chili can overwhelm a burger because it is already loaded (something Chili's burgers always have struggled with).  But if you use some lame canned chili or ketchup laden monstrosity, the burger suffers.  This one was just about perfect.  Both of the fries were very good - seasoned well, not greasy, not just a bag Ore-Ida tossed in the fryer.

Overall, I would say Burger Tavern 77 is clicking on all cylinders.  They have everything a burger lover would be looking for in a burger experience.  Tons of varieties for the burger fiend, but lots of other stuff like chicken sandwiches and salads for others in the party.  I love it when burger places offer their burger styles with a chicken patty option.  If their chicken is good, you have a whole second avenue of combinations with different outcomes.  Chili Cheese chicken?  Not so much.  But that Memphis chicken would be incredible.  The two downsides to Tavern 77 was that it is not super family friendly.  It is a tavern, complete with loads of beer options.  But I don't remember a kids menu.  That would be fine for my middle schooler, but my kindergartner would not like the place.  Second, it is on the pricy side for a burger.  Ten bucks, plus drink, plus tip, plus South Carolina's stupid hospitality tax.  That adds up quick.  Monday afternoons, the restaurant offers a BOGO deal on burgers.  Definitely worth checking out to save some money.  All in all, I would highly recommend Burger Tavern 77 if you are in the mood for some great burgers and a fun time with friends.  Just leave the kids at home with their Happy Meals.

4Rivers Smokehouse

FOOD TYPE: BBQ
LOCATIONS: Orlando (3 locations, 4th opening this spring), Gainesville, Jacksonville
PRICE: $$ out of $$$$$
KIDS MEALS: Several options, includes drinks, $4.99
WEBSITE: www.4rsmokehouse.com 

When I was younger, I was confused about the term Bar-B-Que.  I thought that meant my dad was grilling out back and using BBQ sauce on the chicken.  This was all I knew.  I really can't recall going to many BBQ restaurants while growing up.  The only one I remember going to was called "Red White and Blue BBQ."  It was open for a very short period of time on Palm Beach Lakes Boulevard in West Palm Beach.  Its tagline was "best BBQ in a place that isn't condemned."  It was a funny joke, but apparently not a very popular place.  Once I got into college, my tastes were able to expand in the culinary realm.  But BBQ still was a mystery.  We had Sonny's BBQ - a chain that started in Florida with its relatively nondescript offerings.   I didn't like pork, especially pork roast - which was a big time offering there.  I never really liked the place and didn't hang out there often.  I still refused to convert to being a BBQ fan when I first moved to Tampa after graduation. It still wasn't impressive to me.

Then it all changed.

The church staff I was on had to travel to North Spartanburg, SC for a training conference.  We got into town and stopped at some rundown shopping center with one store front advertising BBQ.  It was one of those condemned places that were mentioned in that aforementioned motto.  We got into line and they had two options: Sliced pork and chopped pork.  I hated pork.  They didn't have beef.  What is this junk?  I picked chopped pork because I KNEW I hated pork roast.  We all got to the table with our baskets.  The guys with me seemed excited at the meal.  I looked around for sauce and all they had on the table were these bottles with a clear liquid in them.  One of the guys said, "Put that on it.  You'll like it."  It was vinegar sauce - something popular in certain areas of the Carolinas and Georgia.  And it was incredible.  I had stumbled into the world of BBQ and realized that I had been missing quite a bit.

Once I realized that true BBQ is much more than grilling chicken with KC Masterpiece on it, it became one of my favorite genres of food.  I opened my taste buds to pulled pork, beef brisket, sausages, ribs.  I still at times gravitate away from pork dishes - especially sliced pork.  But I love me some BBQ.  I discovered there are different styles and different sauces.  I am a bit of an oddball because my favorite sauce is still piedmont vinegar sauce.  However, I try all of the sauces at just about every place I visit.  And visit places I do on a regular basis.  On Foursquare, I have the sixth level Porky Pig Badge.  That means I have visited 25 different BBQ places.  That isn't that I've eaten BBQ 25 times.  I have been to 25 uniqe locations since Foursquare started.  Whenever I travel around the South, I try to eat at a local BBQ place.  I've been to places throughout Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, South and North Carolina, Arkansas, and even Texas.  I've had dry-rub ribs in Memphis, brisket in Fort Worth, and pig wings in Elizabethton, TN (I'll save that review for another day.  Suffice it to say, that is the best BBQ item I've ever had and have never found another place that sells it.)

