Rogue States - And Yet Another Burger Place

[Jay]

Wow, how many 10 dollar burger joints can this town support? This one caught me by surprise, literally, as I discovered it on my way the Chop’t next door.

Here’s my first take:

1.The bread- some kind of eggy challah-like deal. Fine enough but could have been fresher
2. The Fries - Two days later and I can’t remember anything about them.
3.The meat – Pink vs. Not-pink makes it easy to order. The not pink was juicy with that flame-grilled taste. The not-pink was just what you’d expect—charred and dry.
4. The cutesy burger names – Tolerable, but I just wanted a simple burger and couldn’t easily figure out which version was the ‘simple’ one.
5. The value - Good. A basic burger starts at 7 for 1/3 pounder.
6. Major plus – the place stays open until 5 a.m.

[ellen4441]

I went to Rogue States in May 2010, during my AC to DC burger run !!!!
(I live in the atlantic city area, hence the "AC"..)

the Rogue burger did'nt do that much for me... nothing made it stand out...
PICS ATTACHED....
I said "pink", but I got rare/raw...
I sent it back, and it came out 2 minutes later still rare...(I surrendered after that!)

[woodleyparkhound]

Just went here today for lunch. Despite the fact that it wasn't very crowded at all, I had to wait a long time for my burger - about 10-15 mins. As it happened, I wasn't in a hurry, but if I had been ...

The burger (cooked "pink") was good, it was the bun I had a major problem with. "Some kind of eggy challah-like deal", as Jay said. It was dry, but much worse, it was weirdly sweet, which tasted all wrong on a burger. The burger was also really tall, which made it hard to eat. I made a huge mess. I didn't order the fries, so I can't speak about them. On the positive side, the chipotle mayo was very good. I also liked the grilled onions and the pickles they used. The place is OK, but with BGR a couple of blocks away, and much better burgers at Good Stuff and Ray's, I doubt I'll be back.

[RobertM]

A week or so ago a crew [7] from my job walked up to this place and had a great time. The burgers, yes, were slow to arrive, but cooked perfectly and all agreed, superb all around. And I'm picky as [fill in the blank] I think the $10 Burger craze is just that, a craze. After all Ray's is very good at it, and was the first popular upscale joint in the area. The rest, BGR/Rogue/Mortons/Central/Palenta all have their place as well. Vote with your feet there aint much difference in the $6/$7 burger joints AKA 5 Guys or the rest inside the beltway...Ray's/ Elevation/BGR/Rogue spots are all fine for a beef fix while on the go. 5 Guys is getting more like Micky D's, can you pass a strip mall, well lit area without seeing one? Two patties!!!

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5 Guys
6210 Quander Rd, Alexandria, VA 22307

[Dennis S]

Ha! I'm on a project where we travel to a different city about once a month. Folks from the non-DC offices (Kentucky and Erie) flock like mad to the 5 Guys in each city we go to.

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5 Guys
6210 Quander Rd, Alexandria, VA 22307

[Steve]

I think we should all post about HOW the burgers are cooked. Although both major styles have their place, there is a big difference between the fried burgers are 5 Guys and grilled over an open flame at RHB or BGR.

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5 Guys
6210 Quander Rd, Alexandria, VA 22307

[RobertM]

Out in SF, as well as other parts of the country, they have the Burger Holy Grail list.
What we may have to do here is accept the fact that there are different levels or class's/expectations for burger offerings. Out that way, as here, there are the common everyman burgers, In & out is the top of most of those list, and the Posh [better cuts of beef] burgers. Maybe we should add Pub Grub burgers? Or best of the Sack of burgers for the Whopper/MacD's/5 Guys/Whendy's style burgers. And I can hear it now, Sliders! Many in the DC area really want to eat a better, or more to the point, different burger in a "different" place, than Joe pub grub, or Soccer Mom sack O sliders. Some prefer Morton's / S&W style offerings. Where Ray's got the message for the rest of us to enjoy em at better prices. Other folks crave 5 Guys. minglers Pub Grub environments.. It just all depends on what YOU will accept, and that may change depending on the type of burger being offered, and where.

I went down the SF list a few years ago, and their Top pics were indeed good in all the different classes & categories. Best Cheap burger: Inn & Out.
And it was indeed in SF and LA.

Best Posh Burger: No difference to me really. Just how it was presented, topped, the breads, seasonings. All very very good and worth that $10 or so to be better than Inn & Out's double double. Better crowds too by the way in the Posh burger places. [Maybe that makes the difference here is DC too]

Cooked? Grilled, pan fried in olive oil, corn oil, butter, etc wood fired grills
Let the crazy continue, with style, or just a grab and go, or beer and burger objective.

Then if not sick of em, we can try Loco Moko?

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5 Guys
6210 Quander Rd, Alexandria, VA 22307

[Dennis S]

Thanks for the review. Where is it?

[Glindathegood1]

I love this place. Part of it is it's convenient to both my office and my apt. It's on Connecticut Avenue near N Street.
The burgers are a little more creative than 5 Guys. I liked the curry burger. They also have wasabi mayonnaise for your fries.