A Burger a Day in May: The Meat Lovers Burger at the Pinch

Order your beef patty topped with pulled duck, cheddar, and bacon at this new 14th Street bar and eatery. By Jessica Voelker

Comments () | Published May 14, 2012

The way Dan Maceda tells it, he and business partners Carlos Eyster and Ashley Brudowsky were restaurant-industry vets who were tired of working for other people and full of ideas for a neighborhood bar and restaurant. They found a space--the skinny slice of corner real estate that formerly belonged to El Salvadoreno--and teamed up with chef Stephanie Sharkey, last seen at 18th Amendment on Capitol Hill. Maceda says he and his partners immediately started firing ideas at Sharkey, who converted said ideas into the collection of starters, salads, sides, burgers, and sandwiches staffers have been serving since the no-frills bar's May 4 opening.

Among the ideas that made it onto the menu: fried pickles in a pretzel crust, pulled duck sliders, and--get this--a Benedict burger with fried tomato and hollandaise. Another standout: the Meat Lovers burger, which features a beef patty with Sharkey's secret mix of seasonings, topped with a saucy pile of pulled duck, crunchy bacon, and a healthy heap of shredded cheddar. The mix of proteins may be off-putting to all but the carnivorously adventurous, but how hard is it to find a meat lover in this town? Not hard at all, apparently; Eyster says the sandwich is already popular among neighborhood patrons.

Head to the Pinch o try a Meat Lovers burger with a discounted Allagash White or New River pale ale--a weekday 5 to 7 happy hour debuts tonight and features specials on craft beer and mixed drinks. In coming weeks, the Pinch will introduce brunch, live concerts and pub quizzes in the basement bar, and a cocktail menu that will include Dan Maceda's specialty, a rum punch, along with classically concocted martinis and Manhattans--drinks he learned to make during his time behind other people's bars.

The Pinch. 3548 14th St., NW; 202-722-4440. Open Monday through Thursday and Sunday from 5 PM to 2 AM, 5 PM to 3 AM Fridays and Saturdays. Brunch service will begin in the next few weeks.