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CITYSunTimes Web Exclusives May 2010 | Read the full SECTION

FOOD & WINE

I had no intention of stopping at The Grind for lunch, but I think my subconscious propelled my car into the parking lot.
I’ve seen and heard a LOT of burger buzz about the coal-fired oven goodies at this new Arcadia joint and perhaps I was brainwashed into stopping by.
My friend Joel (@azhotdish) has been tweeting and raving about The Grind non-stop for the past week. A few Twitter tweeps even joked that Joel had a crush on The Grind! That was a pretty sound endorsement in my eyes…
Regardless of the reason, I am certainly glad I made the stop.
I pulled into the center at 40th and Camelback and silently hoped I wouldn’t like the burgers too much as it’s only a few miles from our office and I didn’t want to become an addict.
I was wishfully thinking…
The surreptitious entrance was basically a huge frosted glass door and window with some red and wood accents and a tiny little sign.
I heaved open the door and once my eyes adjusted, I observed a long and skinny restaurant with a bar running along half of one side and booths along the other side. The sleek wood, steel surfaces and red accents were very masculine in nature but hamburger chic at the same time.
I arrived around 12:15pm and 80 percent of the burger-munching crowd was of the male persuasion. It seemed like all power lunches in Arcadia were being conducted at one time at The Grind. Perhaps these testosterone-fueled hombres could relate to the name of the place as much as the burgers?
I took a seat at the bar. Across the liquor rail ran multiple TVs behind glass. All tuned to a different channel. It reminded me of an airport bar, but didn’t dissuade me from focusing on the menu.
Seventy-five percent of the menu is comprised of cocktails and wine, 25 percent of food, including starters, coal-fired cuisine, sides and sweets.
I hemmed and hawed over my brown, butcher paper menu and finally decided on the Local Greens Salad with Roasted Tomato and Baked Ricotta Salata as a starter. I chose the Steak House BLT Burger with in-house bacon, tomato, iceberg, charred onions and Grind steak sauce.
Whilst waiting for the burger I checked out The Grind’s website on my iPhone. They boast a coal-fire oven that is the only one of its kind in the U.S. Executive Chef Matt McLinn crafts his burger goodness on this 1,000-degree oven, which lends itself nicely to the motto “1,000 degrees of separation.”
My salad arrived first, on a retro wooden square plate and a very grandmotherly looking fork, which was ornate with curly details.
The salad was a “wow” flavor overload. It was a great combination of salty ricotta and sweet roasted tomato and dressing. I almost licked the plate clean.
Soon after inhaling my salad, my burger arrived.
It pretty much deserved its own theme song.
The burger was simple, but simply perfect. It was cooked to the perfect pink medium temp that I love. The outside was rich and crunchy, and the meat was seasoned and flavorful.
They brought a trio of ketchup, mustard and mayo and though I find ketchup sacrilegious on pretty much anything except IN BBQ sauce, the mustard and mayo were a nice touch.
It was the first sans-cheese burger I have had in years. Who knew this Wisconsin girl could love a burger without cheese?
Speaking of Wisconsin, I waxed nostalgic during my burger snarfing. As a kid, my parents used to take me to a place in Madison called Dotty Dumplings. It’s been around for over 30 years. It had burgers with a distinct charcoal flavor on buttery rolls, cooked to perfection. My burger at The Grind met that flavor challenge and exceeded it! Finally, I had found the tasty burger of my youth and I don’t have to endure Wisconsin winters to enjoy it!
I mowed through the rest of my burger and mused about the dessert that I could not have. (If I could eat it, I would have tried the warm doughnuts with salted butterscotch.)
The owners were sitting near me so I brazenly (it’s me, remember?) asked for a tour of the kitchen. They said, “Sure!” and took me back to show me the oven.
It was smoky back in that kitchen. I could see McLinn and his sweet tattooed arms through the haze. I was very impressed with the 1,000-degree wonder.
I was also impressed to see how efficiently the line and the kitchen were running. The place only opened officially last Friday and though I am certain there are a few kinks, I didn’t personally witness any of them. Owners and managers working the line and running food orders steal my heart and respect every time.

FOOD & WINE Foodies Like Us Web Exclusive | CITYSunTimes May 2010