The Fireplace: Double Cheeseburger

Where: The Fireplace, Paramus, NJ

What: Double Cheeseburger

Build: 2 - 4oz Patty's, cheese, raw onion, pickle.

Comment: I had high hopes for this place - Everything from when I was searching Google for a good burger somewhere near where I work, (Bergen County, NJ) to standing on line and ordering while watching the cooks behind the grill, to seeing the burger after it was handed to me on a fast-food plastic tray, to choosing my condiments from the very limited condiment bar, to wrapping my lips around this good-looking burger and biting into it (insert photo of balloon popping). My son was with me and he said it best, "I think I would rather have ANY fast food burger over this one" - BTW, my son is a seasoned burger tasting professional who has accompanied me on several burger jaunts including a cross-country burger cruise. With that said, he hit the nail on the head with this comment and I agreed, the burger was just okay. Here's the description: The burger patties are the frozen, very thin, pre-formed kind like you'd get at a high school football game's concession stand. They are cooked on a charcoal grill (I couldn't actually see the grill, but the charcoal taste was there and if it is actually a flat griddle, then it's in need of a cleaning big-time) anyhow, there was a slice of American cheese on each patty which was served on one of those little paper plates just a little bigger than the burger itself. I took it happily and I was stoked (looks really can be deceiving) and it was off to the fixin's bar which consisted of raw onion, sliced or chopped (oooooh) and a bowl of sliced half-sour pickles, along with the usual ketchup, salt, pepper, etc. After the photo shoot, I took my first bite and tasted a light charcoal grill flavor along with the melted cheese and onion and I thought this place might be a "contenda". But alas, further eating lead to my son's comment and I whole-heartily agreed. Damn, we could've had a Baconator or some other tried and true burger. Great place after the bar closes, but for a sober meal - don't bother - 7.5/10.