Uneeda Burger

Heather and Scott Staples (owners of Zoe and Quinn's) recently opened a burger joint called Uneeda Burger in Fremont (Seattle) this past December. It has been on my "to eat" list since I first heard about the project and I finally got around to trying it out this past weekend.  The space was previously occupied by Uneeda Auto & Boat Rebuild (now you know how they fell upon the name "Uneeda Burger") and they left the building feeling industrial inside with touches of warm wood on the walls and ceiling.  

There are about 35 seats inside and an additional 20 or so outside on a little enclosed patio. The menu is posted up on a chalkboard up near the register. They've got 10 specialty burgers,  a couple of sandwiches,  two salads, chili, and a couple of sides. They feature hand-dipped ice cream shakes and a sizable selection of beers (most in the bottle or can).  Their standard burger is made with all natural painted hills beef but you can upgrade to whidbey island crescent harbor 100% wagyu (kobe) for $3 more. 

We ordered the #2 burger  which comes with caramelized onions, watercress, and blue cheese and #11 which is a buffalo-style chicken sandwich with Frank's red hot sauce, romaine, pickled onions, and blue cheese sauce. For sides, we picked the onion rings and waffle fries. To drink it was two diet cokes. The cokes were passed to us over the counter in cans - no cup, ice, or straw offered (later I found a straw). The food arrived promptly on a metal half-sheet tray (nice touch).  

Everything looked great - super fresh and high quality ingredients.  The only hiccup was with the onion rings. Before I could take a closer look at them, Kelly grabbed one and took a huge bite. Not only were they mushy and undercooked but they were filled with clumpy pockets of raw flour . I took the onion rings up to the cashier to show her so that she could pass them onto the kitchen because obviously something had gone terribly wrong with our rings. A few minutes later the manager stopped by and apologized profusely - noting that they were training some new staff in the kitchen and that he wanted to "make it right" by bringing us some new rings. 

The second order arrived a few minutes later ....cooked perfectly. Much better. Great texture overall but still lacking seasoning.  

The burger was good - they were very generous with the blue cheese - but I have yet to find a burger in Seattle that really knocks my socks off (although the sous vide pork belly burger at Tavern Law just about does the job). As far as the chicken sandwich was concerned I liked the concept but the stiff,  non-toasted ciabatta bread it was served on just didn't do the sandwich justice. I definitely want to go back and give it another try because I feel like they are still working out the kinks and they deserve another chance.  Uneeda Burger has the potential to be incredible after a little fine-tuning. 

UNEEDA BURGER

4302 Fremont Ave N

Seattle, WA 98103

(206) 547-2600

www.uneedaburger.com