Burger Lounge - Kensington

It was a nice and sunny Sunday morning and we wanted to check out the Mission San Diego de Alcala since TC is in 4th grade and studying the missions (but of course, not the enforced subjugation of the Native Americans by the Spaniards - her Howard Zinn lesson will come from your truly). Unfortunately, it was also a Charger game day so parking was pretty shitty. The Mission's parking lot was full as was every other street within 5 miles of the Q. So, our trip to the Mission was postponed until a later day. Thanks a lot Chargers!

It was around lunchtime so we headed up the freeway to the former site of Absolutely Fabulous Desserts (RIP), Burger Lounge. They are known for their "premium burgers and their utilization of fresh and local ingredients produced in a sustainable environment". Yeah, blah blah, tree huggin' socially conscious yadda yadda...
Burger Lounge has been open for a little over a year...There are other locations in Coronado, La Jolla and Little Italy as well. Of course, you'll notice that these are the upscale urban hipster locations that are also devoid of color. You wouldn't see a Burger Lounge in the 'hoods. This particular location is just down the street from the Kensington Cafe, the Kensington Grille, NYLA Boutique, The Ken Cinema and Blue Boheme (a French restaurant)...One of our friends raved about this place. So, for shits and giggles, we finally decided to check it out. The neon "Kensington" sign (similar to the one's in University Heights, Normal Heights, Hillcrest, etc) is missing, perhaps due to repairs. It is normally arched over the street and anchored by two posts (one of which is pictured).

TC and I sat out in front while Bert ordered our lunch. Here's Bert's Lounge Burger ($7.95):

And here it is again...there are caramelized onions as well as white cheddar, onion, lettuce and tomatoes and Thousand Island dressing. Ketchup is also on the side. I really liked the patty (it is listed as "grass fed") but to tell you the truth, I can't tell grass fed from whatever! I just know it tasted aight!

We were highly disappointed by the kid's meal - specifically the size of the burger (seen below). It's about the size of one slider with a microscropic patty dressed only with Cheddar cheese. Look at the ratio of meat to bun. I think the portion would be fine for a toddler, but our daughter is nine and could probably eat 2 or 3 of these (and she is neither fat nor obese!). Instead of fries, Bert substituted salad for her. He did order fries separately though so we all shared that.

Oops, out of order here...Bert's burger again with the white cheddar oozing out.

My Lounge Burger came with the fries which were seasoned with salt and sprinkled with parsley ($3.95 for the fries). The fries were pretty tasty and seasoned well.

My burger with American cheese and caramelized onions...

Cross section...

Overall, we thought the burgers were all right. The caramelized onions were a nice touch and the meat was cooked medium so it was still a bit pink inside. We get it that it's pricey, you're paying for premium this and that, blah blah blah. But it's all hype - all for a nearly $8 burger. O'Brother's in Horton Plaza was along the same lines but their burgers at least came with salad!

Again, if you go here and have a an older kid, do NOTget the kid's meal ($6.95 for a burger, fries or salad with drink). The portion is fkg puny and your kid will still be hungry as ours was. TC ate some of our burgers since she finished hers in 5 - 7 minutes.