Saturday, August 22, 2015

Brookland Pint Food Review

New South Burger with Fries

48 hours is an "eternity" in food criticism. Two days ago, I suffered through a terrible dinner from Libertine, delivered via Caviar. Tonight? Another (demonstrably better) meal, also delivered by Caviar, but this time from Brookland Pint... a demonstrably better restaurant. Two days. Two different burgers. Only one great experience. Guess which one I recommend?

Brookland Pint, of course... so much so, I can't wait to visit in person (and soon.) Caviar allows folks like me (busy, sometimes lazy) to get a taste of what's available. Delivery was an absolute breeze (order in at 7:53, expected at 8:57, delivered at 8:30) and each item arrived fresh and hot. Ta da! See, it is possible: That's why I get so angry/disappointed when I get bad delivery. Lucky for me, the food was as good, perhaps even better.


It started with a $10 order of All-Natural Chicken Wings, bathed in buffalo sauce with celery and blue cheese dressing on the side. Seven of the biggest, tastiest wings you'll ever find (in a styrofoam container.) Seriously, these bad boys are huge. Plenty of meat inside too; and although the sauce was only on one side (the bottom) it was enough to transcend an already stellar frying job. That's right folks: These wings are good, even without sauce. Nice and hot too... despite a 20-minute road trip. Great start.

All-Natural Chicken Wings

It gets better, especially if you like your burgers with a twist. Not the meat per se (which is pretty good) but the toppings. The New South (one of five choices, in addition to an ever-changing Chef's Choice) features a humongous fried green tomato, pimento cheese and zucchini pickles... with fries for just $14. Of course, I ditched the cheese (no mistakes by Caviar or the kitchen... impressive) but make no mistake... there was plenty of stuff to keep the meat company, including a large slice of tomato and some lettuce (no onions, although hardly a glaring omission.) The bun was soft and not grilled; but it held everything together perfectly. Come to think of it... a stiffer (grilled) bun wouldn't have been as good a compliment to the fried green tomato, so kudos for keeping it as is. In terms of taste, you couldn't ask for more. Flavorful meat, nice zip from the zucchini pickles and great crunch/moisture from both types of tomato.

And that's not at all. The burger also came with a mountain of dirty, tasty fries and another, even bigger pickle. Even more impressive, the fries were still hot (not just warm.) So hot in fact, I checked to see if the styrofoam was somehow special (nope, just cool-looking... black, not standard white.) With delivery this good, I'm amazed anyone goes out at all.

Fear not, I understand how the restaurant business works. It relies on putting butts in its seats; and Brookland Pint's full menu has lots of choices, including weekend brunch (10-3 on Saturdays and Sundays.) They also have a smörgåsbord of beers... 24 on tap, and an additional 42 bottles, listed in great detail on Beer Menus (click here) for your convenience. Just one more reason to plan a visit.

Burger: B- (This burger is all about the toppings.)
Toppings: B+ (You simply have to try BP's fried green tomato.)
Fries: B (B+ for delivery fries, but darn tasty regardless.)
Wings: B (Once again, surprisingly hot, HUGE and plenty o'meat.)
Value: B
Overall: B (Tempted to grade higher, but I'm leaving room for my in-house visit.)