When somebody tells me that they had a really good burger at a certain burger joint, my mind goes into a frenzy to get a taste of that burger. I turn into a blood hungry piranha or should I say a burger hungry food blogger. When a friend mentioned to me that Paradise Valley Burger Co. offers some really good burgers, I knew I needed to get a taste of it.
As I have pointed out in my previous blogs, a good burger should have high quality juicy patty, cheesy cheese, soft bread, tasty sauce and perfectly complimenting toppings. In my opinion the burgers at Paradise Valley Burger Co. somewhat and someway met all of those criteria. Good burgers added with a relaxing vibe of the restaurant and the not so bad service, I would definitely come back for another burger addiction satisfaction.
The place had a very playful and relaxing feel. The colorful green and orange walls with the classic blackboard menu made me feel like its kindergarten all over again. There were enough seats inside and additional seats outside. Every table had a napkin holder, mustard, ketchup, black grounded pepper and sriracha. Overall, the restaurant was clean, playful and family friendly.
The service on the other hand needs to match the feel of the place. I cannot fully enjoy a burger if it wasn't served with a smile. It may be my fault though. I came in 30 minutes before the closing time and maybe (this is me giving the benefit of the doubt) people are already tired from a long and busy day. I can't smile if I'm still busy 30 minutes before I leave the office. Maybe I shouldn't expect to get a smile everytime or a recommendation of what is the best out of their menu or maybe I'm just being dramatic. They did replace my side order when I changed my mind 5 minutes after ordering. So I guess, I was just looking for a little effort to make me feel more welcome.
The food was ok. Not over the top good. Not bad either. It was just OK. I blame it on my bad order choice this time. I wanted to try their special for the week. For that week, it was "Cockeyed Cowboy". It was already after I ordered when I asked what was the best seller out of their menu. I was told that the Brulee and Beach House were the stars of the show. My wife got the Brulee, but we went for the healthy option that had a portabello mushroom patty instead of the traditional beef patty. So how was it????
Burger of the week - Cockeyed Cowboy. It's really nice when a burger gives you a certain crunch on every bite. Say a crispy bacon or the toasted bun or maybe that crispy fried onion rings. But when you bite on a slightly popped popcorn on a burger, hmmm... I think something is really wrong. Don't get me wrong. I am a popcorn lover, if t is properly popped. I just feel like a slightly popped popcorn may have been and after thought to give the cowboy burger a corn like finish that turned out to be a little corny. What's so cowboy about popcorn anyway? I get the pulled pork. It was cooked very well and the smoke flavour (or maybe it was the barbecue sauce) was really good. The beef patty was a little dry. Seasoned well but like I said, a little dry. What really made the burger OK (refer to previous paragraph) was the dill pickle. They make good pickle. Another component that I loved was the poblano creme. It gave the burger a slight kick that complimented the sweet pulled pork. The burger at $9.50, seemed like it was trying a little too hard. 
The Brûlée. Now this burger has some potential. We made a mistake of substituting the beef patty with the portabello mushroom. Not that the portabello mushroom was bad (the patty substitute was actually very good), but only because beef patties are sooooo much better. The portabello mushroom was cooked well. It was not bland and was very juicy. I would love to have it on top of the beef patty on my next visit. It may cut through the dryness of the beef and eventually make the burger so much better. The creamy acidity from the Havarti cheese complimented well with the fried egg, bacon and toasted Brioche bun. Oh.. and the Brioche is just a bed of goodness. I think the bun is really the kicker at this joint. Something I would definitely comeback and crave for someday. The pickled onions were a surprise. I think they perfected the pickling process. The verdict on the portabello brûlée burger is definitely more than OK. What more if we had beef patty? Maybe it really deserves a second visit. Maybe I missed on a really good burger.
Overall, Paradise Valley Burger Co. is not a bad choice for a burger binge. The place is really nice and clean, the service only needs a little bit of sunshine, and the food has a lot of potential. Would I come back? Yes. They deserve it. Would I recommend it? Maybe. They are good enough to get a maybe and an OK.
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