Article by Josh Gregory
Photography of 80/20’s dinner service by Valerie Demo
“I aimed for the public’s heart and by accident hit them in the stomach” -Upton Sinclair
For Alan Baesen, Jamie Sums and Joe Pavey, it started with an idea that turned into madness within days of opening 80/20 Burger Bar in December of 2012. Sitting in a booth in the low lit dining room of the Ghent eatery, Alan recalls, “I had an idea that would either be a cash cow or completely flop.” His compatriots were banking on the “cash cow” business model. Within a flurry of business days after their opening, there was an army of cooks at the back door from neighboring restaurants willing and able to lend a hand to the new kids on the block.
Why? When Southern Grit editor Fitz and I talked about featuring 80/20 in this issue a similar question crossed my mind. In a world where everyone is a critic at the click of a mouse and the market is saturated from top to bottom with burgers of every shape, size, denomination and orientation, why? Why does what a handful of industry veterans are doing with the latest mutation of the great American classic in Ghent matter? The answer, much like the food at 80/20, is straight forward and yet complex at the same time, and serves as a reminder; just because something is simple does not mean that it is easy.
A burger, at face value is basic, and as Alan pointed out often deeply personal. A limited niche in which to corner oneself. On opposing corners of the plate, you have meat, bread, and for lack of a better term stuff, meant to mask the taste of Kingsford and shame. On the other, fried potatoes meant as a vehicle for ketchup or to soak up that third shot of Jameson that seemed like a good idea at the time. For years, we have been fed sub par mystery meat, bleached wheat buns, processed cheese and overcooked and heavily salted potatoes. This is what, for better or worse, has been identified as the American contribution to food culture. I’m looking at you Ronald. One imagines that the minds at 80/20 woke up one morning and said “fuck that.”
The meat itself is ground in house and comes from Ancient White breed cows, raised at Leaping Waters farm in Allegheny Springs, Virginia. The bun is a Parker House style yeast roll that stands up to the fat content of the burger as well as the numerous combinations of “stuff,” running the gambit of classic to rogue. The bun has the pillowy texture and mild flavor so as not to interefere, but the fortitude to withstand the car ride home in a to-go box. Potatoes fried in canola oil are tossed with spices that are toasted and ground in house. There’s house pulled mozzarella that is predictably enough fried with marinara that holds a chewy yet not undesirable texture. These all would have been mundane details ten years ago, but as Fitz was eager to remind me, “In Norfolk, we’ve put our big boy pants on and decided to do it right.” The menu ebbs and flows with the evolution of the customer as the kitchen endeavors to elevate humble ingredients into something that the staff, which has stayed consistent since opening (an aberration in most restaurants), is proud to present to a public that, even though it may not have known it, needed it.
80/20 Burger Bar is located at 123 W 21st St in Norfolk
Visit 80/20 online HERE
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