For a small, practically fast-food (no waiters, bus-your-own-table) burger joint, there's a generous helping of self-importance at the Good Stuff Eatery (303 Pennsylvania Ave. SE). Spike Mendelsohn, the chef, Culinary Institute of America grad and former contestant on Top Chef Chicago who opened the two-floor operation in 2008 insists that Good Stuff is no mere restaurant; no, the popular Capitol Hill spot is more of "a rallying cry," "a whoop," "a holler," "a hail." I admire the enthusiasm. I truly do. And I have no trouble with the small menu, or the prices, about $7 for a specialty burger, $4 for the specialty fries seasoned generously with fresh thyme, rosemary and pepper. (At $5.25, the homemade, "bring on the brain-freeze" milkshakes are a bit steep.) Moreover, who wouldn't be intrigued by the mayo bar, offering mango, chipotle, Old Bay and Sriracha varieties?
Still, for all the ego on display, I was not floored on Saturday night by the creativity of the burger creations, which lean heavily on bacon and cheddar cheese. My "Uncle D's Chili 'N Cheddar" burger, for example, was tasty for sure, but it was a few ounces short of satisfying and the cheddar sauce, sour cream and forgettable bun dulled any of the advertised spiciness of the chili. Over all, it all felt a bit constrained, a transparent attempt to make the business easy to replicate.
It did, however, easily out-compete the dull, dry "Campfire Buffalo Burger" I sampled yesterday at The National Museum of the American Indian (Fourth Street and Independence Ave. SW), seriously worse for wear in the late afternoon at the Native Foods Cafe but still priced around $10. (Next time, I'll go for the grilled venison, South American fish stew or perhaps the Indian Taco, with buffalo chili on fry bread with pickled chilies.)
