Lavinia at Home

Mmm…! A fully-loaded burger can be a guilty pleasure when prepared well and boy-oh-boy, my dining experience at brgr was well worth the break in my diet. With a motto of “we go against the grain to create a better burger”, it’s not surprising to hear that they make their burgers with fresh ground beef from 100% grass-feed cows—free of artificial hormones and antibiotics. This bit of news made me feel better about my flavorful indiscretion. On both visits, I ordered the Blue Sky BRGR—a delectable combo of beef, Roquefort cheese, bacon, sweet onion marmalade, lettuce, tomato and pickles. For a side, you have to try “The Trio”, a melody of russet fries, sweet potato fries and onion hay. These may be my downfall as they are downright awesome. The well-lit, brightly decorated restaurant is creative in its presentation, and food preparations are visible to the eye. They clearly are not trying to hide anything in terms of their ingredients, adopting a fully-transparent approach to food prep. Burgers range from the beef, turkey to vegetarian varieties, paired with simple to complex fixings. In addition to standard bottled beverages, they serve milkshakes, beer and wine. Desserts options are limited to “home made” chocolate chip oatmeal cookies made with Grape Nuts cereal and mini 5 ounce shots of their milkshakes—a great idea in my opinion. Did I mention that the milkshakes are made from milk products free of hormones, antibiotics or additives? As a mom, I was happy to discover this fact. Indeed, the menu and atmosphere make it a family-friendly burger joint, earning it high honors in recent years within the burger and/or milkshake categories by New York Magazine, the New York Post and Next Magazine.

With their recent addition on the East side of Manhattan, you now have twice as many opportunities to sample their fare. Visit their website (www.brgr.com) to check out their menu and run to their nearest site in NYC (Westside location – 287 Seventh Avenue between 26th and 27th streets; Eastside location – 1026 Third Avenue between 60th and 61st streets) for a delicious juicy burger and fries.

On a recent visit to Public Square located in the heart of Cleveland’s downtown, I discovered a feel-good restaurant and microbrewery—the Cleveland Chophouse & Brewery. My pick of the day was a pulled pork sandwich with BBQ sauce with wasabi coleslaw on a Kaiser roll. It was scrumptious. Although a heavy combo, I recommend pairing it with their white cheddar mash potatoes. I was disappointed in the French fries, but was lucky enough to try my husband’s side dish. To accompany this finger-licking comfort food, I partook in their award winning Bohemian Pilsner—a gold medal winner from the 2001 and 2002 Great American Beer Festival—which is brewed on site by Irish brewmaster Gerry OConnell. The Pilsner was refreshing and crisp. If you still have any space for dessert, I would recommend the sticky cake with vanilla ice cream. The overall experience was even better knowing we were there during happy hour as all menu items are $3 off and 22 ounce beers are $3.00. A delightful and cost-effective meal is hard to pass up. We even enjoyed recaps of the day’s World Cup matches, having selected a table near the bar. Located at 824 West St. Clair, Cleveland OH 44113 (tel. 216-623-0909), this casual establishment is known for classic steaks, chops and seafood and is family friendly. You can also enjoy their sister sites in Boulder, Denver and Washington DC.

We had lunch at Chick-fil-A and it was so good that I decided to mention it. It’s fast food restaurant located at 46920 Community Plz in Sterling, Virginia, tel.: (703) 444-1901

This place is serving real solid pieces of chicken, not the processed stuff that barely resembles poultry. We feasted on the grilled and breaded fried moist chicken sandwiches and nuggets (for our toddler)and were I were pleasantly surprised by the quality and taste. I had the char-grilled chicken sandwich, yam, yam! We also enjoyed their new peach milk shake. This franchise has 1400 locations across 37 states.

There is also nice playground for kids with slides and all kind activities. Selected locations has Wi-Hi connections.

If you’re looking for an amazing burger in Manhattan, you need to go to the Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridien hotel—especially if you like made-to-order, grilled burgers with the “works” at reasonable prices ($6.00 to $6.50 tax included). Located in an upscale midtown hotel (118 West 57th Street, between 6th and 7th Avenues; Tel. 212-245-5000), this hidden hole-in-the-wall gem is obscured from view next to reception and a heavy velvet curtain. It’s only marking is a neon image of a burger. Locals working in the area flock to this cash-only place for lunch, so go early or late in the afternoon (before 12 and after 2 pm Monday through Friday) if you’re looking for a seat; seating is extremely limited.

Food is the attraction, not the atmosphere. Most take their orders “to go” back to their office or to Central Park if the weather is nice. Otherwise, expect a line and at least a five-to-twenty minute wait; it’s well worth it. The menu is very simple: burger, cheeseburger, grilled cheese, fries, dill pickle, brownie, soda, beer, lemonade, water (milkshakes after 3pm only) and that’s it, but YUM is it good! Burgers are grilled on the outside and juicy on the inside, offered with a selection of cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard and mayo on a bun; the thin french fries are fabulous and if you wait ‘til late in the afternoon, the vanilla and chocolate milkshakes are phenomenal. Burgers are not huge, but not small either. So order a burger with the works and some fries and prepare to enjoy. We give this burger place 5 stars for food and affordability. Don’t expect service to be great. Nonetheless, I can’t wait to go back! My mouth is watering just writing about it. Good luck finding it