Restaurant Review: Guzzi's vs. Rich's

Eric and I (this Eric, not that Eric) go to lunch almost every Friday. We've been some pretty great places, as well as some pretty awful places, but we always try to go somewhere new (with a few tasty repeats). I'm going to try and start reviewing the places I go, so fellow SLC'ers can check 'em out.

This last Friday was a bit strange in that we drove out, ate our lunch, and finished up with a half hour left on our break. I joked that we had enough time for another lunch. Eric looked at me with a deadly seriousness, and off we went without any argument. So it is upon this occasion that I have the opportunity to review (and compare) two burger places.

The first we went to was Guzzi's Vintage Burger's and Fries.

Very tiny and cramped, but cute.

This place is just getting its footing, but it's off to a good start. I had a blue bacon burger and Eric had the garlic burger, both of which came with fries (for about 7 each).

The burgers were fantastic; good quality meat well cooked. The thing that really helped it shine was the bun. So often overlooked, a quality bun can make or break a burger in my opinion, and these were grade-a. There was one major flaw, and that was that the flavors were too subtle. I could barely taste the blue cheese, and Eric's garlic was only a "hint of." The fries were well cooked, but nothing to write home about.

All in all, I'd be eager to go again. The amount of food for the price is pretty good considering the quality, and I certainly enjoyed it all. I talked to one of the employees and they mentioned having just bought a meat grinder and would be creating their own patties and sausages, which gets me interested in seeing how things will improve.

Next we took a drive across town to Rich's Mighty Fine Burgers and Grub.

In Esther's old location, which I'm sad about them going out of business--now there was a good garlic burger.

Since we were a bit more pressed for time, we only got a single burger and fries and split them. The sign outside listed off the daily specials, which we didn't get far through ultimately deciding on the first thing listed: a tomatillo burger (approx 7 with fries). It just sounded good at the time.

The burger was tasty enough, but the real star was the sauce. It was the sassy kick in the mouth that we were missing at Guzzi's. Sadly, the rest of the burger couldn't keep up. The bun wasn't quite right and the bacon burnt. The fries however were great with a really flavorful seasoning mix.

I want to check back in simply for the fact that on my way out I noticed that they have deep fried green beans. I'm always up for trying something battered and fried.

Overall
I'd have to say Guzzi's burgers were better than Rich's despite the sauce. Fries would definitely go to Rich's though.