Dish: Deans AC Brisket Burger with smoked mozzarella, BBQ tomato jam, arugula on a brioche bun, $15
Where: Mussel Bar and Grille, 800 N. Glebe Road, Arlington
Taste: This grilled burger takes its name from the 60-percent portion of brisket-cut beef. (Dean works in the Atlantic City kitchen of Mussel Bar). “It gives it the right amount of fat content,” says chef Brian McBride. Others, says McBride, rely on bacon for added fat, but the Mussel Bar chef—and now heretic—adds, “bacon’s kind of dumb.”
The resulting burger is tender, falling apart in the mouth, which is my favorite burger texture. It arrives with a housemade pickle, fries and a trio of aiolis: garlic, curry and malt vinegar.
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