The Dandelion is the first place I had in mind when I restarted this blog, as it’s long been my favorite burger in Philly (and one I thought was underappreciated – in part because most people I’ve spoken to tend to lean toward Village Whiskey – until I realized it actually won “Best of Philly” in 2013). So why did it take me more than two months to get there? Well, the downtown location essentially means giving up child care for the night, and I am a loving, doting, unselfish parent who doesn’t like missing bedtime. So when Wife gifted me a burger-night-on-the-town out for being an A+ #1 gold-medal-champion DAD*, I surely knew where to spend it.
*Speaking of being a dad, if you’re wondering why it’s taken almost two months to get this post out the door I’ll just say that having two kids unfortunately pushes burger blogging down the list of priorities to somewhere between “ironing clothes for work” and “emptying the lawnmower bag” and way behind “changing 50 diapers” and “going to sleep at 8pm.”
Just want the Beef? Here’s the Beef.
Setting and Service
Stove and I sat upstairs, where the decor is pure “wealthy grandma” house. Lots of paisley (the good kind, not the knucklehead in the cowboy hat), floral patterned dishes, intricately detailed fireplaces… actually just Google “downton Abbey house interior” and get a pretty good sense of what you’d walking into at The Dandelion. And it mostly works. But like your grandmother’s house (wealthy or otherwise), the “charm” of the mismatched chairs, vestibules, and tiny tables – while visually unique and appealing – can result in an awkward seating arrangement for two fine gentlemen out chasing burgers (Stove towered over me at the table and I couldn’t find a comfortable spot for my purse).
Service is always fantastic, which I’ve found to be a constant across Starr restaurants. Our server handled all of our many questions, often heading back to the kitchen to ensure he was providing the most accurate information. It’s great when a server has expert knowledge of the menu, but a willingness to get the answers is good too.
The Burger
The burger comes all put together, which is more visually appealing and makes for a great opening photo. And since it needs no ketchup (I’ll get to that in a bit), it requires the bare minimum amount of time to get into my mouth.
Beef: Pat La Frieda is back and as good as ever with this combination of chuck, short rib, hangar steak and aged sirloin, which I haven’t had anywhere else. Chuck, short rib and sirloin are pretty standard for higher-end burgers, but aged sirloin adds a little more beefy intensity and even a little funk to the overall flavor. The first few times I ate here there was an almost buttery flavor in the burger I couldn’t quite identify, and I think aging the beef gets the credit.
Size was perfect and the patty was well-seasoned and well-seared. Both burgers came out perfectly medium rare.
Bun: Briiiiioche, which was fine. Unfortunately, and surprisingly, it was not toasted, which made it texturally uninteresting and slightly dry. It was also overly thick, resulting in a high bun-to-burger ratio (Stove and I both had a full bite of empty bun at the end).
Toppings: Absolutely nailed it with the toppings. There are many, and I’ve discussed how too many toppings – or the wrong combination of toppings – can cause an unappetizing mess. But here, the paper-thin sliced bacon, onion and pickles, shredded lettuce and the absence of tomato helped keep everything super clean, even despite the juiciness of the medium-rare patty. And all of the ingredients worked together to create a completely unique flavor: special sauce*, extra briney pickle (on which Stove and I disagreed – he’d go less brine but I thought it was spot-on), red onions, bacon, beef all really delicious individually and totally harmonious. Didn’t even put ketchup on it!
*Special sauce in this case is “Churchill sauce” and it deserves a new paragraph. A combination of mayo, chives, relish, Worcestershire and some secret additions that just perfectly complimented everything else in the sandwich. The relish helped highlight the pickles and vice versa while the Worcestershire added that vinegary tang that made me forget all about dear-old ketchup.
Platter: Served on a cutting board providing ample surface area, the platter included a tin of chips (the British kind) that missed the mark for us. They looked great and were perfectly seasoned, and I respect that they are inspired by authentic British cuisine, but as a fan of skinnier, crispier fries, they just didn’t do it for me.
Did Daughter like it?
Wasn’t there and it’ll be a while until she gets a chance. This really isn’t a place for kids.
Would Dad like it?
Not in it’s natural state, no. Far too many extras on here.
The Beer
The draft list isn’t terribly deep (only 6 selections), but it’s rounded out by 20+ bottles and cans, with some UK-based brews and a fair selection of local and other domestic crafts (which also, incidentally, include some UK styles). The Fish Tale Organic IPA was good, and while I’m not a saison guy, the Sterling Pig Grapefruit Saison was good for the style.
What else do they have?
Do they have Bud Light or something comparable?
The have Miller Lite bottles and Narragansett Lager cans, both of which will do in a pinch.
Apps
While the burger here is fantastic, I’ve spent the last few minutes coming up with names for a spinoff blog about me going to The Dandelion once a week just to eat the Welsh Rarebit. “Let’s Toast”? “Let’s Get Toasted”? “I’m Toast”? “You’re Toast”? That’s all I got. Though, truthfully, to call the Rarebit “toast” is to criminally under-represent what it actually is. Take it in for a moment, won’t you?
That, my friends, is two slices of the most amazingly-textured bread I have ever had. About 2 inches thick with a perfectly-toasted exterior and the most pillowy-soft interior you can imagine. It’d be great on its own, but it just happens to be topped with an amazing spread of cheddar cheese and whole grain mustard that adds yet more layers of flavor and texture. This is not something you’ll see at most restaurants, so it’s a must-order, and almost worth the trip by itself.
The Deviled Eggs are also excellent, as they almost always are. The twist here is they are lightly curried and spiked with both paprika and cayenne pepper for a little extra kick. The generous addition of dijon mustard pulls it all together, and the textural contrast of the perfectly-cooked white and ultra-creamy yolk mixture is killer.
Other menu options
Everything else I’ve had here is excellent, from the Grilled Chicken and Turkey Club sandwiches at lunch to the Beer Battered Fish & Chips and Lamb Shepherd’s Pie for dinner. Throw a dart at the menu and you’ll probably leave happy.
And I didn’t have a good place to put this guy. He’s also on the menu.
Here’s the Beef
Slightly cramped and awkward seating aside, I can’t say enough good things about The Dandelion and the burger is tops on that list. A slightly different approach to the bun would put it on another level, and it faces some very stiff competition that I’ll be sampling in the coming months (including current “Best of Philly” 2017 winner, Butcher Bar). But it still sets a high bar that I’m all too happy to continue reaching for.
here's the beef 