317 Burger - Revisit

Oftentimes, I go to a restaurant I don’t even intend to write about and end up writing about it because it is just so good. Sadly, in this case, it was kind of an opposite experience. I didn’t intend to write about it, but because I had written a pretty positive post about it before, I felt like I needed to update, as I feel like things have fallen off a bit at 317 Burger. 

The kids had really enjoyed it the first time we went, so they were actually the ones who chose it this time. We sat outside, and they have a decent patio, although interestingly, very few tables for 4. They are mostly for 2.

This time we started with the poutine ($6), which we had never had before, and it was probably the highlight of the meal (hubby would definitely say it was). They have good, thick fries that stand there was lots of soft, creamy cheese curds on top. I’ve never been a huge fan of gravy on fries, and I appreciated that they gave you the gravy on the side to use as you liked. Both the males in our household enjoyed it. To be completely fair though, you put cheese of any kind on fries and my husband is going to like them.

Things started to fall off when we go the burgers. I ordered the namesake “317 Burger” ($11) (with 4 cheeses, pepper bacon and garlic aioli). The problem here was the meat. The server asked us all how we wanted our burgers cooked and we all said either medium rare or medium, and they were ALL cooked way beyond well done. We all had burgers that were thinner and way dryer than the one I had when this place was new. Why even ask if you’re just going to cook them all to death? Also, hubby “built his own burger” which are automatically supposed to come with lettuce, tomato and onions and which came with none. He had to ask to get them. The fries and tots we had on the side were all solid.

My daughter ordered the Parthenon burger ($12) and enjoyed the interesting flavors of the patty being made with a gyro mix and the “gyro bacon,” feta, and the thin pita bun, but again, it was a small dry patty. We were pretty disappointed.

My daughter had enjoyed the funnel cake fries in the past, and we were happy to see they had added chocolate dipping sauce to the options (we can’t do peanut butter in our house). However, they have changed them from the fries to a regular funnel cake and it just wasn’t as good-the cake seemed over-fried and too hard—there was no “cake” in the funnel cake. And the chocolate dipping sauce? Pretty sure it was Hershey’s syrup.

This is one of those places where I can’t figure out if a dip in quality has lead to a smaller crowd or the lack of business has lead to a dip in quality, but both were true, at least on this visit. The place was nearly empty, and the quality has suffered. I don’t know, maybe they do a better bar business later in the evening with all their local draft beers, but for me, it’s gone off our list. Too bad, it was nice to have another (of the few) family friendly quality places in Broad Ripple.

317 Burger

915 East Westfield Blvd

Indy 46220

317/251-1317

www.317burger.com   

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