Burger Eleven: Don’s
We want to love Dons Pharmacy; on the surface it has it all. Sassy waitresses-- check. Slamming milkshakes-- nailed it. Perfectly crispy onion rings-- no problem. Kick ass retro diner charm in spades. Unfortunately the one thing Dons doesn’t have down is its burger. The 1950’s diner staple, and they missed the mark. Heartbreak.
As a quick recap: we define the “Class B” burger as that which more closely resembles a sandwich than a hamburger. It has all the makings of a burger (bun, sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion, sometimes pickle) but the patty is so damned thin it might as well not be there. Also the quality of all the mentioned accoutrements is on the low end of the scale. That said, the Class B can still be delicious! For details on how to pull this off please refer to our breakdown in the Chimacum Café burger review.
Don’s Pharmacy definitely serves a Class B, but its execution fails due to two key elements: lettuce and sauce. Let’s start with the latter. The conglomeration of mayo and ketchup was too ketchup-heavy and, thus, far too sweet. As for the lettuce, this sandwich would have been greatly improved by the simple swap of their limp green leaf for the far superior crunch of iceberg.
The bun was toasted but dry as a desert. In (what we’re finding to be classic PT fashion) there was enough onion for 5 burgers. The tomato: sad. The cheese was gooey but flavorless. The onion rings and service topped the charts. Also: MILKSHAKES!!!! But the hamburger? Meh. At the end of the day no matter how great your service, décor, abusive wait staff, side salad or onion rings,if your burger is subpar we simply can’t find the time. Next.