LOCAL Houston | The City Guide MARCH 2016 | Page 22

OPEN

Kimchi Burger

By Jodie Eisenhardt | @foodiehouston

THE BURGER JOINT

Photography by Becca Wright

CUISINE: Fab Burgers
EXECUTIVE CHEF: Matthew Pak
2703 Montrose | 281.974.2889 | www.burgerjointhtx.com
Sun–Thurs: 11am–12am; Fri–Sat: 11am–4am

In the spot that once housed Little Big’s, Chef
Matthew Pak and partner Shawn Bermudez
have accomplished an appealing reno with an
expanded patio and tons of TVs throughout,
serving up 24 brews on tap along with some of
Houston’s finest burgers, made with a proprietary blend of juicy 44 Farms beef, formed into
6-oz patties (order a double if you must) on a
soft bun that’s blissfully not too much to maintain
a proper bun-to-beef ratio.

Patio

Pak, of the much-loved Koagie Hots, Golden Grill and Coreano’s food trucks
prior to the success of The Burger Joint truck, is known for clever flavor/texture
combinations. Ten options plus a slew of add-ons include everything from
classic burgers to the scrumptious Kimchi burger, featuring Korean BBQ beef,
caramelized kimchi, fried egg, garlic mayo and cheddar. There are also
solid all-beef hot dogs – try the chili-queso version.

Sides are no afterthought here thanks to hand-cut,
twice-fried beauties, served with more fun topping options, like the
yummy parm-bacon variety, and stellar onion rings. Whatever you’re
eating, go deep into the delicious housemade dipping sauces – garlic
aioli, ranch, creamy avocado and beyond. They’re the stuff of latenight noshing fantasy, which works out well given the 4am weekend
closing time. Oh, and don’t forget about the thick, creamy vintage-style
milkshakes in classic or current flavors like salted caramel and Eighth
Wonder Rocket Fuel, for the perfect ending. We do love our burgers
in Houston, and these are definitely worthy of our affection.

LITTLE LIBERTY
CUISINE: A little bit of everything
EXECUTIVE CHEF: Lance Fegen
2365 Rice Blvd. | 713.807.7224 | www.littlelibertyhouston.com
Sun–Mon: 8am–9pm; Tues–Thurs: 8am–10pm; Fri–Sat: 8am–10:30pm

Photography by Jodie Eisenhardt

Lance Fegen went on a three-month sabbatical, surfing and eating clean, light food every day. Upon his return ahead of the
latest opening in his FEED TX group (BRC, Liberty Kitchen and
Liberty Kitchen & Oysterette), that vibe translated into inspiration
for a lighter touch with the food. Literally. Simple preparation
and clean flavors dominate the menu, including a variety of salads like the customizable Hawaiian Poke Salad – choose a
protein like wood-grilled tuna, salmon or grilled vegetables; a
dressing, like gluten-free tamari; a rice or cucumber base plus
add-ins like mango, fresh jalapeno or crushed macadamias.
Fish tacos and excellent sides like the blistered okra with chiles
Interior
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L O C A L

| march 16