Mork's DORK from ORK, made with 1/2 pound dork (duck + pork) patty, cheddar cheese, maple bacon, sauteed onions, and Zillion Island Sauce on an Essential Baking Company kaiser roll. Photograph from pouryourheartintoit on Flickr, just one of over 40 burgers he's eaten at Lunchbox Laboratory.
First-time diners to Seattle's stellar burger joint, Lunchbox Laboratory, might feel a bit overwhelmed. The endless combo possibilities listed on the chalkboard near the kitchen might look a little like a pop quiz on your first day of Chemistry 101.
You'll need to choose a meat (the beef is a mix of prime sirloin and ribeye; there's also lamb, falafel and churken—which is chicken and turkey—all ground in-house), cheese, various toppings. Or, you could make it easy on yourself and go for one of the daily "experiments," the sandwiches dreamed up by resident mad scientist Scott Simpson. Scott's a recovering fine dining chef, who has amassed a large following hooked on his jaw-testing creations since launching the Lab in 2008.
When I went in for lunch recently, one of the regulars offered sound advice on what to try while finishing his meal. When I sat down at a nearby table (there are fewer than 20 seats) and asked him if he came there often, he said it was his 43rd visit. You can see all the evidence in his Flickr photoset. He was excited to report one of Lunchbox Laboratory's burgers had been posted that day on This is Why You're Fat.
I reviewed Lunchbox Laboratory in The Seattle Post-Intelligencerlast year, but I think the place just keeps getting better. I especially love the dork, a mixture of ground duck and ground pork, plus other stuff. "It's 40 percent pork, 40 percent duck and 20 percent secret ingredients," said Simpson's partner Allegra Waggener.
It makes for the juiciest, most flavorful patty I've ever tried—a teeny bit gamey, but in the best possible way. Though the long list of exotic toppings are mighty tempting, I like my dork unadorned. Well, okay, maybe the romaine lettuce, sliced tomato, red onions, and chubby pickle slice on the side add just the right touch. The excellent Kaiser bun from local fave Essential Baking Co. does a decent job of keeping the messy sandwiches intact. But you do not want to wear your dry-clean-only duds to the Lab, especially if you're ordering the Dork. It's a three-napkin sandwich.
While I'm a sucker for the Lunchbox Laboratory's Tater Tots, the carb of choice for the Dork has got to be the crispy sweet potato fries sprinkled in a shower of Bacon Salt.
About the author: Leslie Kelly is the former restaurant reviewer for The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. She has been working in kitchens around the city and writing about her journey from pen to pan in Critic-Turned-Cook posts on Serious Eats. She also blogs at LeslieKellyWhiningandDining.blogspot.com.
That burger is insane. Maybe I'll check it out when I'm in town next month. I can't figure out how to work their website. Makes me think all restaurants should stop using Flash and 2 pages max.
i went there once & split a burger, shake & fries with a friend. i felt so guilty; the whole time i was thinking "thisiswhyyourefat.com, thisiswhyyourefat.com..."
it was a tasty, crazy grease fest. the grease soaked through the bottom bun. completely unwieldy-thank god we were splitting it & using a knife and fork.
also, crazy that a chef with a mexican gastric bypass surgery opened this place.
Leslie, it was nice to meet you there. I'll be documenting my 44th visit to Lunchbox Laboratory here tomorrow...
Chinolam: I've posted photos of multiple menu boards to give you an idea of how to order here in my Flickr set. I also posted their hours there so people coming from out of town/state/country won't be upset for showing up when they're closed...
After checking, I realized now that I have tried 3 variations of Scott's Santa Fe burger. It's all about how he uses the green chiles on this one, with my favorite variation being this one. I think I'll try the Rocky Road shake tomorrow too...
that photo is indeed disgusting, but lunchbox lab has some good burgers. as always, go the simple route -- all the options tempt you to experiment a lot but it's best to keep it simple stupid. :) still, the idea of going there 20 times in 30 days makes me ill.
seattleites: where's the best simple little burger in town? other than red mill, which is what everyone says for burgers.
@everyone: In case you're just joining in, the "cookie tosser" photo in question has been replaced by one (hopefully more gastric juice-inducing) by suomynona.
Hey everybody! I love the comments here. I just wish I had a better pic of the burger I ate and wrote about, the unadorned Dork. That's what I like about this Lunchbox. You can go minimalist or way over the top.
As far as other great Seattle burgers, don't miss Palace Kitchen or Betty on top of Queen Anne, which just started a happy hour burger served with hand-cut frites, housemade pickles on a house-baked brioche baked by the talented pastry chef Brittany. Just $8.
Why would I or anyone bother to go all the way up to nosebleed suburban Ballard (aka Dullard) and fight with the horrid traffic on dismal and depressing 15th Ave? Not even for the most delicious burger, which is not this one from the look of things...waaay too sloppy!
LL please consider a move to Capital Hill, say....
Sounds good, and since I just live over in Greenwood, it's not a long trip to check it out. Can you actually get into the place, or is it crazy busy like Red Mill Burgers.
Pointy, I believe you're being sarcastic, but just in case you aren't, I'll answer your question. Surely you can find something you might like here -- even if it's only from what you might dream up on the "build your own" board. Also, in my visits I've not once been stuck in traffic (other than maybe for a few minutes at the Ballard bridge waiting for a boat to go through.) Lastly, I just ask that they don't move to Belltown :)
Stushi, as is the case with almost all great establishments, they can get very busy. I try to go when I imagine not a lot of people are there. It also depends on if they've just been written up. (Like the recent Seattle Times piece, the article here, the Food Network praise, and what may be pending on epicurious.com) Basically LL survives on word of mouth. Even if that mouth is full and all the person can do is moan their approval :)
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26 Comments:
That burger looks like it has the flu.
