Squatters

Address: 147 W Broadway, Salt Lake City, UT. 801.363.2739.

Review: Squatters is a beer place. As a teetotaler, I won't be commenting on Squatters's liquid refreshments, which, I readily admit, is likely the fatal flaw of this review. (And this is why I won't be giving a X/10 rating, as is my wont.) This noted, let's discuss food.

I ordered the ahi tuna burger, described thusly on the menu: "Minced Orca Bay Yellowfin tunna patty with fresh herbs and spices, topped with pico de gallo, cilantro cabbage, sliced avocado and wasabi aioli." Oh, and instead of fries, I requested the salad --- gotta drop some poundage after Italy, you know.

Let's begin with the salad. Mixed greens with some carrot shavings. Nothing more, nothing less, nothing exciting, nothing particularly thoughtful. The mustardy, tangy, just-a-shot-of-heat vinaigrette livened things up a bit, but not that much.

The burger. Well, the bun looked like it might be whole wheat, or might not be, with oat parts sprinkled on top. Honestly, not sure what the bun had to do with ahi tuna, or how it was designed to enhance the tuna's flavor. The tuna itself was cooked to about a medium, which meant it was entirely overcooked. The natural juiciness and beautiful raw flavor of the tuna was gone. The pico de gallo barely registered any flavor, and I'm pretty sure the cilantro cabbage wasn't there at all. (I tasted neither cilantro nor cabbage.) After the second bite, I had to ask for more aioli because the burger was completely dry as composed. I liked the aioli, but found myself having to use so much of it to moisten the burger that it became a little overpowering. In the end, the burger was a bit of a mess.

So, go for the beers. I hear they're great.