The Met didn't quite meet my expectations

When my friend suggested a trip to the Natick Collection on Saturday for some shopping, I happily obliged, knowing full well where we'd end up: The Met.  I have been wanting to eat at this spot (known for their burger menu) for some time now.  Well, I should say I've wanted to eat here ever since I learned that they have a special grill that cooks their burgers sideways.  I just had to see what that was all about. 

When walking through the dining area, it had all the makings of a great spot.  A dimly lit large area, with the exception of the kitchen, which brightly shone and was open for everyone to watch the action.  Cool murals of major cities (Boston, New York, Paris, Tokyo..) adorned the walls, giving it a modern feel.  Despite the sleek interior, the place seemed surprisingly family oriented, with a lot of young children and babies screaming, making it feel more like a Cheesecake Factory rather than the hip sideways-cooking burger joint I had been hoping for.

Once seated, we were presented with a menu that listed a dizzying selection of prospective burger combinations.  First, you start with your choice of meat (house made, kobe beef, turkey, veggie, etc.) and then you choose your bun type (or you can have it wrapped in lettuce) and then come the toppings.  They had a decent selection of cheeses, sauces for smothering, veggies and all sorts of other things.  After a careful examination, I made my selection: Kobe burger with Manchego cheese on a bun with some dijon mustard.  I wanted to keep it simple and not overwhelm the burger.  I was also really anxious to try a kobe beef burger.  Kobe beef hails from Japan and it is from a special cow that gets fed a special diet of grass and herbs unique to that region, essentially marinating the meat throughout the cow's whole life. Oh, and the cow gets regular massages by geishas.  Yes, you read that right. 

Overall, I just really wasn't bowled over with excitement about the burger like I had anticipated.  My cheese wasn't fully melted thoroughly (a MAJOR burger offense) and the kobe beef was good, but it wasn't outstanding.  I just kept coming up with "cleaner beef taste and less greasy" to describe it.  It had a consistent and even texture, which was nice, but it tasted like all of the other grass-fed meat that I buy.  The burger came with a side of fries, but they weren't anything to write home about.  Luke warm and clearly not freshly fried.  I had ordered a side of BBQ sauce to dip my fries in (everyone has their quirks and BBQ sauce for my french fries is one of mine).  The sauce was a dark burnt orange color and had way too much of an Asian infusion.  Don't get me wrong, I love Asian food and flavors but not when it's mixed into my BBQ sauce.  It's just not BBQ sauce then, is it?.  

Despite the large number of servers, bussers, food runners, expediters and managers, the service was a little slow and everyone seemed super stressed.  All in all, it was okay, just not spectacular and I won't be going out of my way to go back there anytime soon.

And the quest for the perfect cheeseburger in the Boston metro area continues..