Unfortunately over-hyped...

Red Mill's Verde Burger
Originally uploaded by jaceman4

It's very unfortunate, it really is. Adam Richman from Man vs. Food has failed me, well, perhaps it's part of the experience, I can't really say for sure. Honestly though, if this is supposed to be the consensus best burger in Seattle, Seattle hates burgers. I'm not saying that it's bad, but it's nothing really special. I'm going to come out and say this out front right now: I know Seattle has better burgers. So if you're in Seattle, it's okay if you don't come here for a burger, even if Adam Richman says you must, I don't think you do, then again, maybe you don't want to take my word on it, don't.

Before I compromise my integrity as the "Burger Snob" any further, I suppose I should get on with the review. Red Mill Burger is a small shop that looks to be a former pharmacy. There's a Starbucks next to it too if you get thirsty. The menu is pretty straight forward, what you'd expect from a burger joint. A list of burgers, a list of chicken sandwiches, a list of veggie-burger alternatives, some sides, some beverages, etc... It gets pretty crowded but overall, nothing overly problematic for a burger place, I mean, you don't HAVE to eat it there. From all appearances, it's fairly unassuming, kind of quaint. If you go, I hope you're not claustrophobic.

I ordered the Verde Burger because I was intrigued since they stated that they peeled and roasted fresh Anaheim peppers daily, and the Verde Burger was the burger with Anaheim peppers. I've historically been a little disappointed with the lack of flavor of Anaheims and honestly this time I was kind of disappointed again. You get the tang of a peppery kick but it's really just a tease, there's nothing really more. Overall, I thought it was a fairly well balanced burger, the meat is good, but again I would say it's more on the nondescript side, so it's not really anything worth gushing about. The fixings are fresh, as I mentioned with the peppers, but honestly, again, they don't really make the burger stand out significantly. To be completely honest, the peppers take up too much of the burger, taking away actually from burger because they themselves are a little on the flavorless side. The bun was kind of like a large roll, it's different from the normal burger, it was toasted well, and was a good balance to the rest of the burger. In terms of condiments, the Mill Sauce is supposed to be the kind of thing that sets the burger apart. It was a subtle, smoky flavor, but I honestly would've liked a little more of it. In my opinion, it was a little too subtle, but maybe that was the point. I think I would've liked more Mill Sauce.

As a side note, the onion rings were good, but not exceptional. They're supposed to be good beer-battered ones, but it's nothing I'd go out of my way for.

So I'm going to do something unprecedented thusfar, I'm going to recommend a burger I haven't actually had.

Rating of the Burger:
Meat: A-
Bun: B+
Fixings: B+
Condiments: B
Sides: B+
Price: $6-$10
Overall Grade: B+
Recommended Burger: Red Mill Deluxe Cheeseburger