Mid-October
With some out of town guests to entertain, few things beat hanging out at the park of The Pearl with its great food and drink options. The Bur-gal and I brought Bergman, Seth, and Stacy to the Bottling Plant food court, where 3 burgers, a hotdog, and ramen where consumed.
Service and Setting
Despite being a Wednesday night, The Pearl had its typical high energy. Kids running through the fountains. Sound Cream blasting bubble trance. Southerleigh pop-up bar pouring its best IPAs. Lots of friendly dogs on walks. The whole thing is rather idyllic. Inside the Bottling Plant, one orders and pays at the counter and gets a pager to notify him or her when food is ready. The tables are clean. The restrooms are a little inconvenient being outside.
Despite being a Wednesday night, The Pearl had its typical high energy. Kids running through the fountains. Sound Cream blasting bubble trance. Southerleigh pop-up bar pouring its best IPAs. Lots of friendly dogs on walks. The whole thing is rather idyllic. Inside the Bottling Plant, one orders and pays at the counter and gets a pager to notify him or her when food is ready. The tables are clean. The restrooms are a little inconvenient being outside.
Menu
Bottling Plant is a food court offering not only burgers, but ramen, southern rotisserie, doughnuts, and a healthy concept food counter which I think serves things with kale and quinoa. Fletcher's does hoity-toity burgers, dogs, fries, and shakes. Burgers start at just $7.95, with add on cheese and bacon options. They have specialty and a rotating burgers as well, but we all went with the classic cheese burger. I added a hot dog since I was hungry.
Beverage
Shakes and cane-sugar sodas are at the counter. Keep in mind a full bar is immediately opposite Fletchers, as are several other options including Southerleigh's pop-up bar with their microbrews - I think I had a delicious "Lawnchair vampire" IPA with this meal. Side note: I went to Southerleigh for my birthday last month and asked pretty-please to have the lunch-menu hamburger for dinner; they declined. I'm not sure if I can review the burger without bias after such a spiteful rejection. I will continue to enjoy their fine beers however.
SidesFries had a pretty good fill of soft potato inside. Maybe not quite crisp enough for fans of a thinner fry. It held ketchup well, but I would have appreciated more sauce options. They have smoked-spicy ketchup, on some of the other burgers. In retrospect, I should have requested a side to replace the Heinz.
Patty
The burger is a blend of short rib, chuck, and brisket. They cook it to order appropriately. It keeps good moisture. Despite the high pedigree, the table was unanimous that is was a little low on flavor and the texture is off. I think it comes down to too fine of a grind in the meat, so you end up with kind of a smooth texture instead of a crumbling one.
The burger is a blend of short rib, chuck, and brisket. They cook it to order appropriately. It keeps good moisture. Despite the high pedigree, the table was unanimous that is was a little low on flavor and the texture is off. I think it comes down to too fine of a grind in the meat, so you end up with kind of a smooth texture instead of a crumbling one.
Dress and Bun
Served on a very nice brioche but what did a good job keeping a reasonably messy burger in line. I'm not sure I could pick Fletcher's sauce out of a line up - it seemed a bit timid. I have no qualms with the produce. The American cheese and pickles were good.
Served on a very nice brioche but what did a good job keeping a reasonably messy burger in line. I'm not sure I could pick Fletcher's sauce out of a line up - it seemed a bit timid. I have no qualms with the produce. The American cheese and pickles were good.
Bonus hotdog review: I liked the dog significantly more than the burger. An Akaushi Texas 100% beef dog on a brioche bun with crispy onions were delicious. It even pleases my Chicago-hotdog-trained palate.
The Verdict
The Pearl really is the gemstone of San Antonio's oyster. The dining, drinking, activities and atmosphere are as high a density as anywhere in the city. Fletcher's serves a decent burger in an excellent setting. If you're in the area and in the mood, go for it. It certainly is a better value than JAZZ TX. Cured and Southerleigh have good options, but only available on lunch/brunch menus. Fletcher's classic burger earns a respectable 3 spurs.
