The “Best Burger” at Bradley Ogden Dissapoints
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I love John Curtas’ Food for Thought segment on KNPR. Curtas is a Las Vegas lawyer who decided to put his business lunches to good use a couple decades ago when he began doing Las Vegas restaurant reviews on public radio. When Curtas named El Sombrero 2007 Ethnic Restaurant of the Year, I tried it and found one of my favorite Las Vegas restaurants in a building I never would have gone into on my own.
So, ever since he named the burger at Bradley Ogden in Caesar’s, the “best burger in Las Vegas,” I could not wait to try it. This past weekend, Shannon wanted to exchange a birthday present at Niketown in the Forum Shops, and we realized the time had come to try this mythical burger.
First, let me say that the idea of having a lounge with its own menu instead of just the usual bar is genius. And the menu looked so good, we almost deviated from our burger plans…almost. I began with a salad and Shannon tried the fried shrimp. My salad was amazing, especially the dressing. Shannon’s shrimp had great flavor but were a little soggy (thanks, by the way, for taking off the tails).
It took a little while, but our burgers and fries finally arrived. The fries were amazing. Skin on, crunchy outside, soft inside with great big pieces of salt.
And the burger? Well…
Shannon and I each ate our burger quietly, wondering if the other was thinking the same thing: “I mean, it’s good…but not that good.” The bun was incredible. The meat was top quality. The artisan cheese was perfect. But the burger as a whole didn’t taste very good. It was greasy and watery and had an odd bacon-y flavor, and the meat wasn’t seasoned well. I wished it had come with more pickle slices because it needed the acidity.
I finished with a delicious snickerdoodle cookie and some butterscotch pudding (I’m a big fan of anyone with the guts to serve a simple cookie and homemade pudding for dessert). I was surprised that the service was pretty awful: slow and inattentive. We only left a 10% tip.
I’d like to think that the problem was execution, that we caught them on a bad night. I realize that Bryan Ogden left for L.A. last year, and maybe the kitchen is no longer run as well. But at a restaurant of this caliber, consistent quality is a ticket to the game. We had a great time, but we left disappointed that the “best burger in Las Vegas” had not lived up to its name.
Delta Lets Customer’s See Where a Flight Is
I went to delta.com this afternoon to see if my wife’s flight was on-time. Imagine my delight when I saw that they not only showed the ETA but also a map with the plane’s current position! If you hover over the plane, it even shows the flight’s altitude.
Is it necessary to know where my wife’s airplane is? No. But it makes me feel better knowing how close my honey is to being home. Thanks Delta!
First Water Landing in the History of Commercial Aviation
Freakonomics author Steve Levitt confirms: Capt. Chesley Sullenberger yesterday completed the first water landing in the history of commercial aviation.
Want Better Schools? Hire Better Teachers
Ed Glaeser, my college economics professor:
Mindless increases in school spending will be an expensive fiasco that will generate more disillusionment than human capital….
The clearest result from decades of education research is the importance of teacher quality… Improving teacher quality has about twice the impact on student outcomes as radically reducing class size….
The first step toward improving teacher quality is to attract more talented teachers. The second step is to improve teacher selection on the job, promoting the best and encouraging the worst to help society in some other way.
Tumblr Updated to v5
Tumblr, one of my favorite up-and-coming web apps, just got updated to version 5. Tumblr is a dead simple blogging platform that lets you share anything.
Harvard Business School Turkey
Turk, the Harvard Business School turkey
Shannon and I visited Harvard Business school this fall. As we walked through the campus, we suddenly came upon a wild turkey standing outside one of the lecture halls.
Turns out she had been there for a year and the students named her Turk.
A week after we left, she attacked a local reporter and was removed from campus before she could complete her MBA.
Great Customer Service at the Four Seasons
I love it when companies put thought into the little things that make my life easier.
The valet ticket at the Four Seasons in Las Vegas is the same size as a folded dollar to make it that much easier and less awkward to hand both the ticket and tip to the valet.
Congratulations Phil Ruffin
Buy Low, Sell High
1998: Buys New Frontier for $165 million
June 2008: Sells New Frontier for $1200 million (511% compounded annual return)
December 2008: Buys Treasure Island for $750 million
