This burger is a tasty stretch

By Scott Beveridge

McMURRAY, Pa. – The Ostrich Burger's name on the menu at a Belgian beer bar chain in Pittsburgh is enough to pull any hungry man's head out of the sand at suppertime.

That burger is also more than enough to capture the attention of a small group of journalists, including myself, who gather last week for happy hour at its Sharp Edge Brasserie in Peters Township, Pa., and decide to divide one of the sandwiches up for a taste.

"It's a bit gamy," I remark, repeating a phrase some people say when they taste wild duck, turkey, pheasant or quail.

There is probably a much better word to describe this sandwich made with lean ostrich and sirloin blended with caramelized red onion, cracked pepper, pepper jack cheese and ancho chili aioli. That last ingredient sounds really fancy for something that a subsequent Google search reveals to be hot-spiced-up mayonnaise.

"I think it tastes likes a meatloaf kind of oniony spicy kind of flavor," says Amanda Gillooly, a freelance writer whose witty musings sometime show up on this blog.

She is right, I think, after dribbling up the tiny leftover clumps of food on the plate. That meat tastes better without the bun, really.

Another friend, who will remain nameless to protect her from losing her new newspaper gig, said she prefers the bar's soup over this burger.

"I don't think it replaces the the hop devil potato soup," she said.

And, after the plate is cleared, Breadline blogger Michael Jones chimes in, reminding us that $13.37 is a wee bit of a steep price to pay for any burger. He's probably right on that call.