review – the liberty, southend (american)

the liberty (southend)

price: $$
rating: * * *

1812 south boulevard
charlotte, nc 28203
703.332.8830
www.thelibertycharlotte.com

whenever i hear an establishment throw around the phrase, “the best burger in town”, i feel that it is incumbent upon me to take some kind of action:

challenge accepted.

i’ve had lots of delicious burgers, so i feel as though it gives me an, ahem, “right” to ascertain a burger’s awesomeness (yes, i do think in-n-out burgers are fanfriggintastic).  hey, i didn’t make the rules, but it sure is a fun game to play.

i’ve been to the liberty twice, and i had two kinds of experiences.  the first time i went, i partook in a meal fit for a (gluttonous) king: warm, fresh baked pretzels; devils on horseback (medjool dates stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon); roasted beet root and goat cheese salad; fish and chips.  don’t you dare judge me.  i split it all with my husband.

i walked away very full and with a few minor issues: i thought the pretzels had too much salt on them, the bacon in the devils on horseback could have stood to be cooked more (bit too rubbery instead of chewy), and the fish and chips could have borrowed some of the pretzel’s salt.  don’t get me wrong, i did enjoy the meal, but i also managed to think of ways it could have been better.  the CANDID cook, remember?  i’m sorry if i’m definitely not the diplomatic, bobby mcferrin kind of reviewer.  okay, i lied.  i’m not sorry.

these issues notwithstanding, i decided i liked the liberty enough to go back.

the second time, i elected to take on the great burger challenge.  as soon as our server brought out the giant pub burger for my husband and the chicken burger for me, i knew this would be interesting.  they were both seasoned perfectly, and the chef knew exactly what medium rare meant when he/she cooked the beefy pub burger.  the house made pickles tickled me to death, and the fries were crispy and coated with parmesan cheese.  now, if they could only have given me ranch dressing to dip them in, i would have been clam happy (note to the chef!).  both my husband and i loved the burgers at the liberty, and, at 8 and 12 dollars respectively, it was a damn good meal for the money.

the service on the night of the burger challenge was amazing.  you could tell that our server really enjoyed working for the liberty, and this told me that management was good to its employees and they were happy to return the favor.  this spoke volumes about the establishment.

all in all, i really like this restaurant.  the ambience is cool without being snooty, and those burgers are pretty amazing.  the ideal meal for me would be the roasted beet root and goat cheese salad (which was, hands down, the best dish from the first dinner) and half of the pub burger and fries.  yes, that burger is THAT big.

i think it’s a great place for a date night and a wonderful hang out spot for a group of friends.

as to the best burger challenge?  why don’t you head on over to the liberty and decide for yourself!