The Cherry Cricket

Mile High Mastication

I was in Denver last week at a convention and after the all-day affair I decided to unwind a bit and satisfy my gastronomic urge. Yup, I had a burger on my mind.

Not being familiar with the landscape, I did a quick Google search on “best burgers in Denver” and came up with somewhat unsatisfactory results. I chose the Denver Post review of some local favorites, however many of the choices seemed to be high-end sit down chain restaurants, or at least I assumed that judging by the psuedo-elegent names (you know...where "grill" ended with an "e").

One name that stood out and didn't sound like a chain was The Cherry Cricket, which to this suspecting tourist sounded like equal parts a dart game and Grindhouse heroine…therefore awesome. However, the moniker is partly indigenous to its area in the outskirts of Denver and home to a great self-titled dive bar that was very reminiscent of my favorite watering hole in Kent, The Zephyr.

I ordered the infamous Cricket Burger, which has garnered an impressive cult following over the years if you do a quick search, and the establishment itself was voted as Westword's Best of Denver 2008 Award for Best Burger Bar. The burger came topped with smoked cheddar and three strips of crispy bacon and I topped ‘er off with a healthy serving of ketchup.

My ravenous hunger took over and I devoured the burger in less than four minutes. Passersby can attest to this feat, but I will get to this point later.

Despite my raging appetite, which could have affected the judging process, I have to say the burger met expectations, but did not exceed as I was expecting based upon the hype. The half-pounder – perfectly cooked as ordered at medium rare – lacked the anticipated taste and was completely overpowered by the cheese and swine.

It wasn’t bad by any means, and I would definitely go back to try another concoction, but was slightly disappointing considering it was reportedly a smidgen away from taking the honors of third best burger in the nation by the Wall Street Journal in 2007. That’s a minute ago, yes, but quality shouldn’t be jeopardized over the span of two years.

My instincts tell me I need to give it a second chance however, so I’m definitely going to take it easy on my grading because I need another sample or two before I discount the establishment altogether. There was too much good going on in its favor and even post-experience I’ve heard nothing but good things from other natives.

What did exceed expectations was a craft beer (odells no.5) I enjoyed, which was dark, moody, extremely flavorful and a wonderful complement to the meal. And the scene of the bar seemed generally appropriate – group of buddies playing darts (I knew it!), fitting 80’s and 90’s power rock, an awkward couple on a date sitting on one side of a booth, two cougars trolling for frisky cubs and so on and so forth.

Special thanks to Kate and Mark for the hilarious initial inquiry about why I taking pictures of my food, the great conversations afterwards about sports and television, and ultimately for the transportation home.

This post’s for you.

The Cherry Cricket
2641 E 2nd Ave

Denver, CO 80206

(303) 322-7666
www.cherrycricket.com