Friday, March 27, 2015

Z-Burger Food Review II

DC's Best Onion Rings

With so many burger joints in town, it takes a special place to warrant a return visit(s.) Z-Burger is such a place. I decided to mix it up a bit, this particular time: No burgers. No fries. No soda. Sounds like no fun, until you take a closer peak at the menu.

For starters, Z-Burger sells dogs... 100% Kosher Hot Dogs, for a very reasonable $3.69 per. Staying clear of fries, I ordered Onion Rings for $4.99 to match, with a $4.75 Heath Shake to wash it all down. Grand total? $14.77. Was it worth it?

100% Kosher Hot Dog

Sure, it was... assuming you don't mind a meager dog. Z-Burger dogs are butterflied, and lay flat. They also come wrapped in aluminum foil, which produces a somewhat soggy, somewhat squashed final product. That said, it's also quite tasty, but ultimately a dollar (possibly two) too much. Perhaps a 1/4 lb. dog is in order? Problem solved. Me? I'll stick to burgers next time.

Lest you think I left disappointed, think again. Z-Burger makes the best onion rings in DC. Period. How's that for an endorsement? You get tons of rings... crispy, crunchy, delicious rings, that beg the question, "Are they fried thrice?" Probably not, but I can't remember a thinner onion ring that tastes as good as these. Normally you need a substantially thicker ring with lots of onion, to match Z-Burger's potency of flavor. Need a one-word review? Try perfect.

Heath Hand-Spun Shake

Last but not least, Z-Burger offers 80+ varieties of hand-spun shakes. Obviously, the base is uniform; with flavored additives tossed in at the end (for color and taste.) I settled on Heath, based on Hershey's Heath toffee bar. $4.75 is a bit pricey for a relatively small shake, but downright expensive for a way-too-thick offering with more of a caramel-chocolate infusion (instead of toffee.) There are tasty bits of actual Heath bars; but they clog up the straw, which was already too small for such a thick composition. My advice? Make the shakes bigger, charge five bucks and a quarter, and provide thicker straws. Another problem solved.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention how clean Z-Burger (always) is. This staff clearly cares about where they work. They provide loads of napkins, plenty of smiles and free Wi-Fi. Their burgers and fries are very good, and their onion rings are without equal. There's room for improvement on their hot dogs and shakes; but something tells me, if changes need to be made... they will be. Regardless, I look forward to my next visit (and the one after that.)