SqueezeBottle at 2:43PM on 07/16/09
@SqueezeBottle
lol. I was thinking it had some kind dealy infection.
FrankP at 2:49PM on 07/16/09
the bacon does not look crispy enough. i don't want to be tearing through strands of chewy fat atop a burger. rejected. next.
goodbyeohio at 2:53PM on 07/16/09
That burger looks like someone chewed it and then put it back on the bun.
QueenAlli at 3:01PM on 07/16/09
That burger is insane. Maybe I'll check it out when I'm in town next month. I can't figure out how to work their website. Makes me think all restaurants should stop using Flash and 2 pages max.
chinolam at 3:05PM on 07/16/09
LL is getting a little pretentious for a burger place. I still prefer the Red Mill thank you.
jkdrummer at 5:31PM on 07/16/09
Failburger with topped with sadness bacon
Chefhorn at 5:38PM on 07/16/09
i went there once & split a burger, shake & fries with a friend. i felt so guilty; the whole time i was thinking "thisiswhyyourefat.com, thisiswhyyourefat.com..."
it was a tasty, crazy grease fest. the grease soaked through the bottom bun. completely unwieldy-thank god we were splitting it & using a knife and fork.
also, crazy that a chef with a mexican gastric bypass surgery opened this place.
dmarina at 5:55PM on 07/16/09
Leslie, it was nice to meet you there. I'll be documenting my 44th visit to Lunchbox Laboratory here tomorrow...
Chinolam: I've posted photos of multiple menu boards to give you an idea of how to order here in my Flickr set. I also posted their hours there so people coming from out of town/state/country won't be upset for showing up when they're closed...
suomynona at 6:11PM on 07/16/09
After checking, I realized now that I have tried 3 variations of Scott's Santa Fe burger. It's all about how he uses the green chiles on this one, with my favorite variation being this one. I think I'll try the Rocky Road shake tomorrow too...
I'm with you Leslie. Love their tater tots :)
suomynona at 6:30PM on 07/16/09
that photo is indeed disgusting, but lunchbox lab has some good burgers. as always, go the simple route -- all the options tempt you to experiment a lot but it's best to keep it simple stupid. :) still, the idea of going there 20 times in 30 days makes me ill.
seattleites: where's the best simple little burger in town? other than red mill, which is what everyone says for burgers.
optic at 7:05PM on 07/16/09
@dmarina: they've been on thisiswhyyourefat.com before. In fact, one of their burgers was just posted on there a few days ago.
wunami at 8:45PM on 07/16/09
Lunchbox Lab, what a "nasty" looking burg. well chosen.
listlessinchitwn at 10:47PM on 07/16/09
that photo -- a real cookie tosser.....
pooch at 12:02AM on 07/17/09
Optic, try Two Bells or Jak's Grill.
jkdrummer at 2:39AM on 07/17/09
@everyone: In case you're just joining in, the "cookie tosser" photo in question has been replaced by one (hopefully more gastric juice-inducing) by suomynona.
Robyn Lee at 12:26PM on 07/17/09
Looks good :)
suomynona at 12:31PM on 07/17/09
that one looks less cookie-tossing but still more "this is why you're fat" than "a hamburger today"!
optic at 3:02PM on 07/17/09
Here you go Optic, my hamburger today :)
suomynona at 5:43PM on 07/17/09
I think that burger looks great! Whets my appetite for sure!
jlew911 at 10:19PM on 07/17/09
sweet jesus....yes!
burgerbanquet at 3:45PM on 07/18/09
Hey everybody! I love the comments here. I just wish I had a better pic of the burger I ate and wrote about, the unadorned Dork. That's what I like about this Lunchbox. You can go minimalist or way over the top.
As far as other great Seattle burgers, don't miss Palace Kitchen or Betty on top of Queen Anne, which just started a happy hour burger served with hand-cut frites, housemade pickles on a house-baked brioche baked by the talented pastry chef Brittany. Just $8.
Leslie Kelly at 6:20PM on 07/18/09
Here's one Leslie. It's about as minimalist as I have for the Dork, along with the previously mentioned Pizza Face :)
Scott has one this weekend with Muenster Cheese and a Cuban Pineapple Mayo called Fidel Castro's Fastball...
suomynona at 10:48PM on 07/18/09
Why would I or anyone bother to go all the way up to nosebleed suburban Ballard (aka Dullard) and fight with the horrid traffic on dismal and depressing 15th Ave? Not even for the most delicious burger, which is not this one from the look of things...waaay too sloppy!
LL please consider a move to Capital Hill, say....
Pointy at 2:57PM on 07/20/09
Sounds good, and since I just live over in Greenwood, it's not a long trip to check it out. Can you actually get into the place, or is it crazy busy like Red Mill Burgers.
Stushi at 7:42PM on 07/20/09
Pointy, I believe you're being sarcastic, but just in case you aren't, I'll answer your question. Surely you can find something you might like here -- even if it's only from what you might dream up on the "build your own" board. Also, in my visits I've not once been stuck in traffic (other than maybe for a few minutes at the Ballard bridge waiting for a boat to go through.) Lastly, I just ask that they don't move to Belltown :)
Stushi, as is the case with almost all great establishments, they can get very busy. I try to go when I imagine not a lot of people are there. It also depends on if they've just been written up. (Like the recent Seattle Times piece, the article here, the Food Network praise, and what may be pending on epicurious.com) Basically LL survives on word of mouth. Even if that mouth is full and all the person can do is moan their approval :)
suomynona at 4:07PM on 07/21/09