317 Burger

We had been meaning to try the new 317 Burger for a while but kept forgetting about it. It is in Broad Ripple in the old Ambrosia space. It’s nice and kid friendly too so a good place for a family dinner. The décor is a lot of wood and cowhide—there are booths and tables. The booths are wood bottoms though so a little hard on the butt after awhile. Our service was spot on and friendly. She did a great job explaining anything that needed explaining.

317 Burger specializes in various kinds of burgers made from various kinds of meat—there’s beef of course, lamb, chicken, turkey, pork and even shrimp and tuna. Honestly, I was a little hesitant after reading and hearing some things from people about this place.  One recurring complaint I heard was about the buns not holding up.  The whole family ordered beef burgers (I figured I would start with the basics first). I had the “317” ($11) figuring it should always be a good choice to go with the restaurant’s namesake right? One thing I would say, after chatting with a friend about the concept, he thought adding a few more signature beef burgers might be a good idea—make it easier to get a good bunch of flavors together (and hubby agreed).

I was pleasantly surprised. I thought the burger was quite tasty. I ordered it medium (she said that would be a warm pink center) and it was nice and pink. Actually, all of our burgers were cooked nice and pink, and I appreciated that they didn’t overcook the kids’ burgers just because they were for kids. The 317 comes with pepper bacon, 4 cheeses, and garlic aioli. It had a lot of flavor, particularly from the pepper bacon. The meat was nice and tender, not overworked at all and there was a lot of cheese there. I didn’t taste a lot of the aioli, but I have a feeling it added to the moisture and the overall flavor.  I liked the fresh red onions served alongside as an option to add some crunch and a little more peppery flavor as well. I think you need the extra toppings though—a bite of my son’s plain burger with just cheese left me wanting for some additional kick. The meat on its own was a tad bland. As for the bun? Yes, the bottom of the bun was skimpy for what was a pretty fat and juicy burger. The top was fine though—too bad they can’t cut them a little differently to beef up the bottom part. As it was, we ended up flipping them over and eating them upside down so that the juices were dripping down into the top bun instead. This helped quite a bit. The bun had a nice consistency and flavor, it just wasn’t big enough.

Hubby did a build your own that was similar—with white cheddar, apple wood smoked bacon and chipotle mayo on the side. (Note: would love to see a fried egg as a topping option). His was also very good. That peppery bacon on mine really added seasoning though-I’d be hard pressed not to order the exact same burger again, even though I would like to try some of the other options. Anyone had the spicy tuna?

We had a bunch of the sides to try—the fries, the tots, the onion rings and the mac n cheese (note all sides are a la carte, except with the kids meals—adult sides are $4 each. A kid’s burger and fries (or tots) is $5 total). The tots were standard good tots. They weren’t as extra crispy as some I have had lately (which I like), but they were good. The fries were probably the standout. They were hand-cut and kept the nice amount of light fluffy interior with a good crisp exterior. A bit of skin left on added a little chewiness and texture. I would definitely recommend getting these. The mac n cheese wasn’t bad either—it was kind of an alfredo sauce with spiral noodles with some Parmesan on top. A simpler taste for sure. Pepper would have helped. My daughter really liked it though. For me, the onion rings were the weakest side item. I wouldn’t get these again—they were really thick cut and breaded. I like em thin and battered best. These seemed like they were just food servicey.

We had an order of the funnel cake fries ($6) for dessert. The kids were all about these. They were little fried sweet donut-type fries, covered in powdered sugar and served with a marshmallow cream and a peanut butter cream. My daughter wanted to me to mention that she thinks a chocolate dipping sauce would be a really good idea (can’t say I disagree, especially a dark chocolate sauce)(and my peanut-allergic son certainly agrees). I preferred the peanut butter to the marshmallow sweetness (because it gave it a little savory kick as well). I am pretty sure these will be on our order again. The kids were big fans (my daughter wanted a second order).

The inside of my upside-down burger. Nice and pink.

As a family, we universally enjoyed 317 Burger, and that is a rare occasion in our household. I am glad to have another fairly close option for a locally owned family meal. I will have a hard time varying from the 317 burger, but I am intrigued by the build your own BLT, particularly since the bacon was so tasty, and because you get to choose the kind of bread you want. The fried spinach also intrigues me. We’ll have to try it next time.

317 Burger

915 East Westfield Blvd

Indy 46220

317/251-1317

www.facebook.com/317beer