I’ll start by saying that I really dig the location at the Trapp Door. As I walked in, my first comment was that I couldn’t believe it took me that long to get there and that we had to come back again soon. This was before even sitting down or eating anything. There’s a calm dim lighting to the room, exposed wooden beams, and a huge rectangular wooden bar topped with hammered copper. The night we went, there was also live music in the corner. It wasn’t ridiculously loud and the two guys performing were just fun. So Trapp Door immediately gets an A for Ambiance.We sat at the bar and perused the menu (see pics in the gallery below). We decided to start with a combo of meat and cheeses: Jasper Hill oma and St Andre triple creme brie, jamon serrano and house smoked trout. They came with a few pieces of pickled plum, cherry tomato jam, and a truffle dijonaise. The flavor and quality across the board was fantastic. I did wish there was more of the various sauces and garnishes. It also would have been great to just have a nice spicy mustard on the side. Next, we had a special watermelon and tuna gazpacho ($16), which was just amazeballs. It was simultaneously salty, sweet, creamy, and crunchy. The broth was watermelon, with huge chunks of fresh tuna and compressed watermelon in the middle, drizzled with a yuzu creme fraiche and sprinkled with fresh mint. There was also a nice hit of heat at the end, although I’m not sure where it came from… It was so fresh and light, but also intensely flavorful. TL; DR: It was freakin’ delicious.
We then decided to split a burger. The burger was an 8 oz grass fed beef patty with BBQ pork belly, black garlic aioli, and smoked gouda ($14), plus we tossed an egg on top for $1 more. Based on this description, we were super excited to try it…which made the not-awesomeness that much harder to take. I’m going to just start with the worst offender- the aioli. I love black garlic. I love aiolis. This was neither. It tasted like lard. Like someone had just melted down some fat, stirred it up, and put it on the bun. I very rarely use this word about food because I’m a grown up and I recognize that some people like things that I don’t, but: gross. It was just gross. I will say that and then we shall never discuss the aioli again.
The meat and the egg were both overcooked- there was no gooey yolk, just an overhard fried egg atop the overcooked patty. The meat itself was underseasoned and overground, leading to an unpleasant, mealy texture. It did, however, have a nice crust/char on the outside going for it. The smoked gouda, however- that was the savior here. It was melty and gooey and delicious. I removed the top bun with the offensive not-to-be-spoken of sauce, and ate the cheeseburger without it.
Considering the creative menu and super cool vibe of the place overall, I am willing to overlook this burger incident. I would totally go back, listen to some music, have a beer, and try some more of their creative food creations.
Food/Drink: 16.5/20
Service: 7.5/10
Total: 24/30
