I was hungry, so I decided to start with the Calamari which was fried in a perfect light batter so it was crispy and not at all greasy.  The Calamari was accompanied by thin jalapeno  and lemon slices which were also fried in the same batter.  The dish was served with a sweet chili garlic sauce which had a nice after bite.

Being it was Memorial Day weekend I decided on the Classic Backyard Burger for the main course which was fixed just like a backyard grilled hamburger should be done; thick slices of onion and tomato, lettuce, pickle, mustard and mayonnaise, American cheese on top and served on a sesame seed bun. Of course the burger was served with a large cup of great fires.  The menu states that the burgers here are ½ pound and extra lean.  However they will  “boulderize” your burger if you are feeling really hungry, upgrading it to a double meat for an extra charge.  The ½ pound was plenty for me after having already partaken of the Calamari earlier.

I found the hamburger just a bit dry (probably because it was extra lean, so I’m thinking healthier), but otherwise it hit all my Memorial Day cookout cravings for a burger.  The service at Stone Werks was prompt and attentive throughout the meal and even though it was Happy Hour and the start of a long, busy weekend, it wasn’t overly noisy.  I would recommend Stone Werks Big Rock Grille if you are looking for a Sports Bar atmosphere with a good draft beer selection and extensive sandwich, salad and pizza type offering.

In My Opinion:
Lord’s Kitchen in San Antonio, TX – Lord’s Kitchen is a San Antonio institution and a must try burger joint at least one time. Our buddy Vid recommended us to go try this place for lunch. It’s a bit hard to find and out of the way from our office, but glad to have tried it. It’s your truly hole-in-the-wall type of place but it has a unique feel to it. As you enter Lord’s Kitchen it’s like a time capsule from the 1950′s and it’s got that rare Americana feel, which seems to be lost now-a-days to all the chain burger joints.

The drinks are served in Texas sized cups and that should have been a preview of things to come The burgers reminded me of a time growing up from a small mom & pop convenience store used to cook up. I got the 1/2 lb. cheeseburger and it was pretty big with a good helping of fries. The burgers was pretty good, I like how the meat had the right amount of crispyness yet still very tender and juicy within. Overall the food is a bit on the greasy side, and the fries was about average. Overall this place is very affordable and you just can’t beat that.

For more information visit their website at:
www.thelordskitchen.net

My Overall Experience: 3.70 Stars out of 5
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Customer Service: 3.50
Food Quality: 4.0
Atmosphere: 4.0
Parking: 3.50
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Category: American Food, Burger Joint
Price Range: $ (below $10 = Cheap)

Location Visited:
118 Seguin St.
San Antonio, TX 78208
tel: (210) 354-3888

Google Map:

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Five Guys Burgers - Cheeseburgers with onions, jalapenoes, & tomatoes

Five Guys Burgers - Cheeseburgers with onions, jalapenoes, & tomatoes

Click on the stars below to rate it:
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In My Opinion By Robert McGuire:
Five Guys Burgers in San Antonio, TX – Five Guys Burgers is not your typical burger joint. For the San Antonio area they are pretty different and it is apparent as you walk in. This particular Five Guys Burgers location seems to be very small but they’ve got huge bags of peanuts at the door for you to eat while you’re waiting in line or at the table. You’ve gotta love the ordering process and how they focus you in on the essential burger options to choose from with an easy and simple menu.

As I got up to the counter the gentleman behind the counter was friendly and helped me make my choices with the toppings on my burger. I ordered the classic cheeseburger with onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, and mayo on it. I didn’t order the fries because Wes ordered the large side and we’re going to split them. They where pretty quick with the food considering we had 8 people in our party. To our surprise the large side of fries is enough to feed 4 people. The burger was delivered completely wrapped in foil. I’ve gotta think the cheese and foil technique seemed to keep the meat very moist and flavorful. We were all surprised also that our burgers come standard double meat, even though we didn’t order it that way.

Needless to say, this is one of my top places to go for a burger in San Antonio, TX thus far. Even at this location in the Quarry Village, there is plenty of parking mainly because there’s also a big parking garage there as well. If you’ve not yet tried Five Guys Burgers, I recommend it and only wish they would open up a larger locations around San Antonio. With your burger, fries and a drink you’re looking to spend just over $10 for your meal and its well worth it. Granted the presentation is not all high class or pretty, but then again we’re having ourselves some good ol’ burgers. To summarize my trip, we had easy parking, great service, and a good burger to boot.

My Overall Experience: 4.0 Stars
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Customer Service: 4.5
Food Quality: 4.0
Atmosphere: 3.5
Parking: 3.5
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Category: American Food, Burger Joint
Price Range: $$ ($10-$20 = Average)

www.fiveguys.com

Location Visited:
260 E. Basse Rd., Ste. 107
San Antonio, TX 78209
(210) 822-6200

Google Map:

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Smashburger - BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger

Total Grade: 70%
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Customer Service: 6
Food Quality: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Parking: 7
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Category: American Food, Burger Joint
Price Range: $$ ($10-$20 = Average)

In My Opinion:
Smashburger in San Antonio, TX – Smashburger was having a VIP grand opening event today at its new location at 410 & Blanco, this is their second San Antonio, TX location. With the name Smashburger and hype surrounding this, I was expecting a new and unique burger joint. I was a bit disappointed, as it was another typical burger joint with a modern look.

