The menu at four Burgers is rather limited, basically four burgers, four sides, and a few desserts. That limitation is not necessarily a negative, especially if a restaurant makes excellent food. The burgers include beef, vegetarian, turkey and salmon and are all natural and supposed to be made fresh daily.
They even reveal the source of their products, including Brandt Beef, Plainville Farms, and Blue Mango Foods. The first two companies certainly seem dedicated to natural products and sustainability issues. Blue Mango's website though is simply a single page saying little about the company.
The slogan at Four Burgers is “Which one are you?”, referring to the type of burger you prefer. The basic burgers include the Hamburger ($7) with lettuce, tomato, pickles; Organic Vegan Black Bean Burger ($7) with salsa & guacamole or mango BBQ sauce; Turkey Burger ($7) with apple & cranberry chutney, lettuce, tomato; and the Atlantic Salmon Burger ($8.50) with asian slaw, soy mayo, & green leaf lettuce. You can get your burger on either a toasted sesame seed or whole wheat roll. They also have numerous items you can add to your burger, including about seven or so cheeses. You can even get a double burger if you are particularly hungry.
I ordered the Hamburger with some smoked Gouda cheese on a sesame seed bun, accompanied by a side of regular French fries and some sweet potato fries. The burger is flat and smallish, about 5 1/2 ounces. The roll is fairly generic, nothing special. Taste wise it was good and I really liked the added flavor of the Gouda. But the burger was not impressive, especially for the high price.
In comparison, I could have gotten a double burger with bacon and cheese at Uburger for only $5.50. I understand that natural products can sometimes be more expensive, yet I am not sure the burgers need to be as expensive as they are. As such, this is certainly not a value restaurant though I do commend their devotion to natural products.
I really enjoyed the French fries though, kind of shoe string style though a bit thicker. They were cooked perfectly so you had that delicious crunchy exterior and the soft interior. They are well worth ordering. The sweet potato fries were less interesting, and I did not really think they were that flavorful.
Service was very good, everyone personable and helpful. Though the burger was good, I think it is pricey. That may be the price you pay for a natural burger.
Four Burgers
704 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA
Phone: (617) 441-5444
5 comments:
Interesting. I'm in Central Square every once in a while, and I'm always on the lookout for a place that does decent fries. :)
Richard,
Beef Geek here (@OliverRanch). Do you know if the burger joint used dry-aged or wet-aged beef for their burgers. I am very familiar with Brandt beef, they specialize in Holstein-Friesian breed, grain-finished. Haven't tried their ground beef but when their steaks are wet-aged, they have a lovely but subtle, reserved flavor. Maybe suggest to the cafe (if you're so inclined) to explore using dry-aged beef for their burgers. First time I tasted a dry-aged burger from an artisan source (rancher and butcher), that was it, I was spoiled for life.
Hi Carrie:
I have no clue as to the type of beef they use. I did not know that it made a difference for hamburger whether the meat was dry-aged or wet-aged. I don't recall every seeing that as an option at any place I have bought burger. Sounds like something to check out though. Thanks.
I'd never heard of dry-aged burgers and rarely see them on a menu. The rancher who helped me learn a lot about beef convinced me to make some burgers this way, they are amazing. I've since found that a lot of farms/brands that sell directly will dry-age their beef the old fashioned way and thus have dry-aged ground beef or patties to offer. You're in the Boston area, correct? Hardwick Beef may dry-age their meat. I can ask them if you're interested.
ps Writing the comment on your blog had me craving burgers! I found a small miracle - a butcher selling ground beef from a known, great quality source. I could tell by smell that the meat wasn't dry-aged but I was excited to try it anyways. Sadly, it didn't appeal to me at all. Texture was all wrong and the flavor was too reserved for my personal palate.
I haven't been there yet. Have you been to Wild Willy's in Watertown. I think they're really good and fairly priced. Grass-fed beef too!
Let me know what you think.
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