Charbroiled Ground Chuck Burger - Bardenay, Boise, ID

The City of Trees - Boise, ID. Yes, I know that most people think of Idaho as a backwoods, outlander state. But if you have ever been to Boise you might change your mind. Boise offers some of the nations best outdoors, culture, and the best college football team in the nation. Something else that you may not know about Boise is that it is home to one of the largest Basque communities outside of Europe. (Click here if you like find out more about the Basque people) Basques are a small ethnic group hailing from the south of France. They boast a rich heritage of dance, music, and most importantly food. Bardenay is a restaurant/distillery, founded April 2000, located in the heart of the Basque district of downtown Boise. Claiming to be one of the first restaurants that is also a distillery, they serve up some tasty eats and some wicked drinks. Suggested to me by the ever wise Red Beard, I ventured a taste of Bardenay's Charbroiled Ground Chuck Burger.

First of all, Bardenay has an awesome setup. The Basque district is beautiful, Boise has awesome weather, and the porch is on a pedestrian only street. Perfect setup. The burger comes to the table looking fabulous! Dark brown crusty bun, melty REAL cheese, and bacon draped over the patty. The bun was perfect! Just a bit crusty, almost stale, with a soft center that caresses the food inside and soaks up the juices. The cheddar (yes REAL cheddar) is Tillamook brand. Which if you have ever lived in the Oregon/Idaho area know is of unquestionable quality. In fact, Tillamook Medium Cheddar was awarded the world's best at the 2010 World Championship Cheese Contest. Bardenay has an interesting take on the other toppings. First, the burger, cheese, and bacon are on top of the veggies. Not terribly novel, but also not the norm. The burger comes with sliced tomatoes and shredded lettuce. In the lettuce is was a mayo-type mixture that was almost like coleslaw, but less sweet, more savory, and very refreshing. It reminded me of the burger-stand burgers you get at lake resorts all over the US. Only this was high quality instead of just an easy way to put more toppings on. It complimented the dark and savory flavors of the cheese and bacon exceptionally well. The burger itself I will admit was a bit 'ho hum'. It was overcooked a bit (I always ask for medium-rare), not too salty, but not overly tasty either. To be perfectly honest I guess it was probably a frozen patty from a food supplier. Definitely not the worst, but it is definitely was is holding this burger back from true greatness. All in all, the burger gets a thumbs up, though. I would definitely recommend a stop at Bardenay's for good drinks and some sweet food.

Charbroiled Ground Chuck Burger - 7.5/10 *******`

Other perks of Bardenay: It is a distillery! Mamadoula had what she terms 'the BEST mojito'. The list of liquors and drinks is EXTENSIVE. They also had a bunch of local beers (I had Sockeye Brewery IPA which was very, very hoppy but good), Bardenay is one of the few places I have been that offer Sweet Potato fries!!!!, cool locale, and Boise is awesome.