Beer and burgers could be better

Burgers and beer are simple staples of American cuisine.

Place a well-seasoned beef patty in a soft bun, serve with a cold microbrew and a satisfying meal is almost guaranteed.

Dain's Place, a small restaurant and bar on Ninth St., attempts to capitalize on this simple recipe for success by offering burgers, beer and a limited assortment of pre-prandial snacks. But what sets Dain's Place apart are not the ubiquitous Fryolator favorites-fried cheese, fried mushrooms, fried perogies-but the restaurant's emphasis on customization. For each burger or sandwich, diners may choose from a list of over 30 toppings. Turning to the beer list, over 50 selections are offered with an emphasis on domestic microbrews.

On a recent visit, Dain was not present and it appeared that the restaurant suffered without its namesake at the helm. Only one overtaxed server worked the full dining room and, based on how long it took for meals to be served, it seems unlikely that the kitchen was staffed any more generously. Even procuring additional drinks to ease the wait was nearly impossible. As the orders and requests from other tables piled in, our group was seemingly pushed further and further down the queue. And while burgers are not difficult to cook, keeping orders straight-cheddar sauce, yellow mustard, guacamole for one diner, ranch dressing, Tabasco, spicy chili for another-must present an entirely different challenge for the already taxed staff.

The inevitable confusion was made all the more apparent when each unique burger finally arrived at the table. Based on our visit, when the right burger was delivered, the requested side dish was absent. When a special request for a side salad was dutifully granted, it was served with the wrong burger. And the simplest order of them all-a cheeseburger-was simply forgotten.

With chaos abound, one wonders if Dain's Place is worth the potential hassle. The burgers themselves are appealing, and the "Dainer" especially so. Although lacking in satisfying char, the patty is hefty and beefy enough to stand up to most toppings. The bread-a pleasantly light ciabatta derivative-has just enough durability to hold everything together with minimal glop-factor.

Besides the burgers, however, other offerings fall somewhat short. The pierogies were severely under-salted; a steak soup became cloying due to a strange excess of sugar and nutmeg-like spice. At least the restaurant's only permanent dessert is a classic that doesn't take too much attention away from the savory cooking.

After all, it's rather difficult to mess up a plate of Oreos and glass of milk.