Burger Queen

Phyllis Farquhar and Megan Roberts opened their own kind of restaurant.

by Trey Popp

Soon after opening Sketch, a burger joint on Girard Avenue in Fishtown, Phyllis Farquhar concluded that customers are not always right. She felt a new sign might be in order. She ran the wording by her partner, Megan Roberts: "It's my way, not your way." Not "right away," either, but the Burger King riff didn't make it onto the wall.

Judging from everything else about this endearing eatery, that must have been one of the only personal touches Farquhar has held back.

Primary colors explode from every surface and the acoustical ceiling tiles look to have been soaked in blue paint. One wall is lined with mirrors whose wooden frames sprout curlicues in every direction, and another is covered with chalkboards for customers to scrawl on while they wait. There is almost no barrier between the dining area and the kitchen, unless you count the wire shelves stacked with cheese doodles. It's like walking into the canteen of a northern California commune after an acid test.

The menu is just as eccentric. Burgers come dressed with vegan sauces — even if you opt for sirloin. You can order a chicken sandwich, a salad or seitan fajitas, but that's basically it for food. "I wanted to open a place where there were only five things on the menu," Farquhar told me. After killing her arthritic hands with years of baking across the street at Canvas Coffee Co., which she also owns, she figured burgers were the way to go.

But not french fries. Deep fryers are expensive, she explained to my puzzled companion. And then you've got to have that 55-gallon drum of used oil, and find someone to recycle it. "Plus," she added, "I hate potatoes."

"And when you have a burger that weighs 18 to 20 ounces with all the stuff on it, a side of fries will make you feel sick. I don't want people associating a stomach ache with Sketch."

But these burgers, holy crow! Bring a bib. My kobe version was lopsided under a "slice" of cheese that looked more like a two-by-four, and the bun didn't even come close to containing the harissa aioli, but it was a cluster bomb of deliciousness. Sketch's equally messy turkey burger — packed with dehydrated potatoes, celery, carrots and onions reconstituted with olive oil, plus an admixture of textured vegetable protein — is the most satisfying one I've ever had. And the quinoa-based veggie burger, seeded with lentils, is no second fiddle.

From the five-napkin sandwiches to the semi-subversive ideology, this is a burger joint like no other. Phyllis' way might not be your way, but if you want to broaden your burger horizons, Sketch should be at the top of your list.

(t_popp@citypaper.net)

Sketch | 413 E. Girard Ave., 215-634-3466

Hours: Daily, 5-11 p.m.

Burgers, $6-$9.60

Cash only

Wheelchair accessible