PART ONE: PIPER'S DOWNTOWN
Back at the end of October, I took a trip out to Orlando, Florida in what ostensibly looked to be one long theme park ride. Never one to pass up an opportunity, I decided to hunt out of a few fine dining experiences native to America and, in particular, The Sunshine State.
I was expecting good things of the food but, whilst States is widely renowned for its high level of customer service, I was still taken aback by the level of personality that came across from the the waiters and waitresses out there. You might experience it from time to time in the UK, but I certainly wouldn't say it was as commonplace.
Still, the best service in the world means nothing if the food isn't up to par. Can America live up to its other reputation for serving up the biggest and best meat feasts known to mankind?
A picture may paint a thousand words, but the photo above only needs two to answer that question. Hell. Yes. Welcome to Piper's Downtown, a sports bar and grill tucked away in a secluded corner of dull concrete within Downtown Orlando. The walls may be decked with sports memorabilia and countless plasma TVs, but I'm only concerned with the menu which boasts an epic eighteen kinds of burger. Those two words are ringing loud again.
This being the first day in Florida, I'm still underestimating the portions and over-ordering the food. So before I even get to the burger, I've decided to try their chicken wings. These come in portions of anything from ten to a hundred wings and in your choice of twenty different sauces. Choice, it seems, is king in Piper's Downtown. After taking the time to explains just what Cuban Mojo sauce is (spicy, garlic and citrus), our waiter sadly returns to inform me that there is not enough to coat ten wings with, so I opt instead for the Chipotle BBQ. At this point, I must assume my hands were too slick with sauce to handle the camera as there is no photo evidence of the wings whatsoever. But they were plump and juicy with a slight crunch that contrasted beautifully with the meat within. You could almost forget they were just the starter. Almost.
The magnificent beast above is their signature Piper's Burger: a 16oz beef patty topped with bacon, pepper jack and cheddar cheese, a large onion ring, lettuce, tomato, and A-1 Sauce, plus pickle and fries on the side. I'm still working my way through the chicken when this turns up and I suddenly feel like I'm on an episode of Man vs. Food Nation. Except this isn't a food challenge (Piper's actually have one of those: a 4lb burger and fries combo called the End Zone). I suddenly regret ordering the wings, if only for a second.
Its imposing stature aside, the Piper's Burger is fantastic. Though you can rarely go wrong with the classic burger/bacon/cheese this combines all three with style, with the onion ring adding to the mix without getting in the way of what is already more than a mouthful. The patty itself, despite being cooked medium as standard, was moist, rich and a little smokey, holding together perfectly throughout. Even at the end, after hitting the food wall, I was determined not to waste a single bite.
Leaving little more than a bit of bun (which had disintegrated towards the end) and some cold fries, our waiter, Chad, congratulated me on a job well done. That was another thing you won't find much of in the UK. People called Chad.
Chad was friendly, easy-going and helped us pick out the best of the menu. Perhaps it was because we had the run of the bar, but he took the time to chat in between bringing over drink refills and, most importantly, didn't flinch at the idea of a strange man asking for his photo.
In short, if I lived or worked in Orlando, I'd certainly go back to Piper's Downtown. I mean, I still have seventeen types of burger to try from their menu, after all.
