Downtown Buffalo hosts all sorts of fun events during the summer and so far none more fun than Thursdays at Canalside. But right by Canalside is place called Pearl Street Grill & Brewery, which is supposed to have some good things to eat and drink. As a man who loves brewery food, I was excited at the prospect of Pearl Street and after ordering one of their seasonal beers I took a gander at their menu.
What I found was exactly as I expected, as in burgers, sandwiches, pizza and all that good brewery food. I chose the Ditch Digger Burger, topped with double smoked bacon, cheddar and onion rings. Like the rest of the burgers, it also came with lettuce and tomato, plus fries. I ordered medium-rare without the lettuce and tomato, but failed to ask about pickles. As in many cases, this would be my undoing, as the burger arrived with a couple of nasty pickles.
Yet, while this was a bit of my undoing, the truth is that this was but a small aspect of the disappointment of the burger. There was also a stray piece of some unrecognizable vegetable laying upon the patty and the onion rings seemed to be hastily thrown upon the burger with no regard for order. While the bacon and cheese were good, as always, the patty left a lot to be desired. Not only was it overcooked, but it wasn’t even the overcooked that comes juicy from butter or some other juicifier. No, this was just working its way toward hockey puck levels, although not quite getting there.
The fries made a futile, but noble, attempt to redeem the burger. They were good, but I didn’t order fries with a side of burger.
In the end, it’s best to stick to the drinks at Pearl Street. They aren’t all good, but at least when you finish them you’re on your way to drunk instead of disappointment.
