It’s hard to know when the service X-Y axis measuring service and food quality skew too far away from each other for the dining experience to be acceptable. What I mean by that is, if a burger is great, I let a lot of crappy service go unnoticed. Likewise, if I’m in love with my server, I’m less likely to be too bummed out about bad food (though I probably wouldn’t write about it here). Bar Bolinas fell into the former category, and it was by the grace of great company and a good burger that I felt it deserving of a featured spot on this website.
Burger Ordered: The Cheeseburger
The Taste: Topped with edelweiss havarti cheese and pickled onions, Bar Bolinas’ cheeseburger patty is straight up packed with pungent flavor. At first it was a little disarming; I wasn’t ready to be hit with so much stimuli after the Spicy Chicken Sandwich that I had as an appetizer wasn’t all that spicy. Alas, the flavor was there and I was happy for it. The fries were unassuming, but also tasty. Tasty enough that I had to have my buddy move them away from me to the other end of the table. How else am I ever going to shed these winter inches? Yes, burger dudes care about how their pants fit too, and I have a particularly bad case of body dysmorphia. Did you not need to know that? Oh well.
The Verdict: Be prepared to be underwhelmed by the very slow service, but pleased as punch with the burger.
Bar Bolinas is located at 455 Myrtle Avenue in Brooklyn, New York.
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