I had a Yelp event in the Short North, and it just so happen to be 614's Burger & Beer Week, so we decided to grab dinner downtown before the event. I've been to Soul at The Joseph once before, just for drinks however. Their special burger sounded enticing, and our event was starting just around the corner, two birds/one stone. Wanted to comment on the layout of Soul. Not my favorite in town. There's no tables out in the lobby, which I felt didn't match; doesn't make me want to stay, eat, visit, spend money here. They want to push the posh vibes of "a cool, hip, contemporary hotel, and oh yeah, ps, we have food"? Not sure. The bar area is rather disappointing, imo. The first half of the seats get the natural sunlight and an open-views concept, but the back half of the bar is closed off by a wall and doesn't get any natural light; it's a rather dark area compared to everywhere else in the lobby. Strange and not exactly inviting. Their $6 offering was The Soul Burger: bacon, manchego, lettuce, pickled zucchini, lemon and garlic aioli. Didn't want the bun, asked to be wrapped in lettuce. The meat was juicy, but I couldn't taste any of the distinct components, it just felt like I was chewing for sustenance not enjoyment. The fries were good, slightly warm (down-grade), but decent flavor. Point: The burger matched the price; I was expecting more seasonings/flavor umph, but it was not present. Would I come back here? Solo, no. With friends? I'd push for other options, but if nothing else is picked, I suppppppose....?
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