Saturday, April 2, 2011

Bocado or Bocadon't?

I forgot to take pictures again, so I'm going use pictures from Foodspotting.

The Burger

I tried their famous burger they copied from Holeman and Finch. They even used the same Holeman and Finch bun and the cuts of meat. Holeman and Finch's burgers taste awesome, does Bocado's compare? Kinda. Bocado's version seemed like a poor man's version of Holeman and Finch's burger. 

First, the burger wasn't very juicy; it seemed a bit dry. Also, they didn't have the red onions. I think the onions are essential since they add a lot of texture and flavor to the burger. So I felt like the burger was missing something. Their ketchup wasn't homemade like H&F's either. The patties seemed smaller too, perhaps about 3 oz each instead of 4 oz.

I dunno, I didn't get the OMG WTF, THIS IS AWESOME!!!11! feeling as when I first bit into a H&F burger. Maybe since I had the H&F so much I became jaded. They meat did taste decent and they seasoned it well with salt. It's not a bad burger, but not H&F quality in my opinion.

I also didn't care much about the fries either. They just felt too greasy to eat. 

A poor man's version of H&F burger

The Famous Lobster Roll

I also tried the lobster roll. It came with a small bowl of tomato bisque. This dish seemed special since they only serve it on Saturdays. The lobster rolls didn't live up to expectations to me. It tasted good, but not mind-blowingly good.

I think my problem was the lemon zest that I wasn't expecting. I was expecting more of a buttery lobster instead of a cold, lemony lobster. I never had lobster roll, so I didn't know what to expect. A lot of people I know loved it though. So maybe I'm just weird.

I did like the tomato bisque that it came with. It didn't seem heavy like regular tomato bisques. It tasted very light and refreshing. I don't think Bocado used heavy cream in the tomato bisque. I heard they used wine instead.

Overrated Lobster roll, underrated tomato bisque
The Real Star of Bocado

The highlight of my meal wasn't the famous burger or the lobster roll, it was the roasted pablano, pimento cheese, fried green tomato, and bacon sandwich. The combination of those ingredients made this sandwich into pure, Southern style magic. I would go back to Bocado just for that sandwich.

Forget the burger, just get this.
Final Thoughts

Overall, I wasn't too impressed with Bocado. I guess I got caught up with the hype of the burger and the lobster roll. I should come back and try their other stuff, maybe there's some hidden gem in their menu–like their pimento cheese sandwich.

I did learn that H&F makes good bread. The lobster rolls and the burgers used H&F bread. And the bread seemed high quality and had a good taste to it. I need to find some of these H&F breads for my own burgers and sandwiches. Mr. Kitty gives this place 3 paws up.

Bocado Atlanta
887 Howell Mill Road
Atlanta, GA 30318
http://www.bocadoatlanta.com/

Bocado on Urbanspoon

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