Photo courtesy of The Big Board
What goes better with football than beer? Well burgers, football and beer of course. Lest you get the wrong impression, The Big Board (421 H St NE) isn’t a sports bar per se, although we did enjoy watching a good part of the Redskins game there on Sunday. But, the large floor-to-ceiling windows (its located where Toyland used to be) make for great people watching for the less sports inclined among us. So what makes this place different from other burger places around the Hill? For one, you get to name your price, sort of. Beer prices are based on real-time demand, meaning the more you order of one kind, the lower the price. Definitely a fun concept to undertake with friends, or perhaps the patrons dining next to you.
An Alagash White (an old standby for me) and a Chocolate City Cornerstone Copper started us off. I must admit I’m not a huge burger person but I do enjoy a good burger every once and a while. We decided on The Big Apple (smoked bacon, American cheese and sliced tomato) and the Memphis Blues (Colby-Jack cheese, house BBQ sauce and “tobacco” onions). All of the burgers are served medium rare unless otherwise requested. I usually go with what a restaurant recommends, and was not disappointed. The burgers were perfectly cooked and had great flavor. I appreciated the standard sesame seed bun the burgers were served on (sometimes you just don’t need fancy artisan bread, ya know?)
If you’re a fan of thin fries these are the spuds for you. Served either salt & pepper or old bay style (we had the former) they were crispy and delicious. I do have to deduct a point as they were out of sweet potato fries (one of my true loves).
Our server was good, attentive but not overbearing. The prices are very reasonable, burgers range from $6 to $9 and fries are $3. They also have a selection of salads and a few meatless burger options including a tuna burger and a couple of vegetarian burgers to choose from. The décor is minimal, as is the seating, which lines the walls of the restaurant. But, the bar is a decent size, and has a good amount of barstools.
It was a Sunday, and they were advertising a brunch burger (bacon, egg and cheese) that I suspect would be worth returning for. Plus, it was the day before Halloween and there was a plastic pumpkin full of candy by the door! Because I was obviously still hungry after the beer, burger and fries. Let’s face it — this is the first food post I’ve ever done that didn’t involve something made mainly from sugar. Baby steps!