A few weeks ago, I stopped by Burger, Tap & Shake’s newest location, which was just about to open its doors in Tenleytown, Washington, DC. Most DC folks already at least know of Burger, Tap & Shake, whose first location has been open in Foggy Bottom for about four years now. The restaurant is as its name suggests — a variety of burgers, beers on tap, and creamy, slightly offbeat milkshakes.

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BTS strikes a balance with funky decor and counter service to appeal to a wide spectrum of customers. I liked the giant, custom wall mural paying homage to the American University students sure to frequent BTS for their burger/beer fixes, but also that there was tons of comfortable, family-friendly seating for parents stopping over with their little ones one the way home from work.

I stopped by before the Tenleytown location was open for service, so I ended up meeting the hubby at the Foggy Bottom location to actually to check out BTS in full swing. I liked the hustle-bustle of the Foggy Bottom location, which seemed to also attract a diverse customer base of students and young professionals stopping off after work and families with young kids out for a Friday night meal.  At Chef Jeff Tunk’s suggestion, we ordered BTS’s Big Daddy, their most popular-selling burger made with a patty consisting of a combination of brisket and beef, smoked Benton bacon, buttermilk blue cheese, Lea & Perrins mushrooms and their house “AP sauce.” Basically, the Big Daddy is all the things you want in a burger — cheesy goodness, thick-cut crispy bacon, and juicy mushrooms. The burger itself is juicy without being overly greasy, and the brioche bun is soft and satisfying.

I also tried the Southern Comfort burger. With fried green tomatoes, sliced bread & butter pickles and pimento cheese on top, it was like this burger was made for me to indulge in. I’m always compelled to try a fried green tomato anytime it’s on a menu. The crispy breaded tart tomato on top of my BTS burger, slathered with creamy, melt-in-your mouth pimento cheese, totally made sense. I also loved BTS’s thick-cut onion rings, and I may or may not have also sucked down a BTS shake filled with Butterfinger, Twix and Snickers. Was it totally indulgent? Yes. Would I do it again? Yes. Would I need to lay face down the rest of the evening? Yes, yes and yes.

Thanks to the folks at BTS & SimoneInk for inviting me to a sneak peak of their new Tenleytown location!