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This is not a formal review, but rather an off-the-cuff first-impressions-style riff on a brand-spankin’ new D.C. restaurant.
Chef Jeff Tunks‘ new fast casual Foggy Bottom eatery Burger Tap & Shake doesn’t officially open its doors until next week. But Y&H was able to sneak inside during a brief soft opening Thursday afternoon for a quick bite.
Initial impressions: the signature “BTS shake,” priced at $5, is an instant diabetic coma in a cup. Made with bits of three types of candy bars (Twix, Snickers and Butterfinger, according to a cashier) and ice cream reportedly loaded with 14 percent butterfat, this shake is a sure-fire straw-clogger. (Arteries, too, I imagine.) It sort of reminds me of a Dairy Queen blizzard. Only a tad thinner. Maybe. Good for dipping Tunks’ crispy fries.
And another thing: the bacon on the $8 “Big Daddy” burger (the chef’s personal favorite patty, as he mentioned to a few folks standing in line) certainly doesn’t suck. Instead of the typical thin long strips, Tunks uses thick segmented chunks of hickory-smoked slabs from Allan Benton‘s Smoky Mountain Country Hams in Tennessee. The smokiness of the crunchy pork bits even stands out amid the burger’s pungent buttermilk blue cheese topping.
