Twist on Fast Food

Many people can relate to those family arguments in the car when each member tries to find common ground about where to eat. For my father, the first choice is always Burger King with their cheap and filling cheeseburgers, but what follows is usually a train of moans and groans and utterances of disgust. I am not at all a fan of fast food. One will occasionally find me at Panera Bread or Chick-fil-A (because, well, it is Chick-fil-A), but that is about all.

When my friend Anthony called and said he wanted to grab a quick bite before we ran over to 2nd & Charles to pick up some comics, he knew that I would not settle for anything but at least a step-up from general fast food.

Baha Burger in Hoover, Al

Logo from Baha Burger's Twitter account

With the desire to be a fair food critic, I tried to keep an open mind. This restaurant is unique to Hoover and is known for their slightly gourmet twists on burgers. Anthony assured me before we walked in the door that they had tasty salmon burgers, so I was willing to cautiously wade in the shallow end. I ordered the baby salmon burger with a regular side of sweet potato fries while he went with the salmon burger in its regular size with a side of onion rings.  

The walls were lined with decorations supporting their surfer theme: swimming trunks, bikini tops, pictures of beach scenes. I still remain confused about the couple of skateboards that hung from the ceiling. Surf board... skate board... same difference, right?

The food was mediocre. Although the salmon patty was a bit too breaded for my taste, I must commend them for their choice in aioli sauce - great flavor! The owners I suppose also tried to make the sides a bit more distinct by the handful of fried okra they tossed in with the fries and onion rings. To be honest, this left me more puzzled than anything but if food is indeed an art, I must allow for some freedom of expression.

Overall, the entire experience was okay - just a casual day at a casual restaurant. Although I would never turn up my nose at this place, it still indeed does fall under that category of fast food. For those fast food lovers out there, this location might switch up the menu a bit. When schedules get heavy, an occasional rushed lunch is understandable. But to enjoy food takes time; it takes focus. So, the fast food industry unfortunately will most likely never be for me.