Mid July
My friends Matt, Geoff, Allie and I were looking for entertainment on a Saturday night. Anytime that can be combined with hamburgers is a victory in my book. Recommended by one of my bosses, Naomi, we went to Jazz TX for some live music, libations and high-concept bar food. If you want the complete experience, here's some musical accompaniment for this review, like we had for our meal:
My friends Matt, Geoff, Allie and I were looking for entertainment on a Saturday night. Anytime that can be combined with hamburgers is a victory in my book. Recommended by one of my bosses, Naomi, we went to Jazz TX for some live music, libations and high-concept bar food. If you want the complete experience, here's some musical accompaniment for this review, like we had for our meal:
Service and Setting
It seems The Pearl can do no wrong. Jazz TX is a great addition to a stacked hub of restaurant and bar activity at the rejuvenated Pearl Brewery. Beneath the bottling plant food hall is a cool spot that plays at least two live shows a night. It's snug and reservations are highly recommended for the weekends in order to secure a table. Servers are busy bustling drinks and food across the club, and for the most part were attentive and friendly. We ordered fries with our burgers, and they came out a half hour before the entree. Drink service was good and water glasses stayed full.
It seems The Pearl can do no wrong. Jazz TX is a great addition to a stacked hub of restaurant and bar activity at the rejuvenated Pearl Brewery. Beneath the bottling plant food hall is a cool spot that plays at least two live shows a night. It's snug and reservations are highly recommended for the weekends in order to secure a table. Servers are busy bustling drinks and food across the club, and for the most part were attentive and friendly. We ordered fries with our burgers, and they came out a half hour before the entree. Drink service was good and water glasses stayed full.
Menu
They serve high-concept bar food, which is thinly-veiled code for "expensive." It's a limited menu, which starts with queso and ends with osso bucco (lamb shank). I don't see the connection between a night out for jazz music and a craving for a $40 lamb shank, but I guess this place can make Joe-San-Antonio feel like a high roller. Their happy hour deals are pretty reasonable by comparison as they take a dollar or two off select beers, cocktails, and shareables. The one and only burger on the menu is $18 and served a la carte.
They serve high-concept bar food, which is thinly-veiled code for "expensive." It's a limited menu, which starts with queso and ends with osso bucco (lamb shank). I don't see the connection between a night out for jazz music and a craving for a $40 lamb shank, but I guess this place can make Joe-San-Antonio feel like a high roller. Their happy hour deals are pretty reasonable by comparison as they take a dollar or two off select beers, cocktails, and shareables. The one and only burger on the menu is $18 and served a la carte.
Beverage
They have a brief draft list with a good variety of mostly lighter beers. Some bottles and cans round out the offerings. The cocktail list has some classics and some adventurous libations, each for $12.
PattyWe ordered burgers medium and medium-rare. They were cooked appropriately. The menu boats a 50-50 blend of brisket and chuck. Very good flavor and juice to the patty. Certainly the strongest feature of the burger. Unfortunately, the burger plays a rich-man's version of Chris Madrid's hide-and-go-seek featuring cheese and burger patty. As evident in the first photo, the Oaxacan cheese melt had me channeling my inner Ghostbuster battling the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
Dress and Bun
The bun had a nice bakery quality to it, but the cornmeal dusting on the bottom had a bad texture in my mouth. The house pickles were excellent, and my second favorite part of the burger. Perhaps the biggest burger sin was the greens. Though offered as a la carte, they neglect to mention they put an entire mixed green salad under the bun. A wilted stack of greens steamed by the burger heat was stuffed under the center. It was most reminiscent of a hospital cafeteria salad. The cheese flavor earned mixed reviews from the table.
SidesThe fries came out way before the burgers. They are a mix of steak fries and more traditional cut. Very hot, good soft potato inside without much crunch. I asked for hot sauce to go with the ketchup, but the request was acknowledged then forgotten. The fries were fine, but an easy pass if you're not hungry.
Comments from my co-diners
Matt: "The fries came out with the heat of a thousand suns."
Matt: "The fries came out with the heat of a thousand suns."
Geoff: "My main concern was the salad under the bun lid. Some crunchy green lettuce is good, but this was a tall stack of soft, slightly bitter mixed greens."
The Verdict
I'll do my best to draw a jazz metaphor (apologies in advance for the overreaching Latin-Mexican musician comparissons). The 50-50 meat blend of ground chuck and brisket was the John Coltrane of the performance. The Oaxacan cheese advertised itself as Tito Puente, but performed like Pitbull. The mixed greens was like putting Moby on stage as nightmarish trio. Instead of a harmony, we ended up with a cacophony of overreaching ingredients. With a star like the 50-50 patty, every other ingredient of the burger needs to play supporting melody, and not try to improvise for their own featured break.
While the bar and club make for a great night out, steer clear of the burger. Judged with more scrutiny given the exuberant price, this burger earned a meager 2 spurs.
I'll do my best to draw a jazz metaphor (apologies in advance for the overreaching Latin-Mexican musician comparissons). The 50-50 meat blend of ground chuck and brisket was the John Coltrane of the performance. The Oaxacan cheese advertised itself as Tito Puente, but performed like Pitbull. The mixed greens was like putting Moby on stage as nightmarish trio. Instead of a harmony, we ended up with a cacophony of overreaching ingredients. With a star like the 50-50 patty, every other ingredient of the burger needs to play supporting melody, and not try to improvise for their own featured break.
While the bar and club make for a great night out, steer clear of the burger. Judged with more scrutiny given the exuberant price, this burger earned a meager 2 spurs.
