Friday, September 01, 2006

The Fergburger Experience (September 2nd, 2006)





I knew there was a reason I started talking about food in the last post. I just didn't remember why until I sat down to yet another shabby Thai meal for dinner tonight. For those keeping track at home that's three different Thai restaurants and three poor Thai meals. I realized pretty quickly that this most recent place would be subpar, they didn't even have Singha (Thai beer)! In fact, their drink menu consists of water and Coke. You can bring your own bottles of wine in, which they'll graciously uncork for $4.

Oh, another thing I haven't quite figured out yet is the correct end of meal / pay the bill dance. If I walk up to the bar they seem obviously embarrassed that you were forced to come over and ask for a bill. But they don't come anywhere near you as long as you remain seated at your table, leaving you to stare intently at the kitchen door, hoping to catch the eye of a waitress on her way out (and do the little "oh of course I haven't been staring at the door for 5 minutes, but I'm ready for my bill" eyebrow wave).

So what's my latest tactic? When I'm ready to leave I start the "I'm getting ready to go" routine: stand up, go to the bathroom, etc. Invariably, just as I'm slipping my jacket on, the waitress will stroll up with a very smug "wow I'm good; he's getting ready to leave just as I'm bringing the bill over" smile on her face. It's a little bit of routine that I could do without, but did I mention that tipping isn't common down here? Leaving the restaurant knowing you just ate and didn't have to tip still helps dull the pain for a bad meal.

But where was I? Oh yeah, Fergburger. Quite possibly the best burger I've ever eaten. Truthfully, I've only been there twice so far, but I'm fairly certain that each burger takes 10 to 16 months off your life expectancy so I'm eating there sparingly. But listen to the ingredients for the Southern Swine, my favorite so far: prime New Zealand beef, American streaky bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, aioli and tomato relish. Hot damn! And you can see for yourself how big those things are. It's not an endeavors for the feint of heart. I guess the place was a local legend when it first opened; hidden on a side street, customer base growing through word of mouth. However, it was recently relocated and it's now open 22 hours a day (7am - 5am) and any time you go in you'll be faced with at least a 20 minute wait. My first time in there I left the cashier with a receipt that said "#371" on it. They were currently serving order #290. But the wait is well worth it. I've got another night planned with the Ferg' on Friday, assuming the Stage 1 goes well. I'll try to bring my camera this time.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

i know this sounds ridiculous but i was looking at the picture that you have posted and i was like, is that colin? is that colin?? is THAT colin??? if none of this makes sense, it's because it doesn't; i soon realized that you weren't even in the picture. :)

Anonymous said...

i know this sounds ridiculous but i was looking at the picture that you have posted and i was like, is that colin? is that colin?? is THAT colin??? if none of this makes sense, it's because it doesn't; i soon realized that you weren't even in the picture. :)