A Destination Burger Place South of Boston

The Red Rose Cafe is located at 800 Broad Street in East Weymouth, MA. Located inside is the New England BBQ and Catering. A joint project of Steve Farrin of I Smell Smoke!!! and Brendan Burek of Transformer BBQ. I visited here this past weekend. I sat at the bar and didn't let Steve or Brendan know I was there; I didn't want any special treatment. I ordered a rare cheeseburger and a Jack and Coke... Now, I know this is a BBQ joint, and when you're at a BBQ joint you should order BBQ. But I know these guys can cook BBQ, I've tasted it many times. If you're looking for great BBQ, I'm sure you'll find it here. But, after hearing these guys talk about the custom blend, fresh ground beef that they were using for their burgers, I knew exactly what I would be ordering... In no time Steve appeared from the kitchen with my order in his hand. The first thing I noticed was the massive amount of fresh, hand cut fries you get with an order. They were perfectly salted, crispy, and tasted like potatoes. The burger came on a buttered and toasted potato roll with, tomato, and red onion. The first bite was juicy and had a great beef flavor. The doneness was spot-on rare, just the way I ordered it. These burgers are cooked on a grill and have a wonderful exterior crust on them. It's very reminiscent of a great grilled burger from a Fourth of July cookout. This was nice to see. Nowadays most burger places are using the flat top to cook their burgers. Don't get me wrong, I love a good burger cooked that way. But, that grilled flavor can not be duplicated on a flat top. And sometimes nothing can taste better than a grilled burger on a cold February afternoon. The dish was balanced out with a homemade coleslaw and house-brined pickles. All this for a ridiculously cheap $6.50! Well worth the trip from anywhere.