Photo: Never thought my phone's camera could snap that pic in the darkness! Credit: J. Deseo/SSP.
REVIEW — That crisp, dry air and cool breeze mean only one thing: The Penguin’s quest to find downtown Silver Spring’s tastiest burgers is coming to an end.
It’s been quite the artery-clogging journey, one that’s led me from one end of the central business district to the other. At last, I landed at the one place everyone told me to hit when this trek started almost two months ago: the Quarry House Tavern.
For the uninitiated, here’s a quick rundown of the place: It’s extremely dark and extremely loud, tucked in a cavelike basement beneath Bombay Gaylord on Bonifant Street. It’s the very definition of a dive, one that serves seriously good hamburgers.
The joint’s smaller burger ($6) weighs in at one-third of a pound of succulent ground beef. (Bigger appetites would be satiated with the half-pound option.) It’s preparation is simple — a little salt, a little pepper, a little heat — and that allows the beef’s naturally rich flavor to ooze from its juices (when cooked to “medium, anyway).
On this particular visit (above), the burger was ordered with velvety cheddar cheese that accentuated the patty’s sweetness, and creamy ranch dressing that added just enough fat to keep the flavors lingering on the palette for a while. The only downer about this particular sandwich was the bacon, which was overwhelmingly salty and didn’t blend well with the other ingredients.
But don’t sweat the bacon. The tavern’s menu allows diners to top that patty with no fewer than 13 items, which gives the Quarry House an advantage over McGinty’s Pub. While the Irish joint on Ellsworth Drive has some damn good and big burgers, it offers far fewer options in the burger accoutrements department. Just sayin’.
Each burger arrives in a small, paper-lined basket with lettuce, tomato and red onion slices, and a generous side of tater tots. The tiny golden nuggets of deep-fried starch are crisp and not greasy, though a little seasoning (Old Bay, anyone?) would give them a little life. Still, I’ve never met a tater tot I didn’t like.
Service at the Quarry House is chaotic, with waitresses who seem overwhelmed at times by the crowd. But when the burgers are good and cheap (half priced every Monday night), one learns to live with the insanity.
Quarry House Tavern, 8401 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, (301) 587-8350.
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oooh, taters…
L.P.
Love that Quarry House burger! When they were open for lunch, my office-mates and I would go about once a week, much to the detriment of our arteries, but we loved every second of it. I’ll have mine medium, with swiss and mushrooms, please…
I love the international beer collection at Quarry House. Sort of a mini-version of Brickskeller. But man, when you walk into the QH, the dive bar odor hits you hard. Whoa.
Is this really the end of Burger Quest? And no Ray’s? :-(
I agree with your closing comment – service has been so horrible the last 2 times I’ve gone to QH I haven’t been back since. Should I have known better to avoid weekend nights? Or should they have known better than to understaff? Not really sure. It is the best drink selection around though.
IHateYuppies–I agree about the odor. Total mold smell. I don’t think I could stomach being in there sober.
Regardless of service (which I don’t think is bad) or the smell (that I don’t detect) I will keep returning for those burgers and the fried pickles to start things off with.
But why do you order every burger with bacon? I guess for consistency? I’ve never gotten bacon on the QH burger, I prefer the jack cheese and pico de gallo.
I love the Quarry. Actually, I’ve only been once. Nevertheless, I had the chicken sandwich with tator tots (add cheese). Delicious!
IHY – You can always find something to complain about, yes? They fry up food and sling beer in there seven nights a week – for how many years? And it’s underground. Of course it’s going to smell a little musty. Personally, I thought that was that distinct non-yuppie charm of the whole place. If you want fresher, non-non-yuppie air, go to Bethesda.
No one here old-school enough to complain that QH is not the same since Jackie’s bought it? I’m disappointed.
Some of my co-workers complain it’s not the same. I have to say…it’s not the same. But I like it just as much.
Love the burgers, but they could really use an upgrade in bun choice. They always end up a dry, crumbled, flavorless mess. Imagine what a nice wheat kaiser roll would do…
I second the pico & pepperjack combo!
Love Quarry House, Monday night is 1/2 price burger night but Ray’s the Classics has the best burger in our area hands down – burger quest is not complete without trying their offering.
We need a crabcake sandwich quest next summer, if there is a great restaurant in Silver Spring serving them, I’ve missed it.
TDiddy wrote:
My arteries can take only so much abuse in one summer, so expect Ray’s to make my list of pit stops on next year’s Burger Quest.
I am old school! I loved the QH b4 Jackie’s bought it- I grew up going to that place-it just isn’t the same- need both hands to hold burger.
Now that Burger Quest is over for this year, you are planning Bunny Food Quest for spring, right, Jennifer? Vegetarians need the full scoop too, so please plan to hop to it!
The Quarry House used to do a steak sandwich that was HEAVENLY. I really wish the new owners would bring that back.
JG, I had a really good crabcake at Mrs K’s lately, although not the sandwich.
@Thayer Avenue…
Did you notice other posters who complained about QH about “not being the same”? Silver Spring is full of whiners and complainers, yes? Including you, yes?
