Franklin Steakhouse, Fairfield, NJ

Where: 

Franklin Steakhouse, Fairfield, NJ

What: 

Franklin Big Mac

Build: 

1/2 lb. Burger, American cheese, sauteéd onions, pickle chips, special sauce, bun.

Comment: 

Good find tonight. I've been driving by The Franklin Steakhouse for a while now, and I keep promising myself I'm going to stop in as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Tonight it did.
Steakhouse, schmeakhouse, I was going for the burger. Our waitress Sharon, was very nice and when I asked her how the hamburgers are I almost got the feeling she was trying to talk me out of ordering one. I said, listen, I'm a fat guy and I love burgers so which would you suggest? She finally caved and told me the Franklin Big Mac was very good even though "I'm really not a burger person but our customers tell me it's very good". My heart sank for her and all those other Haters who are not "burger people".  Sharon's customers were right. The burger was very good... my 1/2 lb of grilled goodness was sitting on top of thick pickle slices and a chipotle sauce which was topped with nicely melted American cheese and sauteed onions. It was very tasty and would have earned high marks if not for the over-doneness of the meat.

I ordered the burger my usual med/rare and it came out med/well. But in order to give you the full spectrum of the evenings events we'll have to rewind back to when we were served our food - my burger came out first and it was the wrong order. I was served their "Jersey Burger" topped with Taylor ham - and I almost went for it, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's this: whenever a restaurant serves their version of a Big Mac, you go for it. Do not pass Go, go directly for the homemade Big Mac because it's almost never bad. So I did - and promptly denied the Jersey Burger. That's when the anxiety set in... the thought of the Jersey burger being surgically stripped of its Taylor ham so as not to leave any clue that it may have once topped my burger and then thinking the chef was adding the Big Mac ingredients to my already cooked burger. I'm not saying that's what happened... I'm only stating how my paranoid mind was working as I was watching my wife and friends digging into their meals and offering me tastes to tide me over like the fat kid in school who had his lunch taken away from him by some schoolyard bad-asses. I politely declined the offers and explained that a few minutes of waiting would not cause me to perish of malnutrition. The burger arrived quickly after that and it looked great, better than great, it looked awesome. I took a few shots with the camera and although it pains me every time to cut my burgers in half for an autopsy shot, but I had to do it. And,,, no Juice! - Med/Well. Damn. Everything was hitting the high notes and then this. Really? A "steakhouse" not getting the temperature of a burger correct? Major bummer. This would've been a great one too.

I will def be back to The Franklin Steakhouse, as all the other orders at the table looked fantastic, and everyone was raving about the food, but I just can't give this burger any higher than a "good" rating. 8/10. BTW, this place is huge and very inviting... it looks like a great place to have fun on the weekend or to watch a game... I will def, be back!