When it came to writing my first restaurant review, I tried to decide what would be the best leadoff location.  Should I do something recent?  Something local to me now?  Or should I go with an old favorite?  I thought back to what talk show hosts do when they start their shows.  Letterman, Conan (twice), Kimmel, Fallon.  They all did the same thing.  They booked someone familiar they liked.  The initial show would be exciting enough in itself.  It didn't matter if the guest was someone common.  The comfort level would be important.  So I went with old reliable.  When I put up my introductory post, a friend commented, "I guess we'll see a 4Rivers post soon."  If that is the first thing that pops into someone's head when I mention this blog, I guess I can't fail with starting there.  The fact that it is my very favorite restaurant in my very favorite genre?  No brainer.

I know that the backstory of a restaurant shouldn't matter.  It is somewhat irrelevant if the owner is a nice person or if he likes puppies or anything.  There are plenty of nice people who can't cook a lick.  And there are tons of jerks who are great cooks - just watch cooking shows.  But the backstory is important here.  John Rivers was a very successful pharmaceutical executive.  He started making BBQ and sauce to give to parents at the Ronald McDonald House in Orlando.  He sold the sauce to underwrite his BBQ Ministry.  Eventually, enough people told him to just open a store already.  So he did.  The first 4Rivers was in a tiny building with absolutely no indoor seating.  It was all on a patio out back.  There was virtually no parking, so he contracted with a Baptist Church across the street.  People could park there during the week and he would donate food to their various ministries.  There were so many people lined up for 4Rivers it was a traffic issue.  A cop used to park on a side street to ticket all the illegal parkers.  But all of that shouldn't matter.  It also shouldn't matter that John Rivers has a full-time employee to make sure that the restaurant gives away enough money each month or that he is on the board of governors at our church in Orlando or that the restaurant is closed on Sundays or that he's just a really good dude who is making a difference.

The food is simply awesome.  Now, some may label me a 4Rivers apologist.  But I will admit that you can get better items elsewhere.  I have found a better pulled pork (Piggy's in Tallahassee).  I've had better ribs (Corkys in Memphis).  I've had better fried pickles (Black Creek in Middleburg).  The thing is that you aren't going to find this many good products in one place anywhere else.  If I was to rank the products at 4Rivers, they would be like 2nd and 3rd of all the ones I've had.  But they're all right there! That's just not fair.  Have you ever been to a BBQ place that had one really good item - their sauce, their pork, their beef, their beans - but the rest of their stuff isn't that great?  Yeah, that's the opposite of 4Rivers.  Their pulled pork?  Awesome.  Their ribs?  Really awesome.  Their pulled chicken? Sausage? Mac and cheese? Fries? All of it awesome.  And they have a huge menu.  Prime rib, turkey, chicken on the bone, pulled chicken, sliced pork (nope, never tried it), pulled pork.  It is all there and all great.  They have like twenty sides too (baked cheese grits, fire roasted corn, sweet potato casserole) and every single one I've had was awesome.

But they aren't content to just do simple stuff.  They have really creative items too - especially when it comes to their sandwiches.  The Texas Destroyer, for example, is brisket topped with onion rings, jalapeños, provolone, and sauce.  The Longhorn is brisket AND sausage with pickle relish, onions, and provolone.  For Thanksgiving, they have a Pilgrim sandwich with turkey, cranberry sauce, an actual slice of dressing, and gravy.  In March they do a brisket burger.  Oh yeah, they also all have a Sweet Shop with cupcakes, cakes, cookies, homemade ice cream, and more.  Their cupcakes could easily compete with any cupcake store.  In fact, my all time favorite cupcake is there.  It is a cookie dough cupcake - a vanilla cupcake with a wad of cookie dough at the bottom that just barely gets cooked, cookie dough looking and tasting icing, and a chocolate chip cookie sticking out.  I have no idea what mystical dimension they dipped into to be able to perfectly replicate raw cookie dough in an icing, but they did.  And if you really want to blow your mind, get a cupcake shake.  Yes, it is what you think it is.  A massive cupcake blended up with homemade ice cream and milk.  Good grief.

I haven't mentioned their brisket yet because it deserved its own mention.  Texas is the king of beef BBQ.  In the Southeast, it is all about pig.  But in Texas, it is cow.  Beef ribs, steaks, beef brisket.  I've had genuine Texas brisket before.  And I've had 4Rivers brisket.  A bunch of times.  It is real Texas brisket.  It could stand up against anything the Lone Star state throws out there.  This has been verified by several other BBQ aficionados with Texas experience.  I got the brisket a lot at first, then switched to the pulled pork.  Partly, it was because their pulled pork is so good.  But part of it because I don't like a lot of fat in my brisket.  4Rivers changed their delivery method though, and now they ask if you want Lean or Moist.  Awesome.

