My brother ordered the Surf & Turf, a burger topped with crab meat, spring salad and Bearnaise sauce while I ordered the Teriyaki, a burger with Hoison honey glaze and chow mein noodle salad. Each of us ordered them cooked rare, as we believe meat should be cooked that way for the best possible flavor. Plus, a burger that has been cooked too long has terrible texture and usually falls apart.
From our first bites, we were completely satisfied. The burgers actually came cooked rare, which was a nice surprise and the flavor of the burger was extraordinary. Gordo's burgers are a half-pound made from lean ground beef mixed with bacon, onion compote and mixed herbs, and those extra ingredients definitely make a difference. Both of our burgers were in our bellies in less than 10 minutes even though we discussed how much we enjoyed them long after that. The fries, which didn't seem homemade, were still tasty. They had a light dusting of a few spices and complemented the burger nicely. Gordo's offers other sides to upgrade to for an extra $2.00, and can be seen here, along with the rest of their lunch menu.
My bro and I were seated at the bar because it was a busy Friday night and there were no other seats available when we showed up, so we were helped by the bartender. He offered us great service, even while tending to the other guests around us and even though it was crowded our orders came out in less than 15 minutes.
My next trip to Gordo's was on a Monday around six in the evening and I went with my three roommates. The service this time around was lacking, even though we were only four of the ten people in the entire place. Our server had to be summoned for refills and seemed more interested in talking at the bar with the other employees than helping us. I understand chatting it up with your co-workers when it is a slow night, but ignoring your guests completely is silly.
Also, when our orders came, my burger was cooked well when I asked for rare and my friend's was cooked rare when he asked for medium-well. Usually I don't care when this happens and I just eat what I get because I hate to be that guy, but this time I asked for another because I had enjoyed the rare burger so much my first visit. I got a brand new burger in about 5 mins and my roommate got his burger thrown back on the grill to be cooked more. I'm not sure if that is the best way to deal with an undercooked burger, but he still said it tasted good.
This time I ordered the Hawaiian which has a strange concoction of ingredients, but was still to my liking. It was topped with roasted pineapple, lettuce, tomato (which I took off), onion, mayonnaise, BBQ sauce and American cheese. It sounds funky, which it is, but it definitely worked. The nice crunch of the cucumber coupled with the sweetness of the pineapple and onion, along with the tangy-ness of the BBQ sauce brought together a lot of compelling flavors that enhanced the taste of the delicious burger. Also, for a half-pound gourmet burger, $7.46 with tax isn't a bad deal. My only problem with the burger was that it got a bit messy, and not all the components were evident in every bite, but that is to be expected with such a lengthy list of toppings.
While my second trip wasn't as perfect as the first visit, every establishment can have off days. But the food, at least the burgers, speak for themselves. Trying to put this burger in a list against Zip's or Quatman Cafe is difficult, as I don't consider those gourmet burgers, but in my opinion it outdoes everything that Terry's Turf Club can do and for a cheaper price and better environment.
In the end, I would definitely go to Gordo's Pub again if anyone offered to accompany me. Actually, now that I think about it, any takers?
