Game On

Outside of a few gastropubs, transcendent burgers in this city are — pardon the expression — rare.

by Elisa Ludwig

In a cheesesteak and hoagie town, the burger can be a second-class citizen. Outside of a few gastropubs, transcendent burgers in this city are — pardon the expression — rare. In August, when Bootsie's opened on 19th Street shortly after the demise of the nearby Hamburger Mary's, there was hope that it might usher in a new era of all things pattylike in Philly.

The first of an anticipated national chain of such restaurants, Bootsie's is fast food with a gourmet, gamey and, in some cases, organic twist. (Tagline: "Natural never tasted so good!") The operation's hours are ambitious, catering both to early morning office types with organic egg and applewood bacon breakfast sandwiches, and the post-Drinkers and Trago's crowd with fourth meals of a more selective sort. Either way, with Bootsie's brightly sterile, flat-screen-TV-dominated ambiance, it's a proposition that's far more appealing for taking out than eating in.

The sandwiches — hot dogs, burgers and sausages like rabbit and veal — are served on nutty whole grain rolls and come with ridged slices of spicy pickles. All can be customized, but don't be too surprised if your order gets confused somewhere between the cashier and the grill master, coming well done when you ordered medium, or missing a few leaves of promised arugula. (There's a reason, after all, that Having It Your Way is a rare privilege in the burger kingdom.)

Like the operational hours, the list of toppings is surprisingly vast, ranging from familiar condiments like guacamole and caramelized onions to exotic strawberry pecan and garlic shrimp alfredo sauces. Actually, it would be nicer to see a few more sides thrown in — right now that category consists of overly salty Old Bay-dusted fries and Cheez-Whizzy cheese fries — and a few less bizarro sauces that add nothing much other than shock value.

The burgers, left adorned, are not bad at all. (And if you're serious about cheese, don't order the Monterey cheddar blend, which is a homogeneously smooth, shiny, suspiciously American-tasting slice that will blanket your burger with blandness.) The buffalo, a lean and smoky burger, needs very little embellishment. Of the two beef options, the cheaper Black Angus is actually richer and more flavorful than the pricey Kobe beef burger, but both are generously sized and bunned with proportion in mind.

The exception to the minimal-toppings policy would be the ostrich burger, which is light, uniformly chewy and naturally less juicy — we tried it with a spicy pineapple lime salsa, which livened it up considerably. I also liked the hot-dog-lover's sauce, a tomato-pepper-onion concoction that provided a sweet counterpoint to a fat, smoky Kobe beef hot dog.

It's unlikely that these snacks will revolutionize the meat scene in Philly, but some diners — be they midnight munchers on the prowl or bored carnivores looking for new flesh — will doubtless be glad for Bootsie's arrival.

(e_ludwig@citypaper.net)

Bootsie's

38 S. 19th St.,215-988-0089

Mon.-Thu., 6:30 a.m.-10 p.m.;Fri., 6:30 a.m.-4 a.m.;Sat., 11 a.m.-4 a.m.;Sun., 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Sandwiches, $3.95-$10.95; sides, $1.95-$2.55