Stairway To Heaven burger with duck fat fries, a side of green bean fries and a Rogue Dead Guy Ale. (Staff photo by Wade Tatangelo)
Debuting in the swanky South Beach neighborhood of Miami in 2009, Burger & Beer Joint opened its fourth location about a month ago at The Mall at University Town Center. Southwest Florida’s new hub for upscale shopping is also home to a pub crawl’s worth of high-end drinking destinations. But none have the same fun, rock ‘n’ roll and sports bar vibe as this joint. B&B, by the way, plans to expand to 50 locations in the next five years.
One Minuet Man "adult shake." (Staff photo by Wade Tatangelo)
DRINKS: B&B serves 24 brews on tap, another 69 beers in bottles plus a few wines and a full bar with a menu of interesting liquor creations. During my recent visit the rotating drafts range from $4 to $7, from local craft brews (Big Top, Cigar City, Darwin, Fat Point, Motorworks) to an assortment of Anheuser-Busch products (Bud Light, Michelob Ultra, Stella Artois, Goose Island). Flights and pitchers are available, too.
All the drinks on the cocktail menu cost $10 and have a rock song-inspired title except for The B&B, a concoction of Maker’s Mark and Yuengling beer with fresh sours and bitters. More conventional choices include the “Centerfold Mojito,” “Mixed Emotions Margarita” and “Day Tripper American Mule.”
And then there are the “adult shakes,” ice cream and booze pairings with names such as “Money Shot,” “Donkey Punch” and “O-Face.” (I pity the parent who has to explain any of these to his or her child). The suggested beer to go with my “Stairway to Heaven” burger is a 12-ounce bottle of the always-reliable Rogue Dead Guy Ale ($8) from Oregon. For dessert, I have the “One Minute Man” shake. It is a winningly decadent mix of cookies and cream ice cream, white chocolate liqueur, coffee liqueur, whipped cream and Oreo cookies crumbles with a cherry on top.
Hotel California burger. (Staff photo by Wade Tatangelo)
EATS: B&B is all about gut and wallet-busting gourmet burgers, starting at the top with the Mother Burger the size of a manhole cover that costs $125 ($150 with cheese and toppings). Finish it yourself within two hours, though, and it is free. Sorry, I’ll pass. But I do try the next most expensive burger, the $24.99 “Stairway to Heaven.” The beautiful and basic combination is a half-pound of wagyu beef, three ounces pan-seared foie gras, and black truffle aioli on a brioche bun. The smartly seasoned high-end meat and the fatty duck liver from Hudson Valley, New York, make for a mouthwatering couple. The plate also comes with tasty duck fat fries and a roasted garlic aioli that works equally well as a dipping sauce for the fries and, if you want to offset the buttery quality of the foie gras, the burger.
Don’t feel like dropping 25 bucks on a burger? The “signature line” selections are in the $12-$14 range and include The Hotel California, which I highly recommend. The half-pound of Black Angus is smothered in sharp cheddar, grilled Vidalia onion and a sunny side up fried egg, its yolk cascading down the beef and brioche bun. Before taking that first big bite, be sure to cover the top bun with the guacamole, jalapeno relish and cilantro sour cream served on the side. You should not be disappointed. The plate comes with skinny fries that are startling good, too.
I also give the green bean fries with black truffle aioli ($8.99) a try and while they are fine, I had reached food fatigue before digging into them. My advice? Skip the “snacks” section of the menu and just concentrate on the burger and whatever fries - sweet potato, zucchini and Kennebec are the others - that accompany it.
Burger & Beer Joint's inside bar. (Staff photo by Wade Tatangelo)
SCENE: The large room has enough TVs showing ESPN to qualify as a sports bar and then there is the likes of Led Zeppelin, Def Leppard and Van Halen blaring on the speakers to drive home the rock 'n’ roll theme. As for the bar crowd, it gets younger as the night goes on, with discounts for mall employees looking for a place to let loose after their shifts end, especially when live music acts perform until past midnight on Fridays.
CALENDAR: Twinkle performs 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday, May 22. Kim Betts and her Gamble Creek Band are schedule for the same time slot on May 29.
Burger & Beer Joint
160 University Town Center Drive, Sarasota; 702-9915; bnbjoint.com and on Facebook.
WADE TATANGELO is a content producer who has been an entertainment editor, reporter, columnist and reviewer at publications nationwide. He is a Hershey, Pa., native who grew up in Tampa and graduated from the University of South Florida. Wade joined the Herald-Tribune in 2013 and writes the weekly Bar Tab column. He can be reached by email or call (941) 361-4955. Follow @wtatangelo
