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| Nashville Hot Chicken |
Good Stuff Eatery is one of my favorite burger joints in town (Spike's Sunnyside is a work of art) but even the best have bad days; and (sadly) today was one of those days. I stopped by the Georgetown location to grab an early dinner, just before 6. When I arrived, there was nobody else in line. If you've ever been, you know this is the exception to a normally busy, busy rule. After exchanging hellos, I placed an order for two new menu items... The Nashville Hot Chicken burger and one of two new hand spun shakes (Black Forest.) GSE offers a Good Stuff Deal ($6.95 for a Snack Fry and Mini Shake, a savings of $.69.) I asked if I could swap out the Fries for Onion Petals, and the cashier had to ask his colleague for a ruling. Long story short, no dice. He went ahead and rang up the Onion Petals ($3.69, almost a dollar more than the fries.) Not so fast, I was genuinely confused by the explanation (which included an offer of a courtesy cup of water in place of a soda I didn't order) and asked for the Snack Fry instead. Several misclicks later, I was charged the proper amount ($16.06 + tax.) From there, I was instructed to select a tip on the iPad-like touchscreen. Talk about awkward, as the cashier stared at me to see if I was (presumably) cheap or not. Ever hear of a tip jar? My advice? Erase this option immediately. For the record, I coughed up 10% for what would be a less than sterling meal.
As I waited for my order, I couldn't help but notice that both front of house employees were glued to their cell phones, as the cooks in the back did all the work. Don't get me wrong: I use my phone a lot too, but it looks really bad from where the customer is standing. After about five minutes or so, I was handed a bag and my shake (BTW, I wasn't asked if I wanted to dine in or carry out.) I mention this, because it's not easy to juggle a bag, milk shake, condiment cups and the aforementioned cup of water. Luckily I made it upstairs without dropping anything.
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| Snack Fry |
Once upstairs, I made my way to a quiet table in the back. Quiet that is, until you factor in GSE's always blaring soundtrack (Andrew Gold, REO Speedwagon, Rolling Stones.) Is really loud music a good thing, while you eat? I vote no. I eagerly unwrapped my bag, unveiling Spike's tasty fries. To my surprise, they were less oily than usual, and once paired with Old Bay Mayo, gone in 60 seconds. Fries = delicious.
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| Black Forest Hand Spun Shake |
Unfortunately, the burger was a disaster. The brioche bun was cold (not the first time) and the chicken patty close to burned. Said bun was supposed to be drizzled with Spicy Pepper Oil; but all I could find was a tiny drop or two on the inside corner of the top bun (and nada on the bottom bun.) There were three bread and butter pickle slices on top, but nothing else (no lettuce, no sauce, no tomato.) Warning: Dry burger alert. Normally, I could deal with it, but the chicken was dry as a bone (way overcooked.) $7.65 for this? No thank you. It tasted sort of zesty, but nowhere near "Nashville hot."
My shake was (thankfully) better, but not as flavorful as previous efforts. I tasted chocolate, but cherry was almost nonexistent, save for the literal cherry on top. To its credit, it was easy to drink (nothing's worse than a thick shake) but I regretted not ordering the Lemon Meringue (complete with fresh lemon curd.) Next time, I hope.
Speaking of, there will be a next time... lots of 'em, because Good Stuff Eatery is usually pretty awesome. Unfortunately today wasn't one of those days.
Atmosphere: C (Please lower the music... Pretty please!)
Burger: F (Dry and way overcooked. Cold bun.)
Fries: B+ (One of these days, I'm gonna try the Onion Petals. Until then, Spike's fries rule.)
Shake: C+ (Needs more cherry.)
Value: C- ($17.52 including tax/tip is steep for a burger, small fries and shake.)
Overall: C- (If not for the fries, this would be a lot worse. A rare misfire for Good Stuff Eatery.)