Although there was a long line today, it moved pretty quickly to place my order at the counter. Since it was a VIP grand opening event, today’s meal was covered by Smashburger. As I ordered my BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and the classic French Fries, I saw that they were making milk shakes. I asked the gentleman at the counter, “can I get a milk shake also with my order.” Both the lady (making the milk shakes) and gentleman (taking my order) said, sorry we’re all out.” As I stood there I replied, “really, you’re all out?” As I pointed to what are you making then? No answer. That was pretty rude of them. Toward the end of the evening, before I left, some of my other friends got milk shakes at that time. All out eh? So I went up to the counter the second time that night and asked to get a milk shake. Again, they said they were all out. This was perhaps one of the worst customer service I’ve ever experience as they told me a bold face lie.

I got my order pretty quickly, which was great and was pleasantly surprised by that. There was an average size portion of fries and the burger was huge. As I picked up the burger the bottom bun was destroyed by the amount of grease on the burgers. I could not pickup my burger to eat, I had to use a fork. I had to ask one of the workers there for a knife and fork, since they were all out. He told me he would get them to me and he never did. I waited about 10 mins to get some utensils. Back to the burger, it was so greasy, that it when through the paper lining of my tray and left a huge grease puddle under my tray. I had to use several napkins under my tray to soak it all up. The meat was cooked right, BBQ sauce, bacon, and onions on the burger was good. The fries are kind of plain and if you don’t eat them right away they turned hard. Either they were reheated or double cooked?

The atmosphere and decor of the place is a contemporary & modern burger joint. This location is really hard to find parking on a busy night, so try to get there early if you go or bring some comfortable walking shoes. I am hoping, if I do go back to give them a try, that their customer service becomes better. There’s just way too many burger joints in town. I was disappointed with today’s visit, maybe it will be better for you.

Once again, I can deal with average food but will not deal with a horrible customer service experience. To me they either should have served the milk shakes to everyone or no one that night, instead of being selective. You guys enjoy. Try it, Chat it, Rate it!

Follow Up Visit:
July 24th, 2009 – I went back to do my follow up review at Smashburger’s 410 & Blanco location. Went for a late lunch there and parking was still bit of an issue, but after driving around we finally found a spot, luckily it was not too far. Lets cut to the chase and I’ll let you know that this time the overall experience was better.

Smashburger - Classic Cheeseburger with Onion Rings

I ordered the half pound classic cheeseburger with onion rings. Again the speed of getting the food was pretty quick, which is great when you’re on your lunch break. The server that brought out the food as very nice and friendly, also each time someone got their food, they would ask if we needed anything else. This was a much better service from my first visit. The burger here is still a little greasy (not juicy), but at least I was able to pick it up this time and eat it, as the bottom bun was still intact. The taste and flavor of the burger is good, overall its a good choice rather than a fast food chain.

Although I did not ask for a milk shake this time, my friends let me have some of theirs, and it was pretty good. If I happen to come in for a third time, I may ask for a milk shake with my order and see how it goes. Overall, this was a better experience but it still doesn’t change my very first impression about the place, from the service stand point and being lied to. Maybe with an explanation from the owner or manager of this location (which as not happened yet) and time, things will change.

www.smashburger.com

Location Visited:
842 NW Loop 410
San Antonio, TX 78216

Google Map:

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Gourmet Burger Grill - Bacon Cheeseburger

Total Grade: 78%
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Customer Service: 8
Food Quality: 7
Atmosphere: 8
Parking: 8
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Category: American Food, Burger Joint
Price Range: $$ ($10-$20 = Average)

In My Opinion:
Gourmet Burger Grill in San Antonio, TX – I recently went back to Gourmet Burger Grill this past week with the guys from the office. I’ve been to Gourmet Burger Grill before, a long time ago, just a couple of months after they opened up on 1604 & 281 north. My first ever experience with them was just kind of below average. I had ordered the Mini Burger Sampler that comes with one of each: beef, chicken, turkey, crab and lamb burgers. Along with some fries and a drink, you’d have a bill little bit over $17. I was not impressed with the burgers because some of them had been overcooked, dry and I only ended up eating half of each mini burger. I was thinking to my self, this is suppose to be a gourmet burger joint? That’s why its taken me and our family a long time to give them another shot.

Now for round two, my recent visit with the guys. The place is pretty nice and they outdoor space is great to have lunch when its a nice day. I came in today with one simple goal which was to order something simple and basic. I got your classic bacon cheeseburger, medium to medium-well, and some onion rings. This is just a Texas classic. I figured at a gourmet burger joint, if you mess this up, it would most likely be a very long time before we come back here again. It took an average time to get our order, which was great, because we were all starving. At first bite, everything seemed okay, except my burger came out well-done. I was looking forward to a nice juicy and delicious burger, but the sad reality it was a bit dry.

As I looked around and asked some of the other guys, their burgers also came out bit overcooked. I’m not sure what’s going on there, but if you like your burger cooked a certain way, this is just an FYI for you. The onion rings were fine, sweet tea was good, and we had great company during our lunch so I didn’t want to go talk to the manager or make a scene. So far parking is pretty easy here as a lot of the spaces in this shopping center are not all fully developed yet.

As for Gourmet Burger Grill, I do not see a signature burger that is a must have here. You would come to expect that from a gourmet burger joint. They do have variety of meats and big selection of burger toppings which is awesome. I hope to go in there maybe just one more time and ask them to make me your very best one of a kind burger. I hope that trip will convince me to put this place as one of my top burger joints in San Antonio, TX.

www.gourmetburgergrill.com

Location Visited:
18414 US Hwy 281 N., Ste. 116
(Inside The Legacy Shopping Center, across from Motif Furniture)
San Antonio, Texas. 78259
Tel: (210) 545 3800

Google Map:

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