Matt's Rotisserie & Oyster Lounge

(Visited on November 11)

I was in search of a burger.

We had just left one establishment unsatisfied and I needed my burger fix, but where to go?

“Red Robin”? Not my kind of place.

Burger King? McDonalds? Jack in the Box? Puleeze!

There were a couple other establishments that came to mind, but parking proved to be an issue; perhaps some other time.

So it is that we ended up at "Matt's"..."Matt's Rotisserie & Oyster Lounge" that is. Matt's seems to be our "go to" place in Redmond when we want a bite to eat, we don't want to go far and we're at odds over just where to go. Eventually one of us will say, "We could go to Matt's", and more often than not that's just what we do...they always deliver.

So, that's just what we did. We didn't know if Matt's had a burger, but were confident they wouldn't disappoint...and they didn't.

Matt's doesn't have a "flight" of burgers like some places...they only have one, but that one seems to do the trick. It's billed as "Matts' Killer Burger" and they say it's "The best burger in town!" You know my position on that appellation, so that's all I'm going to say about that.

We started out with a couple draft Stella Artois while we perused the menu. My wife opted for the Fish & Chips (if you're keeping up, you know she's into Fish & Chips like I'm into burgers) while I zeroed in on the "Killer Buger".

The "Killer Burger" is fresh ground "Painted Hills Beef" chuck seasoned with cracked pepper, barbecue sauce & Dijon mustard and comes with Tillamook cheddar & "the usual suspects" (lettuce, onion, tomato, etc). For health reasons they cook it well done, unless requested otherwise. I requested "medium". I live on the edge; "Danger" is my middle name.

Our food came, and with her Fish & Chips, my wife was happy as "a pig in...", well, whatever it is that pigs are happy in.

I, on the other hand, was quite captivated with my "Killer Burger". It's not too big, and it's not too small...it's just about right. It's very juicy, full of flavor and comes on a bun that not only does its job without falling apart in your hands, it's flavorful, toothsome and has a nice texture.

Oh, and the fries! Oh my lord, the fries are some of the best I've had. When you first start eating them, they don't anounce themselves with, "Tada! Here we are, the best fries you've ever had!" They're a bit more subtle than that. They're good, they taste good, and they have a nice cruch to them. The thing that's subtle about them is that they maintain their flavor and crunchiness as they get cold. You don't get that with the mass produced or hand cut fries you get at most burger joints, be they local establishments or regional or national chains. My theory is that their fries are twice fried in the Belgian fashion, the way fries began and were ment to be.

OK, enough about the fries...this is a burger blog after all, and it's time for me to rate my burger. I'll not say it's the best burger in town; I don't do that and it's not for me to say anyway. What I will say is that it's definitely "worth the trip" on my three tier scale of "worth the trip", "worth a stop" or "drive on by".

Matt's Rotisserie & Oyster Lounge is located in the "Redmond Town Center" on the second level. Their address is 16551 NE 74th St. in Redmond, Washington. You can reach them by phone at (425) 376-0909 and their website is located at http://www.mattsrotisserie.com/.