PATTY DOWN: Eureka!Burger

Name: Eureka!Burger
Location: 7775 Palm Ave., Fresno, CA 93711
Website: www.eurekaburger.com
Twitter: @EurekaBurger

The restaurant's website lists a common dictionary definition of "eureka" -- an expression of triumph upon discovery -- and adds "the enlightening burger experience" as a second meaning. But gastronomical gold was nowhere to be found.

Image source: Eureka!Burger

I was sent to Fresno a few weeks ago to cover the Central Section girls' tennis Division II championship match, so I figured I'd make the 120-mile trek worth it by exploring a new eatery. A Google search of quality burgers in the area yielded Eureka, a relatively new establishment that also has a location in Redlands and a coming-soon site in Claremont. Its website and menu felt similar to those of The Counter, not that a burger should be judged by its creator's marketing strategies.

Eureka has a unique vibe for a burger bar. It attracted a noticeably young crowd, with some groups of twenty-somethings apparently gathering there just for drinks. That wasn't extremely surprising, though, considering the long list of beers on tap and the nighttime atmosphere that centered on particularly low lighting and a live band that locals seemed to recognize. In that sense, its niche in the restaurant world was admirable; it aimed to create a bar-like ambiance without sacrificing the quality of its food.

The burger, however, didn't quite match the brand.

The Triumphant Hickory Burger ($9.25 including fries) stood out on the menu simply because it would come with "homemade beer barbeque sauce." But that teaser led to one of the biggest disappointments of the evening; the charbroiled patty was topped with nothing more than a stingy spoonful. It tasted good -- nothing to blog home about -- when it wasn't lost in the burger's other flavors, but it almost always was. Surely there was something else that made this meal ... triumphant?

The bun -- more like a wheaty artisan roll cut in half -- was dusted with what looked like a brown spice that would have been worth asking about if it tasted like anything. To its credit, the bread was soft and presented a nice change from the average white bun.

Take away the meager portion of hickory sauce and the think-outside-the-bun bun, though, and we're looking at a pretty average hamburger. The otherwise sufficient patty was too dark on the outside and a little too pink for preference on the inside, which a novice could tell you means the heat was too high. The toppings -- lettuce, tomato and pickles -- were perfectly crunchy but nothing out of the ordinary.

The plate was accompanied with a favorable portion of thin, shoestring fries. They were so small and skinny that the ratio of seasoned salt to potato flirted with excess. The seasoning and parsley garnish made the fries memorable, although the sweet honey cinnamon potato fries would be worth the $1.25 substitution on a return trip -- if there ever is one.

Maybe I didn't choose the right burger; the menu had other interesting items including fig marmalade, pineapple citrus soy sauce and a tortilla burger with guacamole. Based on its Triumphant Hickory, however, Eureka!Burger left the "Aha!" moment -- and the $12 value -- outstanding. Indeed, on the drive to the freeway, the nearby In-N-Out looked even better than usual.

Patty Down is an ongoing series of burger reviews. For other installments, click here.