FOUR BURGERS

Doing one thing well

By PATRICK MAIN

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While I'm of the firm belief that the larger the menu, the less likely any specific item is going to be worth ordering, at first blush, Four Burgers would seem to take the minimalist concept to the extreme. Walking into Four Burgers with a cadre of co-workers on a recent busy weekday lunch, I was struck by the spartan layout. A mirrored wall, four photos of classic American diners along the other, a large plasma showing CNN (I'm pretty sure they don't allow Fox News in Cambridge) and mostly full tables is all you get. The cheery woman behind the counter stood ready to take our order, while adeptly managing the rest of the dining room.

Once you dig into the menu, however, one finds that you can make nearly infinite combinations from their palette of ingredients. To start with, there are the eponymous four burgers: beef, vegan, turkey and salmon. These aren't any old burgers, though. The beef burger is advertised as Brandt, a family-owned sustainable farm based in California, which not only eschews the use of antibiotics or hormones for the cows, but actually grows part of the feed for the cattle themselves. The black-bean based, organic vegan burger is handmade in Portland, Maine, by Blue Mango, another family-owned enterprise. To accompany these premium patties, you get the choice of two buns (seeded white or plain wheat), seven cheeses and over a dozen toppings, ranging from bacon to chipotle aioli.

I opted for the turkey burger ($7) on the wheat bun, with the suggested lettuce, tomato and cranberry chutney, and a side of fries. Others with me grabbed two differently dressed beef burgers ($8.50/$10.50) and one of the veggie ($7).

There is beer and wine available—the wine in convenient half-liter bottles ($13 - $20), and Harpoon and Samuel Adams ($5) representing local offerings among their selection. In addition to the fermented Harpoon options, they also carry their root beer, available both alone ($1.75) or as part of a root beer float ($4), which I also ordered.

The turkey burger comes out steaming hot with a very generous helping of fries. The cranberry chutney is chunky, with lots of whole berries, and the burger is juicy without soaking the bun. The fries are hand-cut and superb, crunchy on the outside, fluffy within, and no hint of uncooked starch.

My bovine-consuming partners were very pleased as well. Both burgers were delivered as ordered, medium and medium rare, and again, the buns hold their own against the topping and juice onslaught. The vegetarian among us, however, was in heaven, and couldn't stop raving about her choice.

In a city that doesn't want for world-class burger options, you better bring your A-game if you're going to survive, and Four Burgers does. Managing to bring a fresh take on this American classic, without overdoing any aspect of it, from variety, to price, to patty size, I see them being a Mass. Ave. stalwart for some time to come.

Rating: * * *

* * * * * phenomenal

* * * * added to the regular rotation

* * * solid cuisine, presentation and taste

* * average

* meh

FOUR BURGERS

704 MASS. AVE. CENTRAL SQ.

CAMBRIDGE

617.441.5444

MON-TUE 11AM-10PM WED-SAT 11AM-11PM SUN NOON-10PM

FOURBURGERS.COM