B Spot: A Grade Above

In a city where we are constantly wary of young white professionals trying to “save the city” with their artisanal baked goods and kombucha, it is refreshing to hear that B Spot‘s creator and head chef, Michael Symon, isn’t saving our souls, or our city. He is known merely as “the savior of the Cleveland restaurant scene”. I’m not trying to downplay this accomplishment – he has certainly played a part in the recent culinary renaissance in Detroit as well. After traversing the rust belt to open Roast in Detroit, renowned for their happy hours and steaks, Symon opened one of his burger-and-beer restaurants, B Spot, in Royal Oak. (You already know how I feel about Royal Oak, so I won’t say more along those lines, but I’ll let you know I was annoyed while finding a parking spot.)

As a “meat-centric” chef (which is a weird way to put it) Symon has done great things with simple vegetables, classic steaks, and good cocktails. He’s shown an appreciation for the traditional while adding his own unique spin.

B Spot follows that same formula. Take a traditional or nostalgic food, and make it better. The menu runs the gamut from pork cracklings to burgers to milkshakes. They even have bologna sandwiches on their menu, guaranteed to make you feel at home: The “Old School” sandwich has thick-cut bologna, dill pickles, yellow mustard and American cheese, just like most of my elementary school lunches, while the “New School” subverts your cafeteria memories with thick-cut bologna with Russian dressing, pickled red onions, sweet hot pickles and a sunny side up egg. If I had to sum up the restaurant in two dishes, it is these bologna sandwiches. You can order the old, good thing, made better than you could do it, or you can get the new, strange thing, that will challenge your taste buds and nostalgic memories in a positive way.

Of course, I didn’t know any of this before I visited with the burger club. We had a giant group with us, as has become to norm, which necessitated several tables pushed together and staff going way out of their way to accommodate us. It wasn’t busy at the time, so it was doable, and it was certainly appreciated. Several waiters came together to help, to take our orders, and to answer our questions.

Symon has a solid rotating beer list at Roast, in addition to good cocktails, and B Spot is no different. Expect to find a wide selection of draft and canned beers, from the domestic to the hard to find. The servers were happy to explain the more uncommon selections to us, give a couple samples, and deal with our idiocy. Beware the website, however, for their draft list. I’ve gotten unduly excited several times about certain Ohio and Kentucky beers being on tap, only to realize that they do not distribute in Michigan, and the site is a general tap list for their restaurants.

Of course, we came for the burgers, giving Symon an opportunity to show off his meat-centrism. The creativity is fully on display with their burger selection, with a regular smaller burger (Thin Lizzy), a burger with capicola, salami, hot peppers, and provolone (the Yo!), and one with ghost chili, pickled jalapeno, cilantro, red onion, pepper jack, and habanero sauce (The atomic burger). There are turkey burgers, veggie burgers, and the option to build your own (with thick cut bologna as a substitution available). It’s a burger selection to please everyone. Mad scientists and grandmas can both order and be happy.

I got the Yo! burger, and found that the bun was substantial, but could have been toasted a bit more. I didn’t have any structural issues with my bun,which was also soft and lightly sweet, but others did. The salty elements were well balanced out with the acidity and spice of the peppers and calmed down with the provolone. It was a great combination of things for a burger that you won’t see many other places. Combined with some pickle bar pickles on the side, it made a really balanced burger. I found the patty seasoning salty but otherwise not very interesting. Many others also noted how salty the patty was. It’s unfortunate, because the meat was clearly of good quality, and a proper amount of seasoning would really accentuate that patty.

imag1797 — My burger, surrounded by pickle bar goodies.

A keystone of the restaurant is the pickle bar, placed directly in the center of the restaurant, with pickled cucumbers, peppers, carrots, tomatoes, onions, and other treats. You can grab them at your leisure, or put them on your food. I thought it was genius, and tried a bit of everything. I do wonder how they are best used with the meals, though. Are they best as snacks? Should I load my burger or bologna sandwich with pickled onions? I don’t know. I’m not an expert. Guidance from the restaurant would go a long way to the best flavor optimization.

Others in the group weren’t as into the pickle bar as me.. Maybe they just don’t understand the power of fermentation. Regardless, B Spot can be a great place to get your lactobacillus.

Onion rings, french fries (called Lola fries) with rosemary , and pork cracklings encompass the options here. B Spot presents them all in stainless steel cups for a touch of class. The cracklings are good, as some of the first arrivals ordered them and shared, but they are very porky. If you’re not into lard, maybe avoid that. The french fries were crispy and not overly seasoned, but the hint of rosemary on the thin-cut fries was nice. I could have used a bit more, personally. There are also several sauce options on the table to try out, in addition to regular ketchup. They offer the Shasha sauce, which is a type of burger sauce from what I can gather, the Lola ketchup, which has a more tangy flavor and thicker texture, and the Coffee bbq sauce, which is thankfully not too sweet. the sauces are another addition the the choices you’re given here without any additional ordering, and make meals more interesting, especially for first-timers.

Overall, we loved B Spot, although we came in with all sorts of reservations about the location, the clientele, and the fact that it is a chain. Symon has done a great job with this restaurant, and it manages to avoid the douchiness of many other Royal Oak establishments with good food that appeals directly to the Rust Belt palate. Note that our ratings show B Spot as the new top burger – with a larger group, and a bunch of tough raters that come to the club, that’s a pretty big deal! The service was great, the food was more than good, and there is tons of uniqueness on the menu. I didn’t try the bologna, the killer milkshake menu, or the brats, and the Midwestern part of me wants more. As if the beer list wasn’t enough to bring me back, B Spot seems to have a lot more in store.

(Update 9/2018 – B Spot has closed and there are no more remaining locations in Michigan.)

Ratings:

Phil’s Music Report: “Perfect Music Volume. Bravo!”
Burger: 4.28 <<< New top burger!
Service: 4.54
Atmosphere: 4.18
Value: 3.36
Overall Rating: 4.0766 << Third Place!

Alice – 4/5
Arthur – “I enjoyed this time w/ friends. I will be single once this review hits the internet.” 4/5
Bonnie – “Good tasting burger! The pickle bar is nice. My only complaint is price, and Sala only let me eat one of her fries.“ 4.5/5
Brett – “Clean, and I liked the decor. The service was prompt and they went out of their way to accommodate us. I’d come back.” 4/5
Erik – “The pickle bar is great, but how is it optimized for burgers and sides? I’m satisfied, I would recommend this place while in town for drinks and burgers. The only trick is not to B-Spotted in Royal Oak while getting to the restaurant.” 4.5/5
Frank – “Solid options. Clean, efficient establishment. I’m satisfied. ”4/5
Joe – “Let’s do a post burger club bar crawl! Cheers!“ 3/5
Oglethorpe – “Veggies were fresh and well prepared. Enjoyed the chunks of avocado rather than spread. The burger’s worth the trip, but not mind blowing.”4/5
Phil – “I’m a little burger club
I live inside a little tub
Every month or two or three
You take me out and play with me
Up and down the city streets
I always bring my rating sheets
Who’s the best? We still don’t know
But now it’s back to home I go.” 4/5
Sala – “I didn’t share my fries because they were delicious.” 4/5
Scott –