What Does A $19 Hamburger Taste Like?

I've never spent $19 on a hamburger before. Yesterday, I ate the Rockit Burger. A burger made with kobe beef and topped with melted brie, fried shallots and a medjool date aioli. Served with a side of truffle fries. I've still never spent $19 on a burger--work covered the tab.

So what does a $19 hamburger taste like? And what the hell is a medjool date aioli?

For that you have to go to Rockit.


Oddly enough, on their menu they have a section called "sandwiches/burgers" and the Rockit Burger is not listed there. It is under "entrees." Well then.

This is the first time I've ever had a Kobe burger. I had heard that in America, sometimes when they say Kobe beef, it's really Kobe-style. Whatever. I have no idea if that cow was really Wagyu or from Japan or Peoria.

I ordered it medium. Also, it's important to note that we got the food delivered. So by the time it got to me, it was still warm, but the cheese was completely melted and the beef had time to rest. I think this only made it better. The burger was actually closer to medium-rare, so I definitely think the extra delivery time only helped the consistency. It's possible that burger could have been too pink and mushy if I had been eating in.

After seeing this picture on yelp, I'm glad the cheese had a chance to melt. I think the brie would have been overpowering in that state, but melted it was subtle and delicious. The fried shallots were not as overflowing in the picture on Rockit's site. And the date aioli? It was a good sweet sauce that paired nicely with the cheese and the beef.

Ultimately, what made the burger so amazing was the way it all came together. I didn't really taste these as separate elements. The bun was perhaps the best part, a onion brioche, I believe, and the way it soaked up the sauce and beef juice was perfect. It was slightly crunchy on the outside, warm and soft on the inside. The cheese, sauce, shallots and bun were there to highlight the taste of the meat and it worked to perfection.

This was also the first time that I had truffle fries (or truffle anything). If you hadn't told me they had truffle oil, I might not have noticed there was anything exotic. They were just really good in a way that I hadn't really had before. Addictive fries.

I still think that it was overpriced. I don't think any burger should cost over $14 or so. But it's hard to think of a better burger I've had. I love the one at Gaslight, with the Merkt's, bacon and barbecue sauce, abut I don't think it beats the Rockit Burger.

And I want to go back to Grand Lux for their Max Burger, an angus patty topped with cheddar, bacon, onion, AND short ribs!

But the Rockit Burger did not disappoint. And I'm glad I didn't have to pay for it to experience it.