FOTB- Classics Malt Shop

Down in a funky shopping center, Classics Malt Shop is only visible from the road. It's located in a small food court with some other restaurants, but none look as interesting or as appetizing as Classics Malt Shop does.
The Food: 3/5 Stars
Classics offers quite a few styles of burgers, but I couldn't resist checking out their Bacon Cheeseburger. However, for $7.95, I expect a better tasting or bigger burger than what was served up. The beef patty was not of the highest quality beef, but it had excellent flavor due to the spices that were mixed in the patty. The buns were pretty plain; they could have used a light toasting to make them stand out. The bacon was tasty, but the 2 pieces were cut too thick, leaving some bites without any taste of bacon. The burger itself could be bigger. Classics served up one of the smallest burgers we've come across on our quest. They need to start shaping those patties to be a little bit larger and more filling. The burger wasn't greasy and didn't fall apart, so it scores well for staying together until the last bite is in your mouth.

The Drinks: 1/5 Stars
Classics offers up no beer whatsoever. They do offer Corona, but that's little more than water with yellow food coloring in it. Because I've mainly been scoring places on their alcohol selection, Classics gets a whopping 0 stars. BUT, because I also like to mention some other treats, Classics notches in a point due to their amazing non-alcoholic selection (if I could weight non-alcoholic drinks more, this place would be doing well). They have awesome malts, freezes, and rootbeer floats. If none of those are appealing (you must be turned off by anything that sounds good), you can order up a Mexican Coke for a refreshment.

The Atmosphere: 4/5 Stars
Classics is a tiny little shop with no seating available for parties over 4 people. However, because it is in a shared food court, you are able to pull together any number of tables to make sure that everyone is seated together. The walls of Classics are covered in lots of pictures of classic cars (oooh, now I get where it's name comes from), maps, and other nostalgic photos. The service is unbelievable, with the cook/cashier making sure that everything is perfect. One of our members had demolished half of the wrong drink when his drink came out. The person working took the drink and topped it off to make sure that everyone was happy.

Overall: 3/5 Stars
Classics Malt Shop is a nostalgic throwback to the car and diner era (source: old movies) and while its a neat little place to visit, it's not worth a trip for the burger. The burger and fries are average, but you should come to this place for their malts and freezes-- damn they are good! This is a good place to come and hang out, as the staff makes you feel like family, but don't expect to get blown away by their burger.

FOTB- Burger Lounge, La Jolla

With multiple Burger Lounge locations existing, it was impossible to pass up the La Jolla venue. Let's hope that this store serves as fair representation for the chain, but maybe a future visit to another location will be needed for confirmation.

The Food: 3.5/5 Stars
There is no doubting the quality of the Burger Lounge's beef, especially for a price of $7.95. I can tell you about it, but they do a much better job on their website as well as in their stores-- Burger Lounge is all about promoting it's grass-fed beef for the flavor and health benefits. And the beef was tasty, no denying that. But as a burger, it was very disappointing... The burger proved to be a complexity-- the burger was dripping juice, completely soaking through the buns, making it a very messy burger. Despite this, the burger tasted dry. I kept transferring grease from my burger to my pint glass (I had already eaten through a lot of napkins trying to manage the levels of grease on my hands). I think part of the issue is that Burger Lounge cooks their burgers medium, drying out the meat. I'm a believer that if you cook beef past medium-rare, you are doing a great injustice to yourself. The fries and onion rings aren't worth noting, and I probably wouldn't have a desire to order them again, except that the burger doesn't fill you up, almost forcing you to purchase the additional food. The quality of the product and it's lack of large size actually left me feeling good- I wasn't bloated or weighed down, but I was still a little hungry.

The Drinks: 2.5/5 Stars
Burger Lounge offers little choice for alcohol. And what they do offer is extremely overpriced, even for La Jolla. They have really hurt themselves with their pricing point. I can walk across the street to Karl Strauss and get more beer offerings at a better price (apparently, they are quite aware of this and not-too-politely harassed us about this). But I was able to get Boont Amber Ale on draft (I really enjoy this beer but rarely find it available on tap, so nice surprise!) There shakes are good, but nothing better than what's available at most places.

The Atmosphere: 3/5 Stars
If this wasn't located in La Jolla, the score would be way lower. The establishment itself lacks intelligent planning. Seating is extremely tough due to lack of space for groups of more than 3 people (not kidding). The ordering counter takes up most of the inside, and the burgers are still cooked in the kitchen. But they seem to be aware of this, by keeping walls to a minimum and maximizing windows-- Burger Lounge is a sterile white color, so they know to take the focus away from their blandness and direct it outwardly to La Jolla. For the most part, the staff was friendly and helpful-- they got a little bitter at the idea of us possibly going to Karl Strauss for a pre-meal drink, even though we hadn't been discussing it.

FOTB Calendar Girl June '09-->

Overall: 3/5 Stars
Burger Lounge knows how to attract its demographic-- providing an affordable high-quality beef burger at a certified green restaurant. However, it doesn't have enough going for it to make me want to go back. I know other options for better beef and drink and better atmosphere. If you want a quick and easy grass-fed burger, this place is an okay option, but you're better to go elsewhere.