A Burger A Week – Baker & Wife
The first stop on our 52 week journey lands us in Southgate!
So here we go! I think I want to start by saying when I dreamt this whole thing up, I thought it was going to be easy. I mean, how difficult could burger tasting be? After my first tasting, I am already starting to question the logic of my thinking. This WILL NOT be all that easy.
I guess it’s a good thing that I’m not in charge of awarding Michelin stars. I mean, these are ONLY burgers. And when you get right down to it, most burgers are good burgers. Sure, there are the great ones (we hope to uncover those for you in the next year), but taken as a whole, I think it’ll be tough to find a real letdown. Especially given the list I’ve constructed.
Another observation, it’s going to be super helpful to have a second burger taster’s opinion on some of these. Talking things out is good!
Reality sets in… I am just really hoping this doesn’t turn into a Super Size Me situation. I have worked hard over the years to eat a pretty healthy diet. When you write about food and have to taste a lot of it, that means you need to watch it when you’re not “on duty.” I really should schedule a consultation with my cardiologist (Dr. Bermudez, if you’re out there…).
OK, now that we’ve taken care of the preliminaries, let’s get to the meat of the matter…
Located just off Siesta Key’s north bridge, this Southgate dinner-only spot has quietly been impressing Sarasota diners since 2015. They have a very loyal following. It’s just fancy enough inside without being “dressy.” You can feel equally as comfortable bringing a family as you would bringing a date.
They also have a small dining bar if you are solo for dinner. Hey, maybe you can make a new friend while you enjoy your burger!
Let’s get to this! I had a nice window table inside for my tasting. I didn’t need to look at the menu. I knew exactly what I would be ordering.
📝 NOTE: To make all of this a touch more manageable, I made a couple of executive decisions right up front. We’re going to order all burgers cooked medium. This makes it easy to see if the kitchen can cook a burger to the right temp. Plus, that’s how I like them. Next, we are going to sample whatever burger is the house specialty. And we’re going to order it the way that it’s described, no substitutions. If there is only one burger on the menu (like a lot of places), then it’s easy. If there are choices, we’ll do some research and make a call, maybe two. We want each restaurant to showcase what they can do best!
RESTAURANT: BAKER & WIFE (2157 Siesta Dr. (941) 960-1765)
DATE OF VISIT: JULY 6, 2022
STOP #: 1 OF 52
BURGER TASTED: THE BAKER’S BURGER
📒 OUR TASTING NOTES
🍔 This burger is served as listed on the menu as: applewood smoked bacon, balsamic onions, Gruyere, mayo, lettuce, and tomato. ($20)
It was pretty close to medium, maybe a little under. That temp is OK for me, but if it’s not for you, then you might want to order med-well to have it cooked a touch more.
The bun. I personally loved it. It was soft and buttery. But, for some of you, that might not be your thing. You might like something a little bolder (wait until we get to Shakespeare’s!!).
All of the ingredients went well together. It’s the kind of burger that will make most eaters happy. And I’m sure it’s intended to be like that. Thinking about it another way, if you only have one burger (or even two) on your menu, that dish has to satisfy 99% of your burger-eating customers’ tastes. This burger gets that done!
It’s not too sloppy to eat. You can still enjoy this burger and carry on a respectable conversation with your dining companions.
The fries! They were out of this world! Perfectly seasoned skinny fries. Super crispy, nothing at all needed on them. Honestly, I could have just eaten a plate of those fries and called it a meal. But I monitored my intake (I have to keep telling myself this is an ultra-marathon, not a quarter horse race).
Let’s take a look at how all of this came out…
BURGER TAKEAWAYS: Points for creativity (Gruyere and balsamic onions!) • Great place to bring your family OR a date for a burger • Super delicious “skinny” fries! • Good service • A really solid start to our burger journey!
👀 SNEAK PEEK: Stop number 2 brings us to a South Trail spot that has been going strong for almost 50 years!
We want to hear about your Sarasota burger experience. So much so, in fact, that we’ve started up a special Facebook Group just for this Burger A Week series. So, feel free to share your Sarasota burger experiences, photos, and anything else burger-related you’d like others to know about.
JOIN SARASOTA’S BEST BURGERS FACEBOOK GROUP HERE!
🌟 We’re still looking for “Ride-Along” burger-tasting partners. If you’d like to come on one of our stops, here’s a link to a form to fill out. We’d love to feed you a great Sarasota burger!
CLICK HERE FOR A CHANCE TO TASTE BURGERS WITH LARRY!
✅ Did you miss a week? No worries. Here’s a link to our A BURGER A WEEK SERIES ARCHIVE!🍔
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