Fire & Oak, Montvale, NJ

Where: Fire & Oak, Montvale, NJ

What: House Burger
Build: 1/2 lb. Burger, Cheddar Cheese, raw onion slice, pickle slices, toasted sesame bun.

Comment: A co-worker of mine has been bugging me to try the burger at Fire & Oak - he had been there recently and saw someone eating the burger and he's been obsessing ever since. (we all know what that's like, can't think of anything till you scratch the itch). Anyhow, we went to try out the burger today with very high hopes. I have to admit, I was troubled by the fact that I tried this burger a few years ago and could not remember anything about it, but, my co-worker was pinging about this thing so much I found myself getting a little stoked. Insert sigh. This was one of those burgers that was conceived, and executed masterfully with fresh ingredients and a superior roll - (here comes the "but")

But, despite the fact that both burgers were cooked absolutely perfectly (his medium, mine medium/rare) the meat lacked flavor. It was tender and seemed to be fresh ground, but there just was not enough flavor to make this a memorable outing.  That's when I remembered why I couldn't remember this burger.  Hey, a little salt and pepper goes a long way - I'm just sayin'.... 

The best I can do with this is a 7.5/10 and it's a shame because the inside of this place just screams "awesome burgers made here".