If you're like me, the act of eating a hamburger has degenerated from a memorable affair (remember "burger night" when you were a kid?) to something much more plebeian. As an adult, the thought of eating burgers conjures up images of endless drive-through lines, dollar menus, and barely palatable patties of pitiful construct. The great hamburger experience has truly fallen from its once lofty perch in my mind. I just don't expect that much from dine-out burgers anymore....frankly, I can do it better at home. So then, I'm really not sure what motivated me to choose the burger from Capital Bar & Grill last Friday night. Maybe the unusual side of Parmesan fries caught my eye. Maybe I was just in the mood. Who knows? Boy, am I glad I did.
The Capital Bar and Grill, located inside the Capital Hotel in historic downtown Little Rock, is a local institution. Alongside its sister restaurant, the exclusively expensive Ashley's, the Capital Bar and Grill (henceforth CB&G) is home to critically acclaimed dishes of all shapes and sizes. Knowing as much, I went in expecting good things from them. I ordered an Old Fashioned to start dinner and began perusing the menu. A few delicious-looking items caught my eye. The ham sandwich with house cured and smoked ham looked spectacular, as did the roasted chicken. Above all, one entry reached out and grabbed me. Simply titled "The Burger," it was a 7-oz. patty of all-natural local Arkansas beef, topped with house-made pimento cheese, house-made pickles, lettuce, tomato, and onion, and served with a side of freshly cut Parmesan fries. Despite my instincts, I couldn't resist the pull. I ordered The Burger. Brilliantly, I was asked how I'd like it cooked. "Medium rare!" was my reply, and the excitement began to build. Could I finally have found a burger worth paying for? My mouth continued to water as I munched on complimentary deep fried black-eyed peas (oh yes) and sipped my drink. After a moderate wait, it arrived. The Burger, oozing with that homemade pimento cheese, looked as though it had been prepped for a photo shoot. I topped it with onion, lettuce, and mayonnaise (house made, naturally) and took a bite.
It's been said that great food does more than fill the stomach or satisfy cravings. Truly great food takes you places, brings back memories, and evokes feelings that had previously been dormant. I'm going to tell you people something....from the very first bite, The Burger yanked me from my seat at CB&G and sent me to a time, years ago, when I loved burgers as much as anything. A time when a trip to McDonald's was a happening (these were much simpler times), and when ground beef smothered in cheese was my very favorite food in the whole wide world. The beef, seasoned with steak spices, was incredibly crisp on the outside, yet tender, juicy, and perfectly medium rare in the middle. The bun was toasted perfectly and added another level of crunch. The pimento cheese....well, the cheese was sublime (I'm running out of adjectives here). The locally-sourced veggies and homemade pickles were as flawless a compliment as could possibly exist, and the real mayo added a tiny bit of tang that blended right in. Every single ingredient was delicious in its own right, and when combined became an orchestra of contrasting flavors and textures. I enjoyed about eight perfect bites before the end came and I had to return to reality. The poor fries, tasty in their own right, were an afterthought. I munched on them for awhile, but I'd have traded three plates of fries for another mouthful of the Burger. I could not think of a single other thing I'd have rather eaten at that moment. As the check arrived, I realized that a cheeseburger had just vaulted itself to the very top of my list of memorable meals. Just like old times. Thanks, CB&G.
