Monday, February 15, 2010

the habit burger grill

the habit was getting a lot of buzz on twitter today, so i thought i'd check it out. i went online and checked out their menu before taking my wife there for dinner, and it seemed like it would be a decent meal.

once we located the place in fig garden village (it's at 702 w. shaw, west of whole foods, next to starbucks) we parked and walked in. we got there at just the right time because there was no one in line, but the line was soon going out the door. the decor is nice, but the inside seating is a bit limited. they do have a very spacious outdoor seating area, where we ate.

my wife is a little skittish on ground beef as we recently watched food, inc. and you see how scary meat packing plants can be. so, she ordered a veggie burger. this ended up being somewhat disappointing because it's just a gardenburger, which you could buy at a store and grill yourself. it was pretty bland, and she would recommend getting it with cheese to give it a bit more flavor. she also had the fries, which were pretty unimpressive. i tried them after they were cold, and they weren't so good.

myself, i wanted to have the pastrami sandwich, but unfortunately they were sold out. dang. so, i went with the tri-tip sandwich with barbecue sauce on sourdough. i had the onions grilled and skipped the tomato. i was rather pleased with my sandwich. the tri-tip was moist and the sourdough crunchy. the sandwich was a bit messy, but in a good way. i rounded out my meal with some onion rings which were pretty tasty.

i'll go back, at least to try the pastrami, but probably for other stuff, too. although, i must admit that charburger isn't a very appetizing name to me.

the habit burger grill
702 w. shaw
fresno, ca. 93704

here's their menu:















and here's our meals

6 comments:

Carrie said...

Holy Shit! The Habit in Fresno? I thought this was a locals only place - originated in SB. Very nice.

I enjoy their charburger with cheese and pastrami sandwich the best. Their salads aren't bad either, especially the BBQ chicken. I definitely recommend the onion rings over the fries, though I like those just fine(much better hot though).

I can't believe the Habit moved to Fresno before I did, but hooray for you guys!

Adam said...

The onion rings far surpass the fries. I'll say this though, as a competitor with In-N-Out (simple menu, quick service) even their fries are better than In-N-Out's.

edluv said...

oh, i disagree with your fry assessment. i had a fry or two when they were hot and didn't think they were that great. maybe they'll grow on me like in n' out's did.

edluv said...

i also think it's a little weird they're getting in n' out comparisons. i guess it's a relatively small chain, but they're menu is quite a bit bigger. i mean, in & out's actually menu is hamburger, cheeseburger, double double, fries. sure, they've got their "secret" menu with other items, but the habbit's menu has 4 burgers, six sandwiches, six salads, fries, rings, side salads, malts, cones, sundaes. that's a decent sized menu.

Lulu said...

I have been watching this place go in and will be trying it in the future but since it was their opening weekend I am planning on giving them a few weeks to get the kinks out. I thought the chicken sandwich looked promising, but that is too bad about the veggie burger being nothing more than a gardenburger, it would have been nice if it were something original and fresh.

Carrie said...

My friends really like the albacore burger, which seems like a nice alternative to beef. I have some vegetarian friends who really like the Habit, they get that or the veggie burger or the grilled cheese. I have always liked their fries, but prefer their onion rings. Maybe they are still working out the kinks in their new location. I dont really know why it'd be compared to In N Out either, except for maybe the taste/quality of the burger, which I prefer at the Habit for being a little less fast-foody. Also, I've never liked the fries at In N Out, I think they are dry and bland.