Burger Friday: Nancy's Hustle

The burger at Nancy's Hustle The burger at Nancy's Hustle Photo: Alison Cook Photo: Alison Cook Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Burger Friday: Nancy's Hustle 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

The burger at new East Downtown hot spot Nancy's Hustle has been much talked-about of late. So I wedged myself in at the bar - there was a single seat left at the counter at 6:15 p.m. on a Tuesday - to taste it myself.

It's not an easy burger to get a handle on: I actually ate it twice to figure out what I thought about it. Completely independently, another burger aficionado of my acquaintance felt moved to do the same thing. Was it too rich, or just rich enough? Two burgers down the hatch, we're still arguing the pros and cons.

PRICE: $15 for a double-patty double cheeseburger with a generous portion of fries - both regular and a handful of waffle-cut - on the side.

ORDERING: Table and counter service only. Be warned that Nancy's Hustle is often packed, so to be sure of a seat, come early or on a Sunday.

ARCHITECTURE: No salad stuff! On a well-toasted brioche English muffin that is baked in-house goes a healthy schmear of aioli and paved with chopped red onion. Next comes a quarter-inch beef patty, a slice of American cheese, another beef patty, then another slice of cheese. A layer of thinly slice dill pickles goes on top. Next come the top half of the English muffin, swiped with the aioli and a paving of red onion bits.

The whole thing is held together by a bamboo clasp threaded with a gherkin, an olive and a big slice of pickle.

QUALITY: Make no mistake, this is a very good burger, in its idiosyncratic way. The 80/20 chuck and brisket mix from D'Artagnan has a full, beefy flavor that dominates the sandwich, along with a salty exterior sear. The wonderfully sticky, melty American cheese is a nice, gleefully lowbrow textural touch.

The English muffin bookends won't be for everybody - I've heard grumbling that a good bun would be preferable - but I appreciated that the toast slabs stood up to all that meat and cheese without sogging and squishing.

It's the choice to forego any crisp or vegetal ingredients, other than a thin layer of dill pickle slices, that makes this burger seem so rich. Well, that plus the double layer of aioli. It's all delicious in its way, but as I ate my way through, I found myself longing for more contrast — both in terms of flavor and texture. Both times, I left about a fifth of the burger uneaten, having had my fill.

OOZE RATING: So-so. There's plenty of moisture in the patties, but no drippage.

GRADE: I gotta go with B-plus. As in: like it, respect it, don't unreservedly love it, but would eat it (and argue about it) again.

BONUS POINTS: One of the best simple green salads in town makes a nice, refreshing side that cuts through the burger's opulence. It's just good-quality mixed lettuces with a clean, sharp mustard vinaigrette and a whole bunch of fresh herbs and chives, plus a handful of tart green apple slices. Zing!

SUPER BONUS POINTS: A really interesting selection of wines by Sean Jensen, most recently of downtown's highly regarded Public Services Wine & Whisky bar. They're pouring a Faugères by the glass that I found very burger-friendly.

MINUS POINTS: The French fries are not particularly compelling. The regular-cut fries stiffen up quickly as they cool; and my first batch was oversalted. The choice of a red-chili aioli sauce for dipping compounds the richness of the burger, with its aioli and cheese. It's just too much creamy mayonnaisey-ness for comfort. Lord help me, I found myself longing for ketchup.

LOCAL COLOR: This is where you can take the pulse of EaDo as it evolves into a dining and drinking destination. There's a convivial counter, a great reel-to-reel sound system, and a constant parade of the cool, the would-be cool, industry types and EaDo denizens to entertain you.

Nancy's Hustle, 2704 Polk, 346-571-7931; nancyshustle.com. Open Tuesday through Sunday 5 p.m. to midnight.