Village Burger Bar

12300 Inwood Road, Ste. 210

This new and hip restaurant lo­cated conveniently on Inwood and Forest Lane offers decent food at a reasonable place.

The interior décor has a contem­porary and open feel with silver tables and small booths set up around the restaurant. The simple, modern in­door environment is attractive while the outdoor patio, complete with a TV and two table tennis tables, is great for families.

The menu, displayed over the checkout counter, exhibits not only burger options, but also paninis, on­ion rings and salads. One salad choice is the “Baby Blue” made with straw­berries, oranges, pecans and blue cheese. These items seemed to be the most popular and appetizing on the menu (other than the cheeseburger).

The menu also featured a “Be­spoke Burger,” or a “make it yourself” burger, where customers can decide on the meat, sauce, cheese and top­pings of their burger. Similar to manyother burger joints, customers order up front and wait at their seating area.

Although the line for ordering was long, it moved quickly. I picked the “Spin-Art” dip, commonly known as the spinach artichoke dip, for an appetizer, alongside the Turkey Burg­er and the vanilla milkshake.

As I sat at the booth, I noticed friendly waiters chatting with cus­tomers and taking orders. They promptly served their meals and re­mained patient with the customers who requested special dietary needs.

For a Sunday afternoon, with plenty of homework to complete on the back of my mind, I was notably relaxed. The sunlight streaming in through the windows was a delight­ful setting in which to enjoy my meal.

The spinach artichoke dip, served warm with fresh salsa, was somewhat of a disappointment. For me, it was extremely creamy and after trying it for the first time, I could no longer finish it. The tortilla chips themselves were quite appetizing and toasty.

The turkey burger, unappeal­ing and greasy with dried cranber­ries, mayonnaise, and lettuce spilling from its sides, was mediocre. The sweet and tangy taste of the cranber­ries complemented the fresh lettuce and tomatoes nicely, while the let­tuceoffered just the right amount of crunch. The soft bun and fresh ingredients were a nice touch. But something felt off – the turkey patty. Too burnt and dry, the patty threw the entire burger’s flavor off.

Of course, no burger is com­plete without fries. Dusted gener­ously with parmesan and chives, the truffle fries looked appetizing, but, to my disappointment, they came off over-fried and unsettling. There was no way I was eating the rest of the batch.

For dessert, the vanilla milk­shake, topped with whipped cream and a cherry, was refreshingly cold. However, it tasted sort of bitter: pos­sibly due to an excessive amount of milk or not a proportionate balance between the vanilla flavoring and the rest of the ingredients.

The food in general seemed to have a velvety texture, too creamy for my liking, that ruined the flavor with some foods, including the spin­ach artichoke dip and the vanilla milkshake.

Overall, the meal was medio­cre and did not live up to my ex­pectations.

– Noor Adatia