SQ1, Winter Park - Closed

I went to this burger bar on S. Orlando (near Marlowe's) on Saturday for lunch. I think it is just a few weeks old. Let me start by saying that most of the my criticisms will be of an Existential variety. Like whether burger bars/pub grub should continue to proliferate (or exist at all). The same with chains and their corporate structure in general. This is case of both. These guys are out of Tampa. With owners from Oklahoma. I wanted a Cobb Salad, but, I got a BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger for you people. Hard to report back on the raw salad when you go to a burger bar. It was ok. I didn't like the beef mix or the grind. No flavor. Stringy and pellet like combo of grind. They said it was Angus, but, they also said they serve Kobe (see my Doghaus rant on that) and I'm not sure how closely the people they buy the beef from follow the law or if the law has teeth. I believe I've seen/heard things that say they do not. They did cook it medium rare as requested. And that is what hurts me. THEY did nothing wrong. It is the corporate decision makers that hand cuffed them in this case. By GIGOing them. Who knows? Maybe this was just a bad batch of meat. I, also, don't like that they use a mold to craft the patties. The veg were fresh enough. The bacon was a tad under cooked. But, it is often soooo teeth splitingly overcooked that this wasn't such a negative. The cheese was cheddar. I don't remember it, so, it must have had little flavor. I, likewise, don't recall the bun. It came with fries. Once again, I fault upper management. I just don't like these starch coated, skin on fries. I even have a fear that the skin is painted on after they form them from mush. They don't get golden enough and taste like instant mashed potatoes inside. Lots of places use both this kind of beef and fries and that is why I ask the "Existential" question. I'd like MORE for a specialty shop. This was the same burger (minus inked incest survivors) I can get at Tilted Kilt. It was actually worse. The meal cost $12. And that is another HUGE issue. Their whole menu is about 50% too high. They have burgers that you could legally have sex with if dollars were years. The menu has "diversity" at the app level. Pub grubby type stuff. The main course level is almost all burgers. Granted they have them in chicken, lamb, pork, salmon, etc. It's that and some desserts. The space is also poorly laid out. They have a too big a bar area and then most of the tables are in a "moat" around it. Most of the table where I sat were one table away from the john or the kitchen. A lady next to me asked to move. In her words "I don't want to look at a wall".  I thoroughly agree. My table had a choice of walls to look at. Both sides of the table were at a disadvantage. The decor is also odd. It is plush and faux costly, but, it is if one of my old bohemian, prep school girlfriends took her bare footed, sun dressed ass down to SoHo and bought up whatever the gay guy with the queer eye said was in fashion at the time. It's bird's nest lamps and bull horns and bovine skins and pictures of food porn. I know it is Boho chic. It's just overdone. Even for this burb. Even for an equally tired trend (ie burgers). Plus upper management screws them again by making the bar area clash. It's a molded serpentined, recessed ceiling that you see at a food court or airport restaurant. And they painted it red. They probably think they are color blocking (like that was ever anything but lack of taste). The overall color scheme is grey and black with brown wood accents. Look. This is a slight riff on what you've had before. It is Demi Lovato in a Selema Gomez world. Do you want more tattoos and drug laden skeletons in the closet? Do you want the fat ass? Do you want the Bieber residue? Does it matter? The service and management were very hospitable and really want to please you. They want you to respond to their effort in "ALL CAPS!". I can only go lower case with a period at the end. Maybe they can convince the real decision makers to up their game? Maybe this post is the start?