Fairfax

Before anyone objects: both of us have been to Fairfax at least three times, and we have thought the burger was just alright every single time. This is not one bad visit and it is not a first impression. The burger comes from Bar Sardine, a sister restaurant, and runs across Fairfax's menus with BBQ mayo, cheddar, crispy potatoes, and red onion.

The patty is where it goes wrong. It tasted underseasoned and it had little char, and the patty is the most critical element of any burger. Without salt and without a proper sear, the beef has nothing to say.

Everything on top of it is loud. The BBQ mayo is tangy rather than smoky, the crispy element brings crunch, and the onion is sharp. Against a well-seasoned, well-charred patty those would cut through and balance it. Against this one they simply take over, and the meaty flavor vanishes under them.

What you end up eating is more reminiscent of a sandwich than a burger.

One specific note on the sauce, and this is our impression rather than a claim about the recipe: it tasted as though it had a hint of fish sauce mixed with vinegar. Savory, sour, a little funky. Not barbecue.

It is not a bad burger. It is okay, solid, above average even, and it still falls flat against what its ingredients and its reputation promise. Both of those are true, and three visits apiece is what makes us confident saying so. Worth a try if you are working through the city's burgers the way we are. We would not wait in line for it.

The topping set here is assertive and distinctive, and against a properly seasoned, properly charred patty it would produce a genuinely good burger.

It does not have one. With the beef muted, tang and vinegar and crunch have nothing to cut through and simply dominate, which is why the result reads as a sandwich rather than a burger. At least three visits apiece have not changed that.