The funny thing is, if I had to pick something I don't like about 4Rivers, it would be their sauce.  Ironic, isn't it?  The very thing that started the whole company is their weakest link - at least to me.  I like vinegar sauce better.  But I also like places like Whole Hog in Little Rock, Arkansas that have a variety of different sauces.  So that is the weakest thing to me.  But they make up for it with everything else, including selling a line of seasonings like their Coffee Rub.  That is one of the best thing you can use on your own steaks and roasts at home.  So, if you are in Florida, take a chance on 4Rivers.  It is fabulous food, huge portions, a great company, and all at a great price.  All five of us have eaten there before for under $30.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I guarantee it is one of the more reasonable quality BBQ places you'll try.  Sure, you can get a big bill with desserts, full rib racks, or dinosaur beef bones.  But in general, it is a great option.  It's number one - but I'm not going to give up finding worthy competitors.

Whatcha Have There?

When I was a kid, I would frequently have ice cream after dinner.  My favorite was Breyer's Coffee.  I would go into the kitchen, haul out one of our "ice cream bowls," and get a liberal helping of the stuff.  Then I would go into the TV room to snarf it down.  My dad would be sitting on the couch and look over at me.  He would start to peek into the bowl.  I would try to avoid his gaze.  Finally he would ask, "Whatcha have there?"  It wasn't so much an inquiry as a request.  "Whatcha have there" actually meant "come give me a bite of that."  My dad was a big guy.  Six foot five, well over 300 pounds.  He was bald with a beard.  So his definition of "a bite" was hardly what we wanted it to be.  It wasn't just ice cream that he snagged either.  Pie, cake, cookies, potato chips.  Really whatever I brought into the room was free game for "whatcha have there?"

I think of that phrase often when I go out to eat with people.  Part of the enjoyment of eating with friends, for me at least, is finding out what they are getting and how they liked it.  Maybe I'm just weird.  Well, actually, I know I'm weird.  But I like to discuss things with people.  I really would have excelled back in Ancient Greece when sitting around and yakking was considered a job.  I don't just want to do things; I want to analyze them and discuss them.  I do this with movies, with books, with sports.  And I definitely do this with restaurants.

I like to eat out.  I like to experience different restaurants.  One of the best things about traveling is trying new places.  I am NOT one of those people who go to a new city and spend time in a McDonald's or a Pizza Hut.  If I can eat at different places every meal on a trip, I am thrilled.  We have had to move around a lot for my wife's medical training.  There is a certain excitement in finding all the new places to eat in a city.  It is actually kind of funny - I would not classify myself as a risk-taker.  I don't like to try new things or activities.  But when it comes to restaurants, I am definitely always willing to give things a try.

Over the years, I have had a large number of people encourage me to start a restaurant or food blog.  I was always hesitant.  I am not a gourmet by any means.  I don't like weird food.  I like to watch things like Iron Chef and Chopped, but I would never eat most of what they makes.  I am just a regular guy.  I like regular food.  I am a father of three kids, so I also care about kids' meals and stuff.  I have never been to culinary school.  I am a good cook, but I am not super creative.  But I keep getting told that I should do this.  So, I am going to give it a shot.  Before I get started, there are some things my reader(s) should know - ground rules, if you will.

1. I Don't Drink Alcohol - That isn't a bragging comment.  It is pretty important to understand, though, when it comes to my opinion on restaurants.  If you want to know if an establishment has a good selection of craft beers, I am not your man.  I wouldn't know.  I don't care.  As long as you are okay with me ignoring the bar offerings, we should get along fine.
2. I Am Allergic to Eggs and Shellfish - Eggs send me into anaphylactic shock. That means that I won't be giving my opinions on French Toast, Omelets, or Eggs Benedict.  I have to order sandwiches without mayonnaise.  I also can't give you guidance on lobster or crab or shrimp.  It sucks because I like all those things.  I just like living more.
3. I Hate Some Foods - There are some foods that I will not eat, no matter what.  I don't eat sushi.  I avoid mushrooms and olives as much as possible.  I don't eat dark poultry meat.  I am not a big fan of volcanic food.  You will not read about me eating tripe or mountain oysters or sweetbreads or haggis or oysters or snails or pimento cheese.  That is just the way things are.  
4. I Love BBQ and Pizza  - There will be a disproportionate representation of these genres.  The end.

So here is what my plan is.  I will discuss various restaurants.  Since we currently live in Columbia, South Carolina, that will be a common location.  BUT, we also spent nearly a decade in Orlando.  So I will also review establishments in Orlando.  There may be some appearances from places I hang out -  Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Tampa, Charlotte, Saint Augustine.  And I also may toss in some of my favorites from travel experiences in the past: Chattanooga, Nashville, Atlanta, San Diego, Dallas, Las Vegas, Asheville, Sydney.  I also foresee posts about new menu items at places I have already reviewed.  I hope you enjoy the blog.  So, whatcha have there?