The menu at Local Burger is deliciously simple. They do burgers and fries, and a few other things, and they do them well. I don't mean to say that they do everything right--I think the maple-syrup mayo they pair with their sweet potato fries is horribly misguided, and I also think that they need to get their buns up to room temperature before serving them, but that's not my point. My point is, I really appreciate how simple their operation is. They are smart. Their inventory is compact and, I imagine, easily managed. Too many places try to do too many things. When I see one of those sprawling menus, I think, Oh God, another restaurant without an identity. I also wonder how they keep all those ingredients fresh.
Look at the burger! Look at those fries. Both are excellent, but I must admit that the burger pictured here was undercooked, not because I'm afraid of a little pink, but because my burger was a bit on the cold side, which is unusual at Local B, and probably the result of a sloppy cook. Even so, I'm a loyal customer. I'm a loyal customer because I like they way they do things. They're smart and fast. Instead of sliced onions, the onions on the burger are chopped. And instead of lettuce leaves, shredded lettuce. This way, the line cooks can just chuck the lettuce and onions onto the burger and be done with it. It may only save a few seconds per burger, but those kinds of decisions are signs of an operation that knows what it's doing. And I haven't even mentioned their locally sourced, grass fed beef.
