raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens

oh wait, no. raindrops on noses and bacon on burgers. YES, that's better. burgers are one of my FAVORITE things. so, despite the torrential downpour and gusting winds, my band of downtrodden, corporate drones will be trudging over to 500 degree burgers for a tasting of the rouge-inspired burgers and truffle fries.

pics and review to follow.

:: 500 degrees ::
address: 1504 sansom st, phila
so we arrived and quickly scampered into 500 degree burger, seeing shelter from the unrelenting rain. the space is on the small side, with only only 2 wooden rectangular tables that could probably seat about 8 max, each. additional seating available with wooden shelf-style ledge along the far wall and along half of the front window.

we arrived at 11:55am, and apparently JUST missed the lunch rush because as soon as we put our orders in, a line formed behind us, 17 deep. (i would have snapped a pic of that too, but i was too busy chomping down on my first bite of deliciousness).

okay, now that those details are out of the way... onto the MEAT of this entry:

burger:
what i like so much about burgers is the wide range of flavors and textures that are possible even when using basic burger parts - ground beef, cheese, bun, various veggies. size-wise, this was the perfect burger. i know there are food reviewers lamenting over the portions given, but i thought it was just enough.

   
i ordered the 500 degree burger: bib lettuce, tomato, cheddar, bacon and special sauce. pickles come on the side. the bun was probably about 4-4.5 inches in diameter, and the burger itself was round and about 1.5-2 inches thick. the special sauce seemed to be some sort of infused truffle oil + mayo type concoction. i surprisingly enjoyed this (obvs a surprise since i dislike mayo). added the pickles and a bit of ketchup and went in for the first bite.

the meat was well seasoned and the cheese added nice creaminess. usually lettuce doesn't to much for me, but bib lettuce was a nice, clean, crispy touch. the tomato added a nice slight sweetness, and the pickles added an extra layer of tart to the mix. i ordered this at medium rare temp, which is what is recommended. from the pic, it truly does look medium rare, but i would say that it actually was cooked more to the medium end. 

if i had to criticize this burger, i'd say that the bacon was a bit lost. the burger meat was so thick that the burger to bacon thickness ratio left something to be desired; you almost forgot there was bacon in the thing. also, you usually expect the bacon layer to exhibit either crispiness or chewiness, but i found that this bacon did neither. it may have been because it was so subtle that it was hard to notice, but whatever the reason, i say, MORE BACON, please. 

i am undecided about the bun at the moment. in theory, i liked it... with its fluffy airiness, but thickness that was substantial enough to support this creation. but, if i had to be honest, it wasn't particularly memorable. 

fries:

of course i got the truffle fries. i was expecting these to be very similar to the ones at rouge. however, they weren't identical. for one thing, they don't include the grated parmesan that rouge's offering boasts. but, they were thin and mostly crispy, with that awesome truffle flavor. there were quite a few soggy-ish fries, but i kind of enjoyed the mix of crunchy and soft fries - made it a bit more interesting. but that's just me.

my coworker ordered the spicy fries, which are accompanied by a spicy sauce that tastes very much like a spicy chipotle remoulade. i liked - it is definitely worth a try - assuming that your friend or burger devouring partner in crime orders the truffle fries and is willing to share those with you. 

milkshake:

i did not order this because i dislike shakes. HOWEVER, they have vanilla, chocolate or black and white shakes and the good thing is that they are made from real hard ice cream, not soft serve. i have been told this makes all the difference. so i will defer to the milkshake experts on this. 

OVERALL

all in all, i'd say 500 degrees is totally and definitely worth a, or many, return visits. the burger establishment i'd say is the most comparable alternative would be five guys - these places clearly fall in the same category of burger purveyors. the 500 degree burger is meatier and i'd say it feels more "made to order," whereas sometimes five guys burgers can tend to feel/taste mass produced. the five guys burger feels greasier than the 500 degree burger. and definitely, 500 degree fries ftw over five guys. 

let's go again!