I’m tempted to contact Motz, the inspiration for my burger
tour, and have him remove the Beanie Burger from his list of America’s Best
after my excruciatingly underwhelming visit to the Gahanna Grill. Make no
mistake, this institution in the idyllic burg of Columbus proudly lets the
world know they are on that list (being in that location since 1939), but what occurred inside is nothing to be
proud of. I’d almost say they should be ashamed to advertise as such. The
Gahanna Grill is not as rustic as Johnny’s, historic as Thurman’s, or classically
dive as O’Reilly’s – the small town pub vibe was only accented by a couple of
afternoon drunks and one too many shamrocks dotting the walls. The service and
atmosphere was completely passable, but the food was hard to choke down.
I’d come for the “famed” Beanie Burger and ordered without
hesitation, to which I was prompted “medium well,” and I was agreeable with
this standard. I came to find out that “medium well” meant that these burgers
weren’t made to order. The tasteless atrocity that arrived was brought to me
less than three minutes from sitting down at the bar. The Beanie is the usual
pub style burger – now replicated to better effect by chains like 5 Guys and
Graffiti – piled with bacon, cheap American cheese, grilled onions, and the
average dressing of lettuce and tomato. It looked intimidating, but as soon as
I lifted the bun I could see the grayish hue of the burger and was somewhat
scared to dive in. The kicker with the Beanie is the addition of a “house made”
slaw. I was intrigued – and tried a bite of the side of slaw that comes with
each burger. I’ve had better slaw at Captain D’s, it does nothing to help the
Beanie. As sated previously, the Beanie was impossible to choke down and I
couldn’t finish it. Should it have tasted better, I would have certainly been
able to tackle this monstrosity, but as it was, I couldn’t bear any more after
a few bites. It was that bad. Top that off with cold, downright awful side of
fries, and I was embarrassed to even think about complaining, kindly paid my
bill, and left promptly. Perhaps I caught them at a bad time? Perhaps the best
days of Gahanna Grille are long gone? All I can relay is that this IS NOT a
worthy burger. And even if it’s in spitting distance of Columbusites who might
read here – you’re better off going to Rally’s – for serious. UGH.
No comments:
Post a Comment