Joe's Amazing Burgers in McLean - Second Owner Al Laroussi in the Former Corner Bistro Site

[lizzie]

Saw a sign for a new burger place in McLean (on Old Dominion) where Corner Bistro used to be - has anyone tried this or do you know anything about it? I could not tell if it has opened, since we did not have time to stop.

[JPW]

Saw a sign for a new burger place in McLean (on Old Dominion) where Corner Bistro used to be - has anyone tried this or do you know anything about it? I could not tell if it has opened, since we did not have time to stop.

No, but if the name is anything to go by, it should be good.

[DonRocks]

Saw a sign for a new burger place in McLean (on Old Dominion) where Corner Bistro used to be - has anyone tried this or do you know anything about it? I could not tell if it has opened, since we did not have time to stop.

I stopped in here on Saturday at 12:05 (it opened at noon). It has eighteen seats, and it was basically one gentleman (the owner, I believe) working the grill, another assembling the dishes, and then there was the poor server, who was utterly baffled and overwhelmed. At about 12:15 he finally acknowledged me and said "I'll be right there." At 12:20 the tables had become full, and people had walked in and started standing around in the middle of the restaurant, not knowing what to do or where to go. The burgers themselves looked very good - thick, cooked over a flaming grill, and served with fries. Prices are $8.95 for a basic burger, $9.95 for organic, and then going up from there depending on the toppings (here is the website). I cut my losses and left because I could see that things were in complete disarray. It's important to emphasize that this is a brand new restaurant, and this should be taken as an observation (and perhaps a warning if you go during prime lunch hour in the immediate future), and not any sort of criticism.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[Capital Icebox]

Great lunch today. In and out in about 25 minutes (would've been faster but I took my time), and a full house during lunch but excellent service, no bedlam at all. The menu is nearly all burgers: basic burger, organic burger, kobe burger, southwest burger (pepper jack and guacamole), and also the special burger of the day (today was ostrich). The menu can be found here.

The burgers are cooked on a grill, flame-broiled, and are a hefty size. They come on a brioche bun which is great for absorbing some of the juices, and underneath each patty you get sauteed mushrooms and onions (I detected a little thyme in there as well). My burger arrived perfectly to order, medium-rare, with a side of fries (pre-frozen, but still good). I am looking forward to coming back and trying some of the other options, especially 'Joe's Burger' (topped with chorizo and manchego). It wasn't exactly up there with Palena's burger, but it was getting close. Worth checking out if you are in the neighborhood.

[vahomewinetastings]

I just saw in the Dining Guide a listing for Joe's Burgers in McLean. I live in Vienna and never heard of this. Has anyone been to this restaurant? How is it? Do they serve beer?

[DonRocks]

I just saw in the Dining Guide a listing for Joe's Burgers in McLean. I live in Vienna and never heard of this. Has anyone been to this restaurant? How is it? Do they serve beer?

I had a Joe's Burger ($11.95) with Manchego and chorizo a couple weeks ago. It sounded fantastic, but it was merely very good - the chorizo was pretty ordinary, and the fries were standard-issue frozen. The good news is that I ordered it medium rare, and it came out medium rare. I had a Heineken, which was about the best of several Corona-like beers they offered.

Cheers,

Rocks.

[wristband]

Had lunch there yesterday months after reading a glowing piece in WaPo. The "organic" burger - claimed to be grass fed - was a huge patty but tasteless. The fries that lolled alongside the burger were cardboard-like and tasteless. Onion rings were greasy and, yup, tasteless.

I just don't understand asking $10-15 for a burger that lacks personality and flavor when the local marketplace is riddled with so many competitors offering the exact same product. My tablemates had burgers topped with the usual array of exotic ingredients and were similarly unimpressed with both patty and flavorless fries. One wanted mushrooms included (gratis per the menu) but, alas, no 'shrooms in stock.

I will happily pay a premium if the superstar burger measures up - there are local hot spots well worth the upcharge for gourmet burgers. To charge a hefty tariff for merely average burger fare is not the way to generate repeat business or good word of mouth. Plenty of alternatives abound for burger fans.

Next stop...Ray's Hellburger and Slade's at Tysons Mall (which I have been told is an excellent grilled burger).

