2.11.2011

Is Boston's Best Burger at Sandrine's Bistro?

The Gourmand Burger, Sandrine's Bistro
Hmm. This week's burger left me without words.  Not necessarily in a good way, but not necessarily in a bad way either.  Maybe in more of an impartial, indifferent and "meh" sort of way? This week's burger was at Sandrine's Bistro in Harvard Square.  Tucked away on Holyoke Street and predominately serving up French fare, this spot also just so happens to have a decent variety of burgers offered to lunchtime diners. That being said, Burger Boy and I did something a little wild and crazy this week (hold on to your hats, kids!) we split two different burgers so that we each could sample two kinds.

Two burgers, one Burger day
The first burger that I sampled was the Gourmand Burger ($14) which was a burger topped off with a thick slice of duck truffle Perigoudine terrine.  Not something I'd normally reach for, but I'll try (almost) anything once and I liked the intrigue of it, however I found that this combination was not my favorite.  There was almost too much going on and the terrine was just so thick (it was about the same size as the burger) it overwhelmed.
Grilled French Burger, Sandrine's Bistro
The second burger that I sampled was the Grilled French Burger ($13) which came topped with bacon and brie cheese.  This was much more of a burger I could get behind.  I had never had a burger with brie before (why? I don't know) and it was a nice change of pace.  The burger was cooked to a perfect medium-rare but lacked flavor (i.e. could have used much more salt) and despite being cooked to the temperature ordered, wasn't very juicy and the meat had a sort of gristly texture to it. Both burgers were served on a well fitting brioche bun and were topped with thick slabs of pickles and deliciously crispy golden shoestring fries that were generously peppered and crispy rounded out the plate.

Addicting fries
The atmosphere of Sandrine's is cozy and intimate and the service, while pleasant and very attentive was also very set on lots of up-selling. "Are you sure you wouldn't want a nice salad with your burger? And how about a beer? Wouldn't a beer be nice with your burger? Are you sure I can't get you one?"  Overall, the burger was okay but nothing outstanding and not something I'd go out of my way to get again.  But maybe I'm just still not over last week's delicious burger.

Sandrine's Bistro on Urbanspoon

10 comments:

Emily @ A Cambridge Story said...

I work in Harvard Square and have always wondered about Sandrines... sounds like the burger is not worth the trip. The fries look yummy though!

Jhonny walker said...

I am all for the place called Jon harvard's :) Its not gourmet..its nothing. But its the best one. Given that I am a Harvard girl...and Harvard square is the place I unwind (although currently in San diego), Jon harvard's is my absolute favorite :)

I have to try those fries at Sandrines :)

The Small Boston Kitchen said...

That's the second strong John Harvard's vote I've gotten. Might have to check them out!

Boston Food Diary said...

So disappointing-the menu descriptions for Sandrines sounded fantastic! The fries do look delicious though

Richard said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
burgerboy said...

Glad to share a cozy and intimate burger with you, I'm honored to be your burger companion each week.

A Plum By Any Other Name said...

Your post reminds me that I don't get to Sandrine's enough. Great burger review!

Interesting note, I am taking a course about the development of culture and cuisine in France and in the 19th century the term "gourmand" was used almost negatively to describe a love food so intense that it caused intense excessive consumption. Sounds like your burger fell under that heading by having so much going on.

I totally agree on the brie front. How have I not eaten more brie burgers?!

Anonymous said...

Hubby and I have a Groupon to Sandrine's. Be interesting to try them!

Delicious Dishings said...

The first time I had pizza with brie, I wondered why I'd never tried it before. Sounds like I need to try it on a burger too!

Jen said...

Brie on a burger does sound tasty...

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