Monday, June 10, 2013

Food in the Vegas Burbs - PoshBurger Bistro

July 10, 2013
Update: PoshBurger is closed. Read the whole story at Eater Las Vegas.

I was thrilled when I got the chance to eat at PoshBurger, located in the same Peccole Ranch strip mall as the delicious Dom DeMarcos. After I had eyeballed Posh’s new black awnings for a couple of weeks, I read a review from Al Mancini, who described PoshBurger as “… the best burger restaurant I’ve ever experienced.”  That’s some high praise.

(Let me digress here with a full disclaimer: I make no claims to be a food critic. My standards are low; I love restaurants because I hate to cook. In my book, any meal someone else cooks is a good meal. You should think of this post as more of a “restaurant-based story,” as opposed to a restaurant review.)

My hubby David and I hit PoshBurger on a Friday evening at about 7 p.m., and we were seated right away. The restaurant has an open floor plan with an industrial feel to it: brick walls, stacks of wine bottles, and fancy, candle-lit picnic-style tables (yes, you might have to share your table, which is kind of weird). I thought the overall design created an attractive environment—I think “minimalist hip” was the goal, and they achieved it. As for the food and drinks, PoshBurger’s specialties are humanely raised organic meat, craft beers, and boutique wines.

One thing you notice after the fun, upscale décor and surprising burger choices like tuna tartar, elk, and lamb: this is not a cheap meal. While many folks associate “burger” with “affordable,” at PoshBurger you’re getting the very best of organic meats and veggies, and it ain’t cheap. The night we ate there, the Elk Burger, one of the day’s specials, was $42. (We didn’t order the elk, although David said he was tempted, just to see what a $42 burger tasted like.)

Our friendly, helpful server suggested the Wild Boar Burger, which David went for, and I ordered a medium Black Angus Burger.

David loved his Wild Boar Burger, which I cautiously tried because I’m neither a pork fan nor a fan of any medium-cooked meat, but the taste was great—surprisingly, not at all what I expected. I thought it would have strong pork taste, but it had a delicate, light flavor.

My Black Angus Burger was a delicious blend of flavors. The hummus and red onion marmalade were a surprising compliment to the tasty beef. I couldn’t finish the whole burger because it was so big, and with a side of Fat Fries, I barely had space left for the Duck Egg Crème Brulee that David and I shared—light and creamy, with its caramelized sugar seared just right.

The service was excellent, from the woman who seated us to the manager who came to our table to ask how our meal was. Our server was terrific, a friendly guy with just the right amount of attentiveness and an in-depth knowledge of the menu.

We agreed the burgers were tasty, but expensive.  I’m more of a beef-lover than an exotic-meats lover, so the unusual choices didn’t do much for me. It was a fun date-night splurge, and I always enjoy a non-home-cooked burger and glass of good wine—in my view, always a winning combination.
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PoshBurger’s reviews on the web vary wildly:

The Vegas Burger Blog didn’t have a good experience at all.

At Yelp, the reviews are all over the place, from one star to five.

In their piece, Eater Las Vegas included information about PoshBurger’s chef, Conrad Gallagher.

Have you eaten at Posh?

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Picture of Black Angus Burger by Terrisa Meeks

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