Bison curious

Burger Me just opened a Reno location in September, the first being up in Truckee. My friend Jared and I decided to head up to Robb Drive and check it out—New Year’s resolutions be damned!

The interior reminded me of a modern cabin, with stained concrete floors, wooden pillars, wooden furniture and a large window in the back with a great view of Reno. There’s also a drive-through if you don’t feel like going in. Burger Me took over the old location of Tahoe Burger, which I never visited, but Jared indicated that everything looked pretty similar. A chalkboard signs states that Burger Me’s products are all natural, with no hormones or antibiotics. For those not feeling like burgers, they also offer chicken, lamb, ahi, hot dogs and salad.

I was feeling traditional, so I decided to order a hamburger ($6.50) and add mushrooms and cheddar cheese ($.50 each). Jared was feeling slightly more daring, so he went with the bison burger ($10.95). We decided to share an order of fries ($2 for the regular) and onion rings ($2.50 for the regular). We sat at a high-top table by the large window and enjoyed the view.

Our order arrived within 10 to 15 minutes and looked really good. The burgers seemed large and the “regular” size order of onion rings was huge, with the pile of onion rings spilling out of the paper container. When I ordered my burger, the very pleasant guy at the counter asked if I was OK with the hamburger being medium, as this is how they generally cook the burgers. This sounded fine by me, but one bite into the burger, I knew this was cooked closer to medium-well or even well. There was a nice layer of cheddar though, and they did not scrimp on the mushrooms. The burger was topped with shredded lettuce, large slices of tomatoes, and some kind of sauce that seemed to have a Thousand Island base. The tomatoes and lettuce tasted fresh, and I thought the sauce had a nice taste to it, but I just couldn’t get over that overcooked burger. Additionally, I felt there could have been more seasoning to the meat, but this might have been because it was overcooked. Burger Me offers a choice of wheat, white or gluten-free buns, and I went with the wheat. The bun was large and soft, but I think it would have been better toasted.

Jared’s bison burger fared better. The bison had a rich flavor and was cooked perfectly—despite Jared’s misguided request they cook it longer than the suggested medium rare. I like bison because it seems less heavy than beef. Jared didn’t opt for any extras, but the lettuce, tomatoes and sauce did fine on this one. The meat was the standout and was really able to shine.

The onion rings were very tasty: large onion slices that were well cooked, with a good crisp flavor and just the right amount of grease. The fries were thick and crispy but Jared and I scarfed down the onion rings, which didn’t leave a lot of room for fries.

Overall, I really liked the bison burger and onion rings, but was not blown away by my burger. An overcooked burger can happen though, so I’m not ready to write off Burger Me just yet.