It'll Be A Good Burger When...

When we took our day trip to Bratislava, one of our stops was going to be a burger joint that our daughter had previously visited. Once we arrived and found a place to park near the burger joint. The parking spot was along a narrowish street with parked cars on both sides of the road and was lined with multi-story apartment buildings.  Some might consider them to be one long building but there was some distinction between the different buildings.  This caused a nice wind tunnel to ferry the chilly wind.  As we were preparing to leave, there was a minor breakdown as sometimes happens with a toddler in tow.  Can't say as I blame her as it was definitely warmer in the car.

As we got all the supplies we needed and our granddaughter was in better spirits, we left the car and began the short walk down the street and around the corner to the location of the burger joint.  As we approached the burger joint, it looked lifeless on the outside from a distance.  Understandable, perhaps, as this was New Year's Day and there was not a lot of places that didn't seem full of customers.  Maybe a lot of people were still recovering from welcoming the new year the previous evening.

Not to be daunted by this burger joint being closed, phones were busted out and after some brief discussion, we headed in another direction to take in the sights.  As we headed west along Dostojevského rad we eventually came to an intersection where we saw a building for the Univerzita Komenshého.  Waiting at the light, one of our group noticed a menu on the wall for a restaurant located in the basement of the building we were next to.  Before we all headed down the stairs, one of our daughters popped in and asked if they could accommodate our party. Fortunately, they could.  We'd just have to leave the stroller outside at the bottom of the stairs.

The staff were great at getting a few tables together in preparation for us.  While English was not their primary language, we were grateful the ladies working were able to understand us.  We placed our orders and conversed waiting for the food to arrive.  The background music that was playing was good - especially fitting for someone of this writers generation.

Now, you may be wondering what all this has to do with the lead-in of 'It'll Be A Good Burger When...'.  Well, as you sit down in many dining establishments, there is usually some utensils and a napkin for you to use while dining.  The folks managing this establishment know their product and made sure that the napkins - paper - were of sufficient strength and thickness to accommodate what was coming. A few extra napkins were provided, just in case.

The one thing, however, that was included with the place setting was a small baggie that contained a pair of latex or nitrile gloves appropriately black which fit in well with their branding and motif.  I should note that the items on the menu would not warrant needing to wear gloves due to hot peppers or anything along those lines.  These were specifically to help keep your hands clean.

When our food finally arrived, we put on our gloves and began eating.  The burger I got - pictured above - was not one that was super messy.  It did not have an excess of sauces that can cause a bun to fall apart.  In fact, the bun held together quite well to the last bite; something I consider crucial for a burger to be considered a good burger. The meat was just the right amount of juiciness and was cooked just right for this writer.  In addition, I thought the fries were perfect.  Nice golden outer crisp and soft enough on the inside to be cooked but not greasy.  When I say a nice golden outer crust, I mean where there is almost a snap to breaking the fry or would hold up well when dipping in a sauce.  I didn't end up dipping them in any sauce as I thought they were perfect just the way they were. 

When I was done, I took off the gloves and my hands were nice and clean lacking any burger juice residue!

So, if you are ever in Bratislava and are looking for a good burger, I would recommend Jump Street.  

-Michael.