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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.
Photos by Chris Shott