It's been a while since we've done Burger Week, so we thought it was time to it again. I real ize the timing may not be the best….. New Year Resolutions and all. So we apologize in advance, and hope you'll join us for this work-week collection of burgers.
It was FOY and fellow San Diego Food Blogger, Captain Jack who first mentioned Bare Back Grill to me a few years back. Along with the various "brokeback" jokes threw in for color, CJ mentioned that the burgers were of good quality, organic, and pretty tasty overall. That Bare Back Grill was located right on super busy Mission Boulevard in Pacific Beach really dampered my enthusiasm. But I had placed Bare Back Grill on my "list", and because I wanted to do another Burger Week, it was only a matter of when. Timing was everything, and the Missus and I decided to check the place out right after the Holidays, which meant we'd find parking without a problem….. right in front of the place.
The sign says "New Zealand Burgers and 'Wiches". According to what I've read, the Owners of Bare Back Grill were "trekking" through New Zealand when they came across a very popular Sandwich Shack. In love with the burgers and sandwiches, they got the owner to sell them the recipes, and the rest is history. Bare Back claims to sell %100 organic New Zealand grass-fed beef, ground fresh daily.
The interior of Bare Back, is wide open, very beach-bar-ish, and you'll sit on wooden chairs. During the winter, it can get a bit breezy.
The menu is short and sweet, and laminated…..on slabs of wood located on each table. Burgers range from $6.99 – $12.99, sandwiches and "other" grub $6.99 – $9.99. And as much as I wanted the Bare Lil' Lamb (Lamb Burger), I thought I'd stick with a burger.
During the workweek lunch hour, the best deal at Bare Back Grill is the Lunch Special, which is one of four different offerings, fries, and a drink (soft drink or draft beer) for $9.99. I went with the "Average Joe", which is a basic Cheeseburger.
The burger arrived, looking pretty good. I wasn't asked about "doneness" so there was no disappointment. I found that the very mildly milky swiss cheese added flavor without overpowering the burger. The
patty was moist, and fairly tender. The flavor was mildly beefy, I had expected a bit more "ooomph" because it was grass fed beef, but the burger was not over seasoned. The roll was nothing special, but held up pretty well.
The fries at Bare Back are different….they are thin cut, and crisp…perfect in texture. But the addition of sugar freaked the Missus out. I guess Her Chinese palate wasn't able to deal with them. The aioli was a horseradish based deal, which really didn't bring much to the fries. So if you don't mind grainy sweetness on your fries you'll enjoy these.
The Missus ordered the Grilled Bird ($7.99). Basically chicken tenders. When the chicken arrived, I thought the Missus would be disappointed at having only 4 tenders in the "basket".
The tenders were coated with what is called "BBG" sauce, the "house dressing"….a tangy, tomato based sauce, halfway between chutney and BBQ sauce. The tenders were very soft and moist, a nice surprise, since tenders are usually dry and tough. The Missus enjoyed these.
Overall, a nice experience, and since I just have to try the Lamb Burger, I think we'll be back. Lack of parking, and the general traffic, both of the two legged and 4 wheeled variety will make timing very important. I'm making sure to include the Google map and address for Bare Back Grill, so you won't be a doofus like me and do a Google search on the words "bareback"……sheesh!
Bare Back Grill
4640 Mission Blvd
San Diego, CA 92109
Thanks for the rec CJ! hope to see a new post from you soon!