Thursday, October 25, 2012

Punch Burger


Always up for a good burger, hubby and I decided to try Punch Burger for lunch.  It is pretty new, and I have been hearing a lot of good things.  I have also heard there has been pretty long lines at times, so we went a little early. We didn’t have to wait long in line, but by 11:40 or so, the whole place was full (there isn’t a ton of seating, but the tables turn over fast).

This is a place where you order at the register and then they call your number and deliver your food to you. So you sort of have to listen, especially if you are in the back room, because they won’t know where you are.  The service was pretty darn speedy—it only took about 5 minutes to get our burgers.

We both did build your own, although some of the specialty burgers sounded pretty good. I almost went for the “good morning” ($6.25) which is a burger, bacon, fried egg, and cream cheese, but the cream cheese idea just didn’t appeal to me.  I do like cream cheese, but pretty much on a bagel. Not in my sushi, and not on my burger.  Anyhow, I just created my own (and there are a TON of toppings options, most of which don’t cost extra) with a 1/3 pound beef patty (you can also get turkey or mushroom), an egg (over easy) and cheese (I went with American) on the classic white bun (they also have wheat and pretzel) ($6.25). I also got a side of waffle fries ($1.50).  Overall, it was a good burger—the beef was really very tender despite the fact that it was cooked pretty well done (they don’t ask) and had nice flavor. You can tell from the irregular shape and the tenderness that they aren’t overworking the meat here. The egg was runny just like I wanted it.  Size-wise, the burgers are in a middle ground between the really thin burgers (a la Steak n Shake or Workingman’s Friend) and the thick burgers (a la Boogie Burger or Fat Dan's).  The bun was nicely toasted and was really soft. I didn’t get the pretzel bun because I always worry they will be too hard and chewy, but I caught a glimpse of them and I am thinking about trying one next time for a change of pace—they didn’t look overly dense.  If I could change something about mine, it would be that I would like the meat to be a little pink, but I still really enjoyed it. The waffle fries were good too—seasoned and fresh and hot (you can’t really get THAT excited about waffle fries can you?).

Hubby had a “build your own” as well with cheese and bacon.  Burger-wise, he pretty much agreed with me on the actual beef patty itself—he liked it.  The bacon though-- it was pretty bad.  I was kind of surprised in a place like this that is using such high quality, fresh Indiana beef and turkey that they aren’t sourcing bacon locally when we have a great resource like Smoking Goose (or other local Indiana bacon). The bacon was limp and tasted too much like fake smoke.  Think cheap hotel buffet bacon and you know where I am at with this.  Hubby pulled it off the burger after the first bite but the flavor still lingered even after he took it off.  It was a little bit of a bummer since the burger itself is pretty darn tasty (and they charge an extra $.95 for bacon).  The sweet potato tots ($2) are interesting—little tater tots of diced sweet potato.  I loved the crispiness of them- and they were perfectly cooked.  If you are a fan of sweet potatoes, I think you will like these.
boo on the bacon

Overall, I like the place. The food is good and reasonably priced, the people who work there are friendly and they serve beer and wine.  If I worked downtown, I can see how this would be a good addition to the lunch options (particularly if you need something fast). My only warning: stay away from the bacon.

Punch Burger
137 E. Ohio Street
Indy 46204
317/426-5280
Punch Burger on Urbanspoon

7 comments:

  1. We went this weekend, Sunday night. In an almost-empty restaurant, they botched our order on 3 out of 5 of us, but were very willing to fix them. I can't fairly judge burgers b/c I can't eat the buns -- but I ordered the Good Morning, and my egg was sadly overdone : (
    Was also pretty disappointed that the sweet potato tots come to them in a box (found out when asking if they were gluten-free, which the guy didn't know b/c "the box was already thrown away").
    But for a local-meat burger, prices are good!

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  2. Katy, I had to ask about the egg. I told her I wanted the middle runny and she put it in as over-easy. My guess is they cook it hard if you don't specify. Wondering if they would cook the meat less if you asked....

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  3. I've been several times and although the first time was a complete disaster service wise, the subsequent visits have been great, at least for the burger.

    I was surprised to hear that your waffle fries and sweet potato tots were crispy. Every single time mine have been floppy, mushy, and almost inedible. I've decided that on all further visits I will skip the sides.

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  4. Really want to try this. And I was really surprised to hear about the bacon... yes, very weird that they source other local meat, but not that. I hate a sad little piece of bacon.

    But sweet potato tots! Yes, please. (I'm going to live in denial and pretend I didn't read Katy's intel on the box. Darn.)

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  5. We've been twice, both times loved the burgers, and ours were still pink inside. The fries were very pale and limp the first time, second time fries were great, sweet potato tots were mushy. Love the logo and friendliness of the staff. Agree they should use Smoking Goose bacon...it is the only bacon to ever have again, in my opinion.

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  6. I'm happy to report they are now serving smoking goose bacon!

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  7. I know! I just went back too. Revisit post to come!

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