Cheeseburger from Monk's Cafe in Philadelphia

Posted by Robyn Lee, March 12, 2009 at 10:00 AM

The day after I ate a burger at Royal Tavern, I ate a cheeseburger at Belgian beer emporium Monk's Cafe per a friend's suggestion. Out of their seven toppings combinations, I went for the Antwerp topped with sottocenere truffle cheese and shitake mushroom. How did it fare? Autopsy shot and more after the jump.

I ordered medium rare, and that's what I got. The eight-ounce patty was great—juicy, flavorful, and seasoned to a satisfying degree, which was quite a difference from the somewhat bland burger I had at Royal Tavern. However, the bun. THE BUN. This burger would've been awesome on a soft, squishy bun, but instead they used a dense, fairly dry ciabatta roll. It was fine for soaking up the meat juices, but that only applied to the bottom bun. I initially dealt with the unsatisfactory bun by removing the top and eating the burger open-faced, but then I realized, "No, this whole bun is fail," and ate the meat alone. Much better! But then my burger-eating experienced turned into a beef patty-eating experience, more appropriate for a site called A Beef Patty Today.

Ciabatta buns don't necessarily have to be bad (although I always prefer the pillowy soft variety), but this one was just not right. The patty deserved something better. If you do happen to like this bun, tell me why.

I though the thin, crispy fries were fine—not memorably great or bad.

Monk's Cafe

264 South 16th Street, Philadelphia PA 19102 (b/n Spruce and Latimer; map)
215-545-7005
monkscafe.com

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Tags: AHT reviews, Flavor Guides, Monk's Cafe, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia