Feed Co. Burgers

The first few times I drove past Feed Co., I didn’t notice the Burgers part and wondered what a rural supply place was doing in the heart of the Central District. Not having a ferret or even a hamster, I couldn’t see myself going in there. I finally noticed the word “Burgers” and realized that WE were the livestock this place was meant for! It did seem the right place for an eatery on the ground level of a multi-story building with apartments (The Stencil), but the name is less than appealing.

Nevertheless, it needed to be reviewed and with my friend from Maryland in tow and my spouse, the three of us “did” lunch. One is not sure what to do on entering; it looks like a place where you go up to the counter to order, but we decided to choose our booth first as there was only one left. A waiter brought menus to our booth and later brought our food; we didn’t need to retrieve it. Then they kept bussing empty plates although there is an accessible receptacle for bussing your own, so not sure what is the PC thing to do. Wait staff is friendly and engaged.

There is a basic burger for $5 (1/4 lb.), or you can go upscale with a 6 oz. burger dressed with fancy trimmings. My husband ordered the generous Texicana with frizzled onions, BBQ sauce, bacon, cheddar, slaw and a grilled jalapeno ($9.50). I noticed he put the jalapeno to one side, but he did bring it home when he couldn’t get through the second half of the burger.

My friend Pat ordered the Mushroom Burger, which has porcini and crimini mushrooms, thyme, and Gruyere ($9). There was nothing on the menu about any veggie burger, so I ordered the Tempura veggies (only $4) and we got two sides: onion rings and sweet potato fries. I figured the tempura would be a small offering (wrong) and we would need the sides. Too much food. But they have take-home boxes so we didn’t waste!

My tempura veggies consisted of four very large stalks of broccoli dipped in tempura batter and fried. There was an orange (in color) dipping sauce, which was not distinctive, and I kept thinking how good a spicy peanut dip would be with this.