And frankly, there was greater diversity among customers at the ol’ pre-Jackie QH. You had real working class people, bitter federal govt. workers, and artist bohemian types hanging out there. Now…the dump is mostly Yuppified with Hipsters and polo-shirt wearing corporate people. Blech.
Play nice, everyone.
I never noticed a smell at QH, either before or after the new ownership. But then, I usually avoid it when it’s packed, so maybe that helps.
Anyhow, my new dive bar is Piratz (Dive, get it? Shipwrecks? Never mind). I can’t attest to their burgers, but the scimitar fries are worth their weight in gold dubloons.
LuvMyHood, if the Penguin doesn’t mind us veggie-types hijacking her burger quest threads once in a while, we can yak about bunny food. I just had the veggie platter at Dama, and it was pretty darn good (though Abol’s is better).
QH smells at least a little and in the summer it can be DANK down there. But I still love it–I don’t go there enough. Even if it’s yuppier than before (I wish they still had pitchers), it’s still good and if yuppies like rye whisky and rockabilly, then maybe they’re OK after all :)
Penguin, are you just not going to eat a burger before next year? Skipping Ray’s you’re really missing out–and the burger is like $8. May I suggest the au poivre, with onions, no cheese, medium.
Yes, IYH, we’re a bunch of whiners. Having been to QH in the old days, I’d much rather have the current smell than the smoke infestation that was there before. That having been said, I was a HUGE fan of the old burgers and onion rings. Though I do love me some tots.
Penguin: By happy to provide Burger Quest review @ Ray’s. Or just mouthwatering photos. Like this: http://www.cheeseandburger.com/
I wonder if the change in the crowd has more to do with changes in the neighborhood demographics, rather than a change in the actual establishment. Just speculation. But has DTSS changed that much demographically? I dunno. That’s a question for greater minds than mine…
Does anybody remember the absolutely gorgeous young waitress who used wear a cheerleading outfit at QH?
I love dives. I feel like I belong there. I would never order a burger at Adego or Ray’s. That makes as much sense as ordering crabs at Outback Steak House. For whatever reason, a hamburger just tastes better at places like the Quarry House, Tastee Diner, or McGinty’s.
Bubba…last I heard, she got a job at a paint shop a few years ago. That was before it was sold and it really looked like the place was going to close forever. She waited on us a lot when we went for lunch and we got a lot of chat from her. When the smoking ban hit MoCo, she told us that QH’s business took a dive and they were a while recovering, so I guess the Jackie’s purchase and the rediscovery by the Yuppies is what saved the QH, for better or for worse.
just went there last night for our first time ever.
Pros
- service wasn’t as slow as we expected from reading some reviews.
Cons
- There is definitely a “smell” but it is nothing worse than what you’ll find at any other burger joint.
- We had to talk ourselves into not leaving after a cockroach strolled down the wall from one of their framed prints coming within a foot of our meal.
- Lost our appetite altogether when we noticed a smaller roach was following a now established trail down to our table.
- Ended up paying $30 plus for 2 burgers ( half eaten ) and 2 beers. That was pre tip.
We definitely prefer supporting local businesses and were really hoping to enjoy a place so darn close to our home but man, leaving a place still hungry and feeling like you got overcharged and trying to get rid of that throw-up taste in your mouth doesn’t do for a re-visit.
I hated throwing out those tater tots…
L.P.
Lucy, I used to go at least once a week to a gloriously unique, funky place in DC called Food For Thought. One day. When I ordered hot tea, the water came in one of those little metal pitchers. One day, my the pitcher was topped with a dead cockroach. It looked like an art piece.I showed the waiter (a nice man with a beard and VERY long ponytail, who waited on me all the time). He was very apologetic, brought me a whole new meal, and tore up the check. I continued to go there every chance I got, and was was very hurt when the owner decided to close the place, I think due to a rent increase. Roaches are gross, but not dangerous, and almost impossible to keep out of any place that gets deliveries. Microbes are the real hazards. Please give the joint another chance. I might even go if they have some decent bunny food.
Was there ever any need to look beyond QH?
I agree with LuvMyHood. Nobody wants to see a cockroach, but it happens.
Years ago I was eating at the Tune Inn on Capitol Hill, a simlar dive to QH. A fry dropped off my plate and hit the floor. No sooner has it landed on the floor a mouse came out, grabbed it, and scurried off.
I see what you’re saying LuvMyHood, but with all of the other local restaurants choices in our area I just don’t see convincing hubby or myself to revisit QH. Even without the roach, paying $30 plus for 2 burgers and 2 beers before adding on a tip doesn’t make it affordable for us anyhow. We’re trying Taste of Jerusalem for our next “first” and will keep Adega as our fav for burgers.
L.P.
I love Quarry House’s burgers, and the tater tots with Old Bay are the best. The beer list is by far the best in SS, and the ambience can’t be beaten in my opinion. However, I have to agree that the service there is consistently horrible: it’s always extremely slow, they make mistakes, and some of the wait staff can have an attitude. Nevertheless, I’ll keep going back.
Lucy, good point. I am also amazed that I spent so many pixels defending conventional burgers and beer, when I only consume veggie burgers and near-beer. I’ve only been to Taste of Jerusalem once, when it was brand new. It was a really cute place, but needed more veggies.