Every city has its culinary specialty. In New York, you eat pizza; in Munich, it's bratwurst; in Boston, it's the lobster roll.
The hamburger makes for a a close second to the lobster roll in our fair city. Ranging from Davis Square's own Boston Burger Company to Mr. Bartley's Gourmet Burgers in Harvard Square — with a few McDonald's in between — you can't go three blocks without hitting a burger place in and around Beantown.
Recognizing this, I searched around for a lesser-known burger place that could still satisfy Jumbos' carnivorous cravings. I wanted a place that was close by (nobody is going to go into the Back Bay for something as simple as a hamburger) and relatively cheap.
Enter b.good, a small local chain with seven locations around the Boston area, including one nearby in Harvard Square. The restaurant purports to make fast food "real," serving "burgers and fries made by people, not factories." They use all-natural and local ingredients (things that make the West Coaster in me smile) and keep their menu simple: five kinds of burgers, plus a seasonal choice; normal and sweet potato fries; a few salad options; and milkshakes and smoothies.
The restaurant is located a block away from a major thoroughfare, so though it is extremely accessible, it is unlikely to be noticed by the casual eater. When I opened the door, I was bombarded by loud music and the greasy smell of a deep fryer, but the place wasn't too crowded.
Immediately dismissing the veggie, turkey and chicken burger options, I perused the topping choices and ended up selecting the West Side burger, featuring avocado, cilantro, tomato and chipotle salsa ($6.29). I opted for a small burger, instead of a regular and added a mango smoothie ($3.99 for 16 oz., $1 more for a 24 oz.) and side of fries ($2.44) to the meal. In true fast-food fashion, my order was called up within about five minutes. With a squirt of ketchup, I was ready to dig in.
The fries, soggy and greasy without any of the crunch and fluff you expect from a well crisped french fry, were disappointing — a bad omen for the meal to come.
The burger was not as bad, but it was really nothing to write home about. The salsa, tomato and cilantro all blended into the bland guacamole and the various toppings became indistinguishable from each other. The bun, not quite thick enough, was unable to hold up to the liquidy salsa on top and the hamburger juices on the bottom, and quickly fell apart. The best part of the hamburger was actually the meat itself. Grilled but not blackened, juicy and meaty, it was everything you would expect from high-quality, hand-ground beef.
The mango smoothie also went a long way toward making up for those flaccid fries. I would not have expected to find it here, but it was one of the best smoothies I have ever had and really the highlight of my meal.
Overall, b.good needed to show a little more culinary effort in order to live up to its name and be, well, good. Indeed, my first thought as I bit into the burger was that I was eating the same acceptable yet uninspired hamburger that I had eaten so many times in Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall.
b. good desperately needs to rethink its french fry-making methods, but the chain is obviously doing something right in its delicious smoothies. They also succeeded on the core element of the hamburger — the meat itself — so it is possible that another topping choice would have tasted better.
If you find yourself in Harvard and want a cheap, decent dinner, don't shy away from b.good, but don't bother unless you are already in the area and craving pureed mango.
