Michael Symon's B-Spot

Place: Michael Symon’s B-Spot
Web-site: http://www.bspotburgers.com/
Location: 28699 Chagrin Boulevard - Woodmere, OH 44122 Google Maps

Quick Blurb:
Having now experienced my second Michael Symon restaurant, I can say that I’m becoming a big fan of his cooking. Indoor and outdoor seating, simple menu, great draft beer selection and phenomenal burgers is what the B-Spot is all about. Seriously, the hamburgers are the best I’ve had in the area – cooked to perfection, full of distinct flavours, and oh, so juicy!

Review:

Appearance:
I didn’t know where this place was, so I was a little shocked that it was relatively close to where I live - I was expecting another downtown Cleveland drive. Immediately I noticed the outdoor seating. I love being able to enjoy the weather (see my review on The Galaxy). I only spent a few moments inside asking for a table, so I don’t know a lot about how it is in there. But, outside was great – colourful flowers everywhere, umbrellas to keep the sun off of you and attentive servers that don’t leave you hanging. Plus, you can “people watch” the shoppers that walk by.

Staff:
Everyone we talked to was very friendly - what more could you ask for? Our waitress was helpful in letting us know how “the system” operated (no appetizers , pickle bar, etc), and laughed along with us as my friend ordered the double-decker (yeah, exactly).

Meal:

Appetizer:
None here – they're considered sides. I’ll review them with the full meal below.

Entrée:
I had the Red Hot burger – piled high with pulled pork, pickled tomato, hot peppers, pepperjack cheese and finished with a sriracha mayo. Yum! I asked for it medium rare and it was perfectly cooked – this is definitely a place that I trust the quality of the meat. I liked having the pepperjack cheese in place of traditional cheddar, and I was a fan of the pickled tomatoes. I may be living on another level of hot than most, because the hot peppers weren’t hot enough for me – I like a good bite. Anyway, it didn't bother me; it just didn’t meet my expectations of the hotness. The sriracha mayo was something new to me and I enjoyed it a lot. I am a Sriracha fan to begin with; I’m not sure why I never thought about mixing it with mayo to use as a spread, but this is one idea I took back home.

Would you just look at that? You can see the pork, hot peppers, pickled tomatoes and of course, the burger!

Overall, my experience with the Red Hot burger was one that raised and set the bar in terms of burger quality in the area. I am a big fan of the Mo-Betta burger at Moe’s , but the Red Hot has too many unique things to it that really makes it stand alone.

My wife got the Thin Lizzy, my friend the Doubler and his wife the Lola burger. Everyone fell in love with their specific burger. My persistence paid off as my wife allowed me to steal a bite of her Thin Lizzy – nothing too fancy, but the carmelized onions were de-li-cious! As for The Doubler, I think that after just looking at it, I became instantly full – that’s how big it is. Kudoo’s to my friend who finished it, but I would rather go for a single patty with multiple toppings! (I’m all about variety of flavours!) Finally, the Lola burger – this just looked amazing. And if it wasn’t for my natural tendency of ordering anything that says “Hot”, I would have chosen the Lola immediately (fried egg, bacon, pickled red onions, cheddar and mayo). I am a big fan of breakfast and this is breakfast on a burger – what a solid idea. It also brought back some memories of living in Australia where I first had a fried egg on a burger. I thought it was an awesome idea back then and still do now! More than likely, the Lola burger will be my choice when I go back – oh, and I am definitely going back!

Sorry for the blurriness - but you can see how nicely the cheddar cheese is melted and the caramelized onions hanging off to the left

We did order some Lola fries (which are amazing and reminded us of our dinner at Lola’s). They’re thin cut and seasoned with rosemary and sea salt. Yum! And, after reading a review that showed the Parmesan Fondue, I just had to order it. This was something I hadn’t had before and I really enjoyed the variation. The chips were not as crispy as I would have liked, but I think that’s a personal preference…as when I said that, my wife said “oh really? I like the not so crispy ones”. Oh well, there were plenty of chips to share with four people and the fondue was very good – nicely melted and so different from the ranch / nacho cheese dip that we are all used to seeing. A fun twist!

Also to note - there is a pickle bar inside where you can load up on more pickled vegetables. I didn't go inside to try it out, but my friend's wife did and she liked it. Finally, they serve you 6 different types of "sauces" to add onto your burger if you so wish. I very much enjoyed the Lola Ketchup - give it a go!


Desserts:None – but the shakes kind of count!

Drinks:
A wonderful draft beer selection – I ordered the Rogue Somer Orange Honey Ale (Wheat Ale). I never had it before and my friend and I had just finished brewing our own Orange Blossom Honey Ale. Well, it didn’t taste anything like our concoction (not a bad thing!) but it was very refreshing with a hint of citrus and very light to drink. It paired very well with the Red Hot.



Price:
Burgers are about $10, sides range from $3 - $7 beers and shakes $5 – Not bad at all considering the quality of food your are getting.

Overall:
I now finally appreciate all the hype surrounding The B-Spot. This is yet another place that I regret not having visited earlier. That said, I’ll be back this summer – to enjoy the amazing Lola Burger and the outdoors…also to try out the other sides. I highly recommend paying a visit – it wasn’t crowded at all on a Sunday afternoon, but I do hear it gets quite busy at night time and they have a First Come – First Served policy. Have fun!