Fusion Burgers in Highland Park: Wanted to Like it But No

I know I've been on a panning binge with all the restaurants recently but keeping the faith that I have a good find waiting for me very soon.

I heard about Fusion Burgers from a friend so had to try it, although she had a turkey burger that I wouldn't be caught dead having. So our burger club went but was sorely disappointed.

I wanted to like it. It seemed like a family-owned business and very down to earth neighborhood joint kind of place. Had the classic burger with lettuce, not-so-classic sun dried tomato, onion, cheddar cheese and thousand island dressing. But the first burger came out overcooked. Then the second burger was cooked right but the patty was not great quality meat.

The bun wasn't bad although a bit on the dense side. But it was warm and fresh. The sun dried tomatoes didn't work at all. The other components made for a good combination. But please, chuck the sun dried tomatoes. There's nothing classic about it.

The fries that we got on the side were nothing special -- not too crispy but at least hot when they came out. They were no Pastis fries a la NY bistro that I still daydream about.

We also had a starter beet salad that was interesting, with arugula, candid sliced almonds and some kind of creamy ricotta-like cheese. It was refreshing and a nice variation on the standard vanilla green salad. The dressing was light and the almonds gave it a nice crunch. The beets weren't all that sweet or flavorful but we just wanted something healthier to balance out the burger.

I recently had a refresher with my fave Houston's burger so maybe I was even harsher than usual with this one. But the fact is it's an average to below average burger. Super nice service but I wouldn't return. Sorry.