Lunch at Flip Burger

February is a month with a lot of colleague birthdays. So apparently, every February, they set up a birthday lunch, I think always at Flip. This is the first time I've been invited so I'm not sure. Last year, I got the I-can't-believe-you-didn't-come which resulted in a "hey, I wasn't invited".

This year, it came at a rough time, but I was able to find a late ride which means we already had a table and ordering time was pretty close to when we arrived.

It was hard to choose. I'm a fan of blue cheese and also traditional burgers, but I felt like I should get something to at least truly sample Blais' food. I was also trending towards the foie gras milkshake even if it was $8, but with the group around me specifically calling out how nasty it sounded, I decided to pass.

I opted for the butcher's cut, blue cheese, caramelized onions, soy truffle vin, frisee, pickled shallots, and red wine jam. It was okay. Incredibly drippy, which made it very messy and kind of annoying. The balance wasn't there for me. All I got was shallots and red wine jam. The frisee didn't seem to add anything. I was disappointed. Bad choice again!

My across-the-table companion chose to get three sides instead of a burger. Vodka battered onion rings which turned out to be greasy and not very flavorful. Pan roasted brussel sprouts with bacon lardons and ginger bacon vin. I think those turned out better since they were finished. And a very tasty truffled mac and cheese, which I sampled, and I really enjoyed.

So overall, not impressed. I feel like perhaps I should go more traditional, but then why go to Flip? I'm torn.