Snap Judgment: Violetta

[Welcome to Snap Judgment, a new regular Blogtown feature wherein I’ll be dropping by places both old and just opened for a one-dish fly-by, and developing an opinion based on that singular experience. Basically, it’s the complete opposite of what I do each week for Last Supper. I don’t expect to get it right all the time. I do expect you to correct me.- PAC]

Since I was downtown this morning, I thought I’d stop by Violetta in Director Park. If you’re unfamiliar with Director Park, it’s the new expanse of slick brick and concrete on the west side of the Fox tower. You can’t miss it. It still has that “new park” smell.

As part of the park’s construction the city included a café/restaurant space and partnered with Dwayne Beliakoff, previously of Roux. After much delay, his seasonally and locally minded eatery has finally flung open its doors.

Previous to the recent opening, Violetta’s food had been hawked from a food truck for the last several months. Over those months there was much buzz about the restaurant’s burger… So much buzz that I could not help but follow the sound into the clean/bright café and order one for myself.

In terms of Snap Judgments to date, this one is particularly snappy considering that Violetta has been officially open less than a week, and I’m basing my judgment on one single burger. With that in mind, as always, grab your salt and take the following as you will.

Here are the important parts: Violetta is open for breakfast lunch and dinner daily. The focus is on seasonal cuisine with various “Chef’s Market” specials available daily. Much of the menu is straight ahead: eggs, biscuits, soups, salads, burgers, roast chicken, sandwiches, franks, and desserts.

Here are the less important but still important parts: While the space is small, the covered terrace area is very large with plenty of tables. It’ll be a particularly lovely place to eat should we ever actually get a summer this year, though it might be less than ideal in the wintertime. Also important is the fact that Violetta has booze, beer, and wine available. Bloody Mary’s and Beignets? Intriguing.

Some concerns: The limited indoor seating could be a bitch in inclement weather. I’m also a tad concerned about pricing. The 1/3rd pound burger is $6, but fries are an additional $3 purchase for a small order. That’s $9 for a burger and fries. Every addition to the burger tacks on an additional 50 cents. Making the 1/2 pound Oregon Blue burger with bacon a $9 item (w/o fries). Additionally I worry about yokels ignorant of the Slow Food movement who may be confused by the “slow fast food” slogan

The food situation: Based on my burger today, the buzz is justified. It’s tasty, for sure. The brioche bun is lovely and light, slightly toasted, and not at all obtrusive when it comes to the 1/3 pound burger patty. The meat is well seasoned, not too fatty, and tender enough without being obnoxiously giving. The toppings are what make it a hit. The house sauce has a touch of nice chipotle, while the pickles pop with bright dill. The “10 hour tomatoes” are slightly sweet, shriveled, preserved little gems that have a “sun-dried” flavor, but remain quite soft. All in all it’s a very pleasing and filling burger, lack of fries not withstanding.

Snap Judgment: If the rest of Violettas menu has the grace and flavor of their basic little 1/3 pound burger than I can say confidently that I am excited to come back to this joint in a couple of months and give it the full Last Supper treatment. In the meantime, if you find yourself downtown suffering hunger pangs, you could do worse than stopping in to Violetta for a spell. It would be especially nice to hang on the terrace pre-film on a warm summer evening. Let’s hope for ours and Violetta’s sake, we actually get a summer.

[UPDATE: Wanna try Violetta, but you’re short on dough? Get a half-off gift certificate to Violetta HERE!—eds.]