www.theoinkster.com
The Order: The St. Patrick's Burger. A 6 oz. corned beef brisket and ground beef patty with a bubble n' squeak fritter, Oinkster mustard, and pickles on a potato bun.
Side Order: No side.
$9
Drink Order: Lucky Charm Shake ($6)
Burger Menu Rating: 8/15
If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. The Oinkster's burger is hands down my favorite pedestrian burger in Los Angeles. They began their official Burger of the Month specials in late 2012 and since then have produced a variety of interesting creations. From the Little Bear Burger to the Oklahoma Onion Burger, to the Chili Cheese Dog Burger, The Oinkster's creations are generally interesting takes on either classic burgers, or classic meals made into burgers, and are often in response to the upcoming season or holiday. This month's burger attempts to tackle a "classic" Irish dish, Corned Beef and Cabbage, and it does so with some success, but leaves something to be desired. It turns out that Corned Beef and Cabbage is about as truly Irish as green bagels are, so if The Oinkster missed the mark a little, we'll forgive them. A little
The Bubble n' Squeak Fritter nicely formed and placed on top of the patty.
When this burger comes out, you might ask yourself, "is this a hash brown?!" You wouldn't be that far off. A Bubble n' Squeak is a traditional English dish made from leftover roasted vegetables, generally potatoes and cabbage. It is so named because of the sounds it makes as it cooks in the pan. The Oinkster's version is a little bit bland. Having deep fried their version, the potatoes and cabbage are surrounded by a layer of breading which is a bit extraneous next to the potato bun. The potatoes in the fritter don't provide much more than a mushy mouthfeel next to the cabbage, which is slightly sour and left me wanting more.
The corned beef brisket and beef patty is certainly an interesting choice for the burger, but ultimately falls short as a choice for a burger meat blend. Brisket is cooked to tenderness over a long time, and when it's done, there's almost no fat left to hold it together. Adding back in some ground beef to up the fat content was a solid choice, but ended up playing down some of the brisket flavor. The end result was a strange combination that left me unsure of what flavor I should actually be tasting. It had some of the saltiness for sure, but overall the meat was a little bland. Or maybe the meat wasn't bland, but was just being completely overpowered by another ingredient: the mustard.
The corned beef had its distinctive pink color.
I've had the Oinkster Mustard a few times before. It's extremely strong, and on this burger, having a lot of it is a detriment to the overall balance of flavor. I understand that a lot of people eat their corned beef with mustard, but having a large amount smeared on the bottom of this burger just doesn't work. Stacking order people! The ingredients towards the bottom of the burger get the most tongue-time and influence all the flavors that come after! So with this burger, what I tasted was mostly mustard, with a little bit of corned beef flavor. Next time use less!
It sure is a good looking combo though.
This burger, like all their other sandwiches, does not automatically come with a side. As always, the fries at The Oinkster as delicious. But I wanted to get my hands on that shake, and I knew that if I ate the burger, fries and drank a shake that I would regret it for hours after. The Lucky Charms shake is absolutely delicious and there are giant marshmallows throughout the thick beverage, but therein lies the ultimate problem! My mouth was so tired from trying to suck those large chunks of cereal through the tiny little straw. Either get a bigger straw, use a spoon, or avoid this shake! But seriously, it was delicious.
Cooked Correctly: 5/5 Corned beef - no choice
Design/Ingredients: 1/4
Plating: 1/3
Value: 1/3
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