by Andrew Chalk
Cleaver & Co. is an addition to the high-end burger genre from experienced restaurateurs Pat Garza (Legacy Food Hall) and Pardeep Sharma (owner of India Palace and Roti Grill). Planned to be a chain, the first outlet is in Uptown Dallas at McKinney and Armstrong, in the old Roti Grill space.
The interior has an ordering counter, open kitchen, and seating area. There is a short menu, budget-priced decoration on the walls (paint, with a few images) and TVs running news and sports to occupy patrons waiting for takeout orders.
THE MENU
The menu is short, to the point of terseness, with 4 beef burgers, 4 chicken burgers, 4 sides (called “Apps”) and shakes.
THE BURGER
I ordered the Cajun Bleu Burger ($13.49) which, a blackboard informed me, was also the number one seller over the previous week. I was attracted by the fact it used blue cheese rather than the ubiquitous “American Cheese” (yellow pus) that is so boring. The Cajun Blue has a smattering of what they called cajun seasoning, a squirt of “cleaver [sic] sauce” (rather like spicy 1000 island), two small slices of bacon, lettuce, tomato, and crumbled kettle chips. The patty appeared to be about 4oz.
In trying to describe this first Cleaver & Co. burger it is hard to be positive. The patty was cooked well done to the point of incineration (there is no choice on how it is cooked). The cleaver sauce was too meagre in amount to contribute much to the taste. The tomato was a tasteless supermarket red vegetable without character. The decision to add kettle chips was baffling, especially since Cleaver & Co.is the creation of two experienced pros. They added texture, but not where crispness was copacetic. They were just dry and bland. The blue cheese appeared to be a low-end brand of blue cheese crumble. It was sharp, but indistinct. The bun had no redeeming qualities. Maybe, when stale, it can double as an RPG warhead.
This number one menu choice needs a total rethink. Messrs. Garza and Sharma could do worse than running down to Capital Grille before April 13th and buying the “Wagyu and Wine” pairing. Their Wagyu Blue Cheese and Black Truffle Burger is 52% Wagyu/48% Angus and tastes rich, earthy, and umami-loaded. The customer specs. the cooking level (so you can get it medium-rare), the bun is a lustable brioche, the blue cheese has a less one-dimensional quality, hinting at Roquefort, and a splash of truffle oil adds another facet. The magical USP however is the “Cabernet-Braised Red Onions” which, like a fruit preserve with steak, add a sweet angle to complement the earthy flavors of the meat. At the least, Cleaver could try out the repertoire of common steak sauces to come up with something more imaginative than what they have.
THE SHAKE
With the burger I had a Sea Salt Shake ($8), one of the three premium shakes. Taste was good, the wide straw (à la Hopdoddy, and Jack in the Box) a good decision, but the quantity meager for the money. In general, with shakes, as with burgers, a lack of imagination is the problem. The three standard flavors ($7) are the same as the fast food chains’ (chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla).
PRESSURE TO TIP FOR SELF-SERVICE
A really annoying part of the experience was heavy tipping pressure. You go to the counter to order and to pick up your food, and to a drinks station to get your own drink. When you pay, the system requires you to specify a tip before it will accept your credit card. Since I do my own service, why does it not tip me? Garza and Sharma should get rid of this tasteless hustle.
CONCLUSION - NO RETURN
Cleaver & Co. was like high-end burger joints were back when they first appeared. It has been overtaken by the fresh ideas at places like Twisted Root and competition from near-concepts like barbecue joints. The menu needs to be more inventive, the provisioning higher quality, the execution more exact, and the service experience more focused on the customer.
FTC Disclosure: I paid my own bill and dined anonymously.
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