Folks, I just came from the Burger King at Sawmill and 161, where I ate the best BK double cheeseburger I've ever eaten. And I've been eating BK double cheeseburgers a long, long time. Why, when I first ate a BK double cheeseburger, I had to ride a BMX bicycle four miles in the snow, uphill, both ways, just to get there.
OK, that's an exaggeration. When it snowed back then, I walked to BK. The point is, I know BK double cheeseburgers the way Lloyd Bentsen knew JFK, and believe me, this was an excellent double cheeseburger.
This was supposed to be a negative review. I had to run an errand in the Sawmill/161 area and I needed a quick lunch. There's a BK there where I remember getting substandard service some time ago, and I've been writing a lot of positive restaurant reviews lately. So here was a golden opportunity to write something humorously scathing, and all it would cost me is a few bucks and a little indigestion.
There was no indication I was in for such a treat when I walked into the restaurant. There was a sizable line of customers at noon, mostly blue-collar guys and moms with little ones. This BK has an indoor playground, thankfully separated from the main dining area by a nearly-soundproof glass wall.
The line moved quickly. I ordered a double cheeseburger, onion rings, and a Coke. This combo was not listed on the value menu, but the cashier rang up a combo price of $3.19. Quite a bargain.
And then I sat down, unwrapped the burger, and bit in. BK makes a big deal of their burgers being broiled and not fried, and this one tasted like it had just come off the backyard charcoal grill. Plenty of ketchup and mustard. Fresh pickles. Soft, fresh bun. The taste of mid-summer, in the dead of winter.
Now, maybe the burger was fresher than usual because BK is running commercials featuring the double cheeseburger for a buck, and everyone's ordering it. Maybe the manager runs a tight ship and the broiler is kept cleaner than most. Or maybe the anonymous fry cook (excuse me: broil cook) in the back takes an unusual amount of pride in his job. Whatever the reason, this burger was beyond good. If I had paid $8 for it at some trendy new bar and grill, I wouldn't have felt ripped off.
Given the quality of the burger and the bargain price, I really wanted to present this BK with the coveted Dublin Grease Guide Five-Spot Award. But I can't, for the following reasons:
* Two tables were too filthy to use. One was covered with spilled salt and a cardboard BK crown; the other contained some departed diner's tray and lunch trash. The BK staff probably couldn't spare a crew member to wipe tables at the height of the lunch rush, so chalk this one up to the dirtbaggery of the general public.
* One of the two drink stations was completely inoperative.
* My onion rings weren't quite hot. On the other hand, they were crispy and completely cooked, thank goodness. (Ever eaten soggy, semi-cooked BK onion rings? I have, and I never will again. Not only do they taste awful, they turn your insides into a state-of-the-art chemical warfare production facility.)
So in conclusion, I'm left with the question: does the BK at Sawmill and 161 always serve burgers this tasty, or was this was an outstanding performance from a normally mediocre shop? Are they the Muhammad Ali of broiled burgers, or merely Buster Douglas having a single moment of glory? Only repeat visits will tell. I'll go back in a month or so and write a follow-up.
UPDATE, 2/14/08: I took Cap Jr. to the Sawmill & 161 BK last Saturday so he could enjoy the indoor playground. He reports that his hamburger and fries were excellent. I tried the Tendercrisp Chicken Sandwich and found it a little disappointing. The chicken was tasty, but the bun was going stale and the tomatoes were tasteless. I'm not going to change the 4-spot rating - after all, chicken isn't Burger King's specialty. Stick to burgers and you'll have a good meal here. And if you're under 46 inches tall, enjoy the playground as well.
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