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October 20, 2006
Luka's Taproom Burger
There are several best parts to Luka's.
First, the beer selection. I had a Hofbrau Oktoberfest (dry, mildly hopped tastes like autumn), an Old Speckled Hen Ale (slightly sweeter, nitrogen bubbles, creamy head) and a Sam Smith's Organic Lager. My companion had a Chouffe (the belgian double/tripple american style IPA), Delerium Tremens and a Racer 5 IPA (which I've never been a fan of in bottle, but tasted amazing on tap).
The charcuterie and cheese selection is top-notch. Charcuterie from Fatted Calf. The plate we split had pork rillettes, chicken liver pate and some duck served with walnuts, figs balsamic and a watercress salad. Very tasty. For the cheese course we had the Idiazabal (sheep’s milk) from northern spain which had a smokey flavor and a manchego-like texture and the Chimay Bier, a semi-soft (cow's milk) cheese. The cheeses were served with figs and membrio
I went specifically to try the burger. And it was worth leaving Berkeley. The burger is a thick, hand formed patty served with fresh red onion, tomato and lettuce on a poppy seed bun. The meat was very tender, juicy and grilled with a strong char -- clearly cooked over flame with a very strong smokey flavor. The fries are the twice fried variety as one would expect at a Belgian-influenced restaurant -- with a pillowy inside and a crisp and salty exterior. The weakness was the bun. It was flimsy and didn't stand up well to the juicyness of the burger -- needs more substance.
A highly worthwhile destination.
Posted by tdotjay at October 20, 2006 04:40 PM
