Burger Royalty
Spending the weekend in Annapolis usually means having a chance to try a new restaurant. Because it can be difficult to find a hotel in the Annapolis area on football weekends, we've also stayed in some other towns in the surrounding area – including the suburbs of Baltimore. We stayed near the Baltimore airport during our last trip, and our hotel was across the street from a massive mall and casino. We had no interest in the casino, but we were very interested in one of the restaurants, Bobby's Burger Palace (BBP), which is connected to the casino.
Bobby's Burger Palace is a casual burger restaurant that is owned by Bobby Flay. It is not a large chain but there are multiple locations in the north east and at least one in Las Vegas. And instead of it being a fancy restaurant where you have to make reservations a couple months in advance (like most restaurants owned by celebrity chefs), BBP has a setup where you order at the counter as you enter and then find a table and your food is delivered to your table. We had to wait in line for about 15 minutes, but didn't have trouble getting a table and our food was delivered quickly afterwards.
The menu is pretty straightforward and is what you'd expect from a place that has "burger" in the name. It looks like Bobby Flay decided to create a restaurant that features some of his best and most creative burger recipes. You can try the classic cheeseburger, southwestern style burger, Californian style burger, Philadelphia style burger, even a Cuban style burger. Also, diners have the option of choosing a traditional beef, turkey burger, or chicken breast as their meat (Burgers are around $8.00). For sides, the selections are: fries, sweet potato fries, & onion rings (which all cost $3.00). There is also a large selection of beers and milkshakes, but we passed on those offerings.
Some of the creative burgers looked interesting, but I was in the mood for a traditional burger. I ordered the Classic Palace Burger – beef patty with lettuce, tomato, red onion, & American cheese – and I also got my burger "Crunchified," meaning it was topped with potato chips and stacked, giving it a really cool presentation. I also ordered a side of sweet potato fries, which is served with a honey mustard horseradish sauce. The burger was good and I liked being able to taste all of the elements of flavors. I ordered it medium well and it was cooked properly, retaining juices and flavor. I don't know if there was anything special about the American cheese but it did taste especially strong and flavorful compared other burgers I've had with American cheese. And the potato chips were a nice addition because they offered a unique crunch. I felt like I was eating Bobby Flay's version of the classic burger you would enjoy at a family cook out, and it wasn't anything incredible, but it was very good. The sweet potato fries were nothing special and I wouldn't recommend getting them – although I really liked the honey mustard horseradish sauce. I saw a couple orders of onion rings being delivered to other tables and I think those would be the better decision for a side.
To many, Bobby's Burger Palace would probably fall under the category of "tourist trap." Actually, anything connected to a casino should automatically default to the category of tourist trap. However, being a Bobby Flay fan, I was excited about having the opportunity to eat at one of his restaurants, especially at a place that was casual and not ridiculously expensive. When it comes to burgers and fries, I think I'd recommend Shake Shack over BBP, but BBP is still a place where you can get a good burger.
For more articles, check out my blog: From Ballparks to BBQ.