Maybe it was the mood, the ambiance of a high-top bar with burgers and a beer, or maybe it's the fondness of the memory. Whatever it was, I saw Hopdoddy in a different light back then because my view of their delivery is dim.
I remember tender patties, thick and meaty, brimming with beefy juice. The patty is juicy enough, and the buttery brioche buns are perfectly toasted, but the construction of the burgers is off. The Magic Shroom is lacking in shroom, and though I loved the one mushroom I saw mid-bite, you only get so much magic out of a single shroom. The goat cheese was amazing, nutty with a sweet creaminess that is so unique, but slather on a bunch of mayo, and both the mushroom and pesto get lost.
Even the Bacon Jam Double Cheese isn’t really my jam. It’s hard to taste anything but the jam, and I didn't need an entire burger to stay sugar-sweet. Their liberal use of mayo exacerbates the overpower, and it drowns out the mustard and pickle that are there to add some balance.
Sweet Potato Fries sound simple, but this is one side that they do right. Hot honey spices an aromatic sage, a fragrant scent followed by a warm, sweet burn. Irresistible. And utterly addicting.
The secret to success is knowing when to stop, and beauty lies in balance. It seems Hopdoddy has forgotten both. I hope those burgers translate better at the bar because somewhere in transit, they seem to have lost their edge.
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