Henbit
