As many of you around Bellingham know, we have anxiously been awaiting (for what seems like years now) the opening of Fiamma Burger, sister of La Fiamma Woodfire Pizza, now open on Railroad Street, between the Little Cheerful and Avenue Bread. With the exalted reputation of the food & atmosphere at La Fiamma, the expectations for the Burger joint have been sky-high.
As I write this, I wish that had taken the time to chat and/or read more at the restaurant about the philosophy & history of the place. There are postings on the walls as you enter about them both. I do remember reading a while back about them taking the approach of using fresh (never frozen) ingredients, buying produce locally, and baking fresh on-site. This excited me very much, considering burgers around town before Fiamma opened were--while delicious--not created with any sort of philosophy aside from making profit, and always leave me feeling like there are little burger gnomes playing rugby in my stomach. Ol' Freddy likes his fresh foods. "The Only Burger You Should Eat" is their slogan, playing off of La Fiamma's, (you guessed it) "The Only Pizza You Should Eat."
So, how good is the burger? I think it tastes great. The meat is lean (not dripping with fatty nastiness), the veggies full of flavor, the "secret sauce" is not overpowering, and heck--I could eat the bun by itself. Some complain that the burgers are not as big as at Bob's (can't avoid the comparison, what, being across the street), and neither are the servings of french fries. Personally, my appetite is rarely big enough to finish a full "platter of fries with side of hamburger" at Bob's, so that complaint isn't relevant to me. For people just looking to throw back as many calories as possible for as cheap as possible, Fiamma might not be your place. Let's just say that, as far as proportions go. But if you are like me, and your appettite isn't that of a small rhinoceros, the meal is very satisfying. The french fries are also good--still french fries, but not greasy, and not over-fried. I don't like onion rings, but they also serve those. Aside from the hamburger, they also offer a Chicken burger and a Veggie burger, both of which I hear great things about. The Chicken burger will be my next shot there. Apparenly the chicken breast is marinated in an herb dressing and served with provolone? Sounds delicious. I've had the regular Fiamma burger (no pickles, of course), and the Bacon burger. Let me tell you, if you are on the fence about the bacon, Get the Bacon. It is the Hempler's thick-cut--the real deal. Amazing. Paige got one with me today and about melted out of her seat.
Of course they have soda on tap there, and they also serve a pretty fair variety of bottled beers and wines at average prices (about $3/beer, $4.50/wine). If you are really out of control, you can get one of their floats or milkshakes. I haven't had any of those yet, but I'm sure I will.
One thing you will probably hear about Fiamma burger is that it is over-priced. I have responded to that review with the old adage, "It all depends on what you want, and if you're willing to pay for it." Sure, I could get Five burgers from Wendy's for the same as One from Fiamma, but I want fresh ingredients, a clean restaurant, and (pardon me here) solid waste. None of which I will get from five burgers at Wendy's. For $4.75 you get the burger--for 75 cents you can add cheese, and for $1.50 you can add that delicious bacon I was telling you about. For another $1.95 you can add fries. So, say you get the bacon burger & fries--that'll run you about $8.25. Seem like a lot? Maybe, with the Bob's comparison ($8.95 for the platter of fries/bacon cheeseburger), but at Fiamma you aren't tipping waitresses and running to the bathroom in two hours. So ultimately you pay about $3-4 less than at Bob's all things considered, and maybe $2-4 more than at Boomer's, but you get the best "quality" burger in Bellingham, and like I say, enough food to satisfy the appettite of anyone smaller than a small rhinoceros.
So go! Try it out! If you eat it there (which I recommend), watch how fast you get your food. You'll be amazed. Look around at how clean everything is, and how often someone comes out to make sure it is so (constantly). Sit outside and watch the passers-by drool over your lunch. If you don't quite finish, put your leftover food in to the Food Compost bin, right next to Trash & Recycle bins. As you order & pay, peek inside the big open window in to the kitchen and see how clean and orderly everything is. It'll all keep you coming back, I promise.
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