Establishment: Qbar Burgers and Blues
Location: Ft. Lauderdale
Meal: Dinner
Drink: Beer Flight (four 5oz drinks)
from left to right in the photo: Hollywood Stout, Mutha Fuggle EPA, Schofferhofer and Left Hand Milk Stout
Appetizer: small (?!) meat & cheese charcuterie board
Main: The King
1/2 lb. burger with duck bacon & cheddar cheese on a fresh toasted bun
Side(s): Shoestring fries
Dessert: n/a
Server: Lynn
Earlier in this series, the "taste" was Sage French Cafe (#18), and this establishment is right next door -- which makes sense as it is owned by the same people (and as it serves as the bar for that restaurant). Taking New Orleans as inspiration, it features live music every night of the week, and offers more than just the usual items on the bar menu, including chili and gumbo (although neither person in our party actually ordered either of those specialties). Notwithstanding that oversight, see the details making up the score below:
AMBIANCE: 8/10 (it was the kind of place to take someone for a conversation over drinks ... and even when the live music started, it wasn't too overwhelming, what with the stage being positioned *behind* the bar ... the chandeliers were something to see, and all the pictures were taken in that glow ... a point lost because it was a bit sticky when we first arrived [although the AC did kick in at some point], and a second point lost because neither the bar's website nor its facebook page was updated with performers, so we didn't know what live music to expect the night we arrived)
FOOD: 8/10 (I'm not complaining, but that charcuterie plate that's pictured is a *small*! ... and every single thing on it was the perfect way to start a meal ... extra nice touches were the pear pieces with the blue cheese crumbles and a healthy sliced mini loaf of warmed toasted bread ... interestingly enough, it was so unexpected that it raised the bar a little too high for the burger, which was good, with fresh toppings that made me think "picnic" as I was eating it, but I was expecting a bit more panache when it came to plating, so a point lost there ... and a second point lost because the fries were a bit straightforward and could have used a little adventurous upgrade of some kind)
SERVICE: 10/10 (for the last few weeks, we've been on a run of servers who do well representing their profession, and this place's staff continued the tradition ... she was low key in a good way [I'm slowly beginning to realize that servers who rush make guests feel rushed, something I wish I had known back in my server days], and although I thought I heard her sigh when the beer flights were ordered [that's a lot more work on her part], she more than made up for it with her approach throughout the night, including knowing the menu items well enough to tell us the temperature to order for the sandwiches ... and it may be something simple, but it's endearing to hear someone take the time at the end of the night to say, "come back any time ... see you soon")
BACON: 9/10 (two words for you: DUCK BACON! ... which, thankfully, is not trying to pass off something like turkey as bacon [which is a peeve of mine], but is, instead, a fattier and richer bonus bacon, as seen on my burger [even if it did taste like ham ... maybe because it looked like ham] ... just one point lost because I didn't have the courage to add regular bacon TO the duck bacon as an extra topping, since I didn't know what to expect with the duck bacon in the first place)
BONUS: 7/10 (+3 for having a well established dog-friendly approach that includes a special menu of quality homemade food just for puppies, +3 for all of those draft beer choices, shown on the chalkboard in the photo and +1 for being a place to which we will return, with friends, to listen to live music again)
TroyScore: 42 out of 50 -- aka 84, a solid B
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