FOTB- The Pearl

With a new year resolution to be more on top of things, it's nice that I finally got around to my top priorities- delicious burgers and cold beers! With how busy the year has been, it was nice to finally sit down and enjoy my first new burger adventure... Making the venture to the Pearl Hotel in Point Loma, I settled down for 2010's kickoff Fellowship of the Burger!

The Food: 2.5/5 Patties
Touting yourself as the "best burger in town" takes cojones- I love it! Unfortunately, the Pearl's burger doesn't back up it's claim... While the rest of the group felt that the burger was average, my burger was overcooked and since I write the reviews, pity the poor waitress who mixed up orders and served me that dry burger. The bun was a heart-wrenching: the chiabatta bun perfectly toasted was amazing; it was also too big for the patty, drowning the taste of the meat with bread. The Gouda cheese needed to be sliced thicker for more taste, but I applaud them for not overburdening the taste with it's strong flavor. The condiments were a nice addition as the aioli, tomatoes, and lettuce were just enough to add that to complement the burger.

The Drinks: 2.5/5 Pints
The beer list was quite appropriate, offering a reasonable selection of San Diego's local brews to sample. The prices were a bit high ($6+) for a pint, but since we came on Tuesday, the first brew was included in the price of the meal. Still, with that sort of price setting, you aren't going to get too many people ordering a second beer. Or third. The house cocktails were highly recommend by one of our members, and with names like "The Bee's Knees" and "Marie Antoinette," I'll be sure to come knock one back at the bar.

The Atmosphere: 5/5 Ladies
What an awesome place to grab a burger and beer! The outside is a bit understated, keeping it from the glitzy "Come On In" tourist trap and letting people-in-the-know enjoy a truly neat location. The inside bar has a hip, 70s vibe to it, instantly bringing a little more upbeat to your step. Where we enjoyed our food and drinks was outside. And how cool is eating outside? Not special... until you add a pool, a projector screen, and private booths. Watching a movie over a pool from the confines of a private booth is awesome!

Closing Remarks:
The $15 price tag for a burger and beer is a little high, especially considering that the burger is no more special than anything else in San Diego. However, where else will you be able to dine outside and watch a movie? Bring the lady here to show her that you know some hip spots. Just get her throwing back one of the house cocktails and she'll slip past the problem of you not knowing where to take her for a good burger...

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.