BLT Burger
 Las Vegas, Nevada         Date of Visit  12/11/10              http://www.bltburger.com/

After the significant let down of Hubert Keller’s Rossini Burger at the Burger Bar we thought we would let another high-class Frenchman have a shot at our humble American sandwich. In this case acclaimed Chef Laurent Tourondel has a place at the Mirage named BLT Burger. Right off of the casino floor and open to the walkway BLT has a slightly different feel from the Burger Bar. Clean and classy, this place has the same mostly tattooed and slightly dark ambiance as Kellers. The servers shirts have various statements on the back. One in particular stated “if I am what I eat I am fast, cheap and easy.” The menu has a wide variety of burger meats and toppings as well as sides, beers, and shakes. Guinness on tap is always a good thing with a burger and Steph ordered the Campfire Marshmallow shake filled with bits of toasted puffiness. One thing about the shakes, dessert will not be an option. They are sweet and large, even splitting one was plenty.
 

Half a Shake
 

We started with an appetizer of waffle chips. I don’t know how I didn’t get it but I expected waffles. Well, they are waffle fries, not waffles. They are topped with cheddar, bacon, sour cream and pickled jalapeños. They were fine but nothing remotely interesting or new. Ok, actually they are better at the Waterloo in Akron. The burgers were good, but again, I haven’t found anyone who has tried to spruce the burger up some that has managed to do something extraordinary. To this point I am sure I would rather have one of my brothers off the grill in the backyard, turned with his official BF spatula. They were good, though.

Steph ordered the Shaft’s Blue with a 7oz. Grilled CAB Burger, Shaft’s Blue Vein Cheese, Balsamic Caramelized Onion, and Mushrooms. It was tasty. The blue cheese, manufactured in a long and traditional process is pungent and bright. The shrooms and sweet onions balance the cheese and the burger is done to a juicy medium.

I ordered the Lamb Tandoori Burger with Colorado Lamb, Mint-Cilantro Yogurt Sauce, Cucumber, Olives, Red Onion, and Tomato. This was something a little more special. Imagine a thick gyro, but instead of the mostly dry lamb and beef, there is a patty of just pink and seriously juicy lamb. Scrumptious. BLT did better than the burger bar in my book with a really solid outing, but the haute masters of French cuisine still haven’t completely captured the idea of the quintessential burger any better than a good 4th of July picnic version. I'm Sure they'll keep at it.

You can get a good burger in a relaxed atmosphere at BLT, just don't expect to be blown away.

Lookit the Lamb!!!  Succulent