Last Week's Restaurant

We took a break from Mexican food last week and checked out Love Shack a low-key burger joint by Chef Tim Love. If you aren't familiar with Love, he's known for his urban Western cuisine. He got a national nod on Bravo's Top Chef Master's, but he's also been written up in Country Living, The New York Times, Maxim, Food & Wine, etc. He's a vegetarian-hating big deal! His flagship restaurant is Lonesome Dove Western Bistro. The menu here boasts entrees such as Rocky Mountain elk strip loin with lamb bacon-shell bean succotash and garlic sauce; pan-seared Texas quail; hamachi tostados with ponzu, bacon and Serrano peppers; and kangaroo tenderloin nachos. Pretty interesting stuff, but pretty pricey for a meal out with Nigel in tow.

So that's why we opted for Love Shack, which has been written up nationally quite a bit as well. I imagined it a place we could take people who came to visit us... brag about having a Top Chef among us. I really wanted to like it because I just loved watching Love on Top Chef, but no dice. The patty was most likely frozen and definitely not hand-formed. My "Love Burger" had a mayo-like sauce that was way too sweet; Tim's "Blue Group" burger wasn't much better. The deviled eggs were kind of runny, and the only thing special about them was crumbled bacon on top. The fries were thin but wide, so they were limp and not crunchy. The onion rings were the only semblance of a saving grace. All of these things can't be chalked up to an "off" night, so I'm really confused about the positive accolades. We expected a step above Honey Whyte's, but got WhataBurger instead. One day we'll try Lonesome Dove — my guess is that's where Love's heart is and the food will be better — but we need to shake this disappointment off.