‘Red Robin’ Articles at Sweetnicks

A few months back, a facebook status update from an old elementary school classmate caught my eye.

“The fries taste like they have been sprinkled with magic unicorn dust.”

Now if that isn’t a review to pay attention to, I don’t know what is.

He was talking about the fries he had just had at Elevation Burger. And after reading that, I made a mental note that we should stop in and check them out.

All in the name of good research, after all.

Last Friday found us with exactly an hour and a half before The Ex came to pick up the kids for the weekend. Which presented us with the perfect opportunity for a super early dinner with a girlfriend and her son. At Elevation Burger, of course.

Located on the busy Bloomfield Avenue in Montclair, you can find on-street parking or a spot at one of the nearby municipal lots. We also found out, after the fact, that the restaurant has a parking lot behind the building as well.

We walked in and had the kids stake out a space at the counter area while we figured out the menu.

Burgers, fries, shakes. Your typical burger joint offerings. Toppings galore, which I do so love.

And a commitment to organic ingredients, sustainability, and being environmentally friendly.

Which makes it all the better.

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Just as the kids and I fell into reviewing various pizza joints in the area (more coming soon!), my friend Beth and I have fallen into scoping out the best burger joints in our fair state. We already have the next spot picked out for the end of the month. Last year, when I saw there was a Red Robin opening up nearby, we made plans to give it a whirl and see how it stood up against a few of the other places we have tried (smashburger and Bobby Burger Palace are recent examples). Her husband Roger decided to come with … all the more opportunities to try more of the menu!

We all ordered different burgers (I went with their Bleu Ribbon Burger, Roger ordered the Whiskey River BBQ Burger and Beth I think went with the Patty Melt?), and added the towering stack of onion rings, along with their Chili Chili Con Queso Dip with Nachos. I really wanted to try their cupcakes just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything, but Beth scoffed at the idea.

The service was ridiculous. In a mostly good way. They checked up on us so many times that night that Roger actually politely asked the waitress to stop coming back. “Really, we’re fine. I promise.”

My burger arrives and I could barely find the bleu cheese on it. Beth’s order was all wrong, and Roger’s had nary a hint of BBQ. Two out of three went back. Their menu (and wait staff) boasts over 20 versions of “gourmet burgers,” making the decision that much harder. We all agreed, though, that the burger itself had little to no seasoning, and they are relying instead on all the toppings. It might have something to do with the fact that the restaurant has its own seasoning. If they’re relying on their seasoning to up the flavor, then they should mention it at some point. They don’t. Were they the best burgers ever? No. Not bad though.

The onion rings? Delicious. I’m very picky about onion rings and hate ingesting the fat and calories unless they’re stupendous. These were crispy and huge, coming with two dipping sauces. The Queso dip was thick and cheesy and, well, I’m not picky when it comes to melted cheese. You all know that already. The chips were crispy, warm and salty, just the way we like them. I could have made a meal just from the appetizers.

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Review: Elevation Burger

Review: Red Robin