[Ericandblueboy]

I went to Joe's years ago, went it first became Joe's (it was the Corner Bistro, and then a Moroccan joint). The burgers were tasty (maybe a bit undercooked) but the dining room was filled with smoke. Haven't been back since. As for Slade's, it's like any other chain bar food joint, with large portions and nothing exciting. Maybe they have good burgers.

[wristband]

I agree with your comment on the smokiness. I reeked of grease and eau-de-grill all afternoon. Also, it would improve one's "impression" if Joe's staff cleaned up. In close-knit surroundings, which plasters that smoky scent all over, its not reassuring to see gents handling orders that have not showered (slept?) in days.

Appreciate your feedback on Slade's - I do hear tell the grilled burgers are good and 25% price knocked down before noon and 6 pm weekdays.

[DonRocks]

This is kind of a slam on Joe's Burgers - more expensive than Ray's by far and not anywhere near as good so we didn't go there. Instead, we went to Evo.

Joe's changed ownership fairly recently, and has also changed its sign to say "Joe's Simply Amazing Burgers."

I saw this piece by Rina Rapuano on Tuesday, and then went to visit Joe's website which said they were open until 10 PM during the week. I went at 9:15, only to be told that the website was incorrect, and that they closed at 9 PM that night.

The restaurant is very different than it used to be, with an updated interior, expanded menu, and a slightly more serious beer and wine selection, but I never got inside the door to find out anything more. (Note to Joe's: You should really update your website with the correct hours. I know it's hard to do a million things at once, and the "About Us" section can wait a bit longer, but outdated opening-time information left me hungry and stranded!)

Cheers,

Rocks

[Ericandblueboy]

The online menu states half pound burgers, the printed menu says 6 oz burgers - pricing is the same. What we got could've been half a pound but the medium was cooked medium well and the medium well was cooked til well done. The onion rings were great though, seasoned with herbs, salt, and some kind of spices - thick cut so that an order is only 6 rings but they were hefty. My wife's conclusion - not as good as Ray's and I agree. 2 chee-burgers, 1 order of rings, 2 Allagash - $40 before tip.

[plarkins]

Wife and I went to Joe's last week...I generally don't write reviews if I have nothing good to say, but

Twice we almost left before ordering.

1) They should consider changing their surface cleaner. We and other diners noticed it; it reminded me of a well kept port-a-jon.

2) Per the menu in red ink, all orders are now automatically charged 20% gratuity, no matter the party size. Server said this was implemented 3 weeks ago. Not very endearing. I'll leave the tip discussion for its own thread.

So, we ordered reluctantly...really I just didn't the drama in deciding on another restaurant.

I got the capricorn burger (Panko crusted goat cheese, arugula & balsamic drizzle) and the wife got the Joe's Natural half pound classic burger, standard toppings, and special sauce (<-best part of the meal). The sauce (mayo and tomato base, but can't remember the other ingredients) was great with the fries, which were also pretty good. I ordered medium, received medium well at best. Goat cheese saved it from being too dry or tasteless. No luck for my wife's. Standard toppings could not mask the dryness of hers. Doesn't help ordering it medium-well, but I thought it tasted like a BK Whopper.

Service was polite and the special sauce was good ... everything else was forgettable.

[DonRocks]

Twice we almost left before ordering.

1) They should consider changing their surface cleaner. We and other diners noticed it; it reminded me of a well kept port-a-jon.

2) Per the menu in red ink, all orders are now automatically charged 20% gratuity, no matter the party size. Server said this was implemented 3 weeks ago. Not very endearing. I'll leave the tip discussion for its own thread.

...

Service was polite and the special sauce was good ... everything else was forgettable.

I'm sorry this happened to you. How much was the bill, and how big were the burgers? I remember Joe's as being exceptionally expensive, but the burgers being of good quality and size. I'm sorry this happened to you - the smell of solvent (probably went around table-to-table with a spritz-bottle and a dishrag before you walked in).

[plarkins]

Total bill was $32.70. No drinks or sides, just the 2 burgers. The meat quality might have been good, but they were too overcooked to know. They weren't that big, but the large buns (which were good, I think brioche) could have affected my judgement.