Lardo: Double Burger

The Double Burger at Lardo is my dark horse favorite in Las Vegas.

Lardo Sandwiches is nestled away in the back of the Block 16 Urban Food Hall within the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino. While it doesn’t maintain an extended line stretching wrapping around the storefront like eggslut, it should. The quality of the food has it punching above its weight for a casino food court. To be honest, it was the length of the eggslut line (and my growling stomach) that had me ordering the Double Burger from Lardo. I’m glad I ended up here.

There are times when I have a burger and think, “That’s it. I’ll never have a burger this good ever again.” This was what I was thinking after the first bite of the Double Burger at Lardo Sandwiches. I think it’s human nature to define your expectations by the length of the line for a particular attraction. The line for eggslut was sizeable and there were only a few people at Lardo. I was somewhat hesitant to try it, but it’s Vegas. I decided to roll the dice and I was not disappointed. By the time I was done I wanted to high five everyone in the kitchen and kiss the woman who took my order. This is the burger your grandma would make if she made really kick ass burgers.

Tasting notes

Before I get into details, I should call out the presentation. I received my burger on a metal tray with a serving of fries. As you can see from the picture above, the burger patties, cheese, bacon and condiments were assembled picture perfect. Trust me, it tasted as good as it looked.

Ok so let’s get into it. Both patties are approximately a 1/2″ and cooked a perfect med-rare to medium. This is, in my mind, the perfect temperature for a burger. Enough pink-ish red to maintain a moist and flavorful patty without getting too close to rare which is not what you want with a burger cooked by a “third-party.” The patties felt like they were hand-pressed and not pressed into a hockey puck by a machine. The patties appeared to be smashed on the grill while cooking and the edges were pleasantly crispy.

Let’s talk supporting cast. I love American cheese on a burger but many burger joints go too thick and it overwhelms the meat. The american cheese was thick enough to provide flavor, but it was complimentary not overwhelming. Slaw and pickles provided a nice texture contrast but neither were applied so heavily as to feel they were fighting the meat and cheese. The Big Nick’s sauce was tangy and wet enough to mix in with everything else while not getting sucked up and disappearing in the bun.

Bacon. Let’s talk bacon. Bacon should provide complimentary flavor but it often suffers from being too thick, too candied, or it’s overcooked and brittle. The bacon at Lardo was flawless. Thin enough to easily bite through it without having to fight with it. It was crispy at the edges yet still moist and flexible in the center. It pulled everything together into a perfect marriage of everything you want in a comfort burger. Well played, Lardo. Well played.

Lastly, the bun is good. It’s not life changing but it does its job well. It holds everything together without falling apart, but it’s not the star of the show. Thankfully, it’s not a detractor either. It’s the support that brings it all together. And it’s made locally which you can see from the bread bags which is a big plus in my book – it’s nice to see ingrediants sourced locally, and not Clevland.

Conclusion: LFG! (with a caveat)

So I highly recommend you try the Double Burger at Lardo Sandwiches. It was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise. It was so good that I returned the next day to have it again (eggslut line was even longer). This is my only negative feeback. Lardo was considerably more busy and the line cook who cooked my burger the day before was not online. The burger was still great, but it felt more hastily assembled – the sauce was heavier, the quality of the cook was not as good. It felt rushed. My only regret is not asking the gentlemen who cooked my burger his name. He deserves a plug as he put together a flawless cheeseburger. I will return. I will get the Double Burger again and I will make sure I give this man his due.

Final Score – 10/10 (off-peak); 9/10 (peak)