Why Plan B should be your Plan A. Plan B Burger Bar – Stamford, CT

When it comes to grabbing a burger you can go one of two ways…

Plan A:  your boring, ordinary, ship-em in/ship-em out burger  joint.

Plan B:  a beer and bourbon lover’s utopia, piled high with creative , delicious Certified Humane, fresh, never frozen burgers and sides in a sleek and swanky spot.

So, look.  Plan A is fine if you just want a plain ol’ burger stat and that’s it.  But, when you want more, you need to check out Plan B Burger Bar in Stamford.  They just opened August 4 on the right side of the outdoor food court (next to Barnes & Noble, across from California Pizza Kitchen) at Stamford Town Center Mall.

When you step in, you’re greeted by a chalkboard with a big list of American craft beers on draft.  We were tired from a long trip from the Hamptons where we celebrated our sixth anniversary in style so we gladly welcomed a nice and comfy table in the bar/lounge area.  As we sat, our waitress came by and told us about the beer, bourbon, and drink list.  We felt daring, so we went with an Ommegang Witte beer AND the Small Batch Threesome of bourbon for $14.   You can also order the Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Threesome for $10 or the Single Barrel Threesome at $12.

When the bartender got our order, he climbed up on the bar, took down the bourbon, and got our samples ready.  The cups came on a rectangular dish with the names of the bourbons written on a napkin for reference.  First was Kentucky Vintage, next was Hirsh Selection, then Four Roses.  Before you try your bourbon you’re supposed to put it by your mouth and smell it.  If you try to get the aromas through your nose though, you probably won’t be able to pick up all the scents because you’ll be overwhelmed.  You actually have to inhale it with your mouth instead. Yeah, we just learned this too! Then, when you are ready to taste, make sure to sip and savor.  Our biggest tips are to save most of the bourbon for pairings with your food and make sure to sip and savor.

Choosing the booze was easy, but picking our meal was pretty tough.  See, there are some pretty awesome sounding apps, sides, delicious devour-worthy big plates, great salads, and of course a crazy array of burgers.  Before we ordered, we said we’d have to come back at least 10 more times to try everything that caught our eyes.

Ok, let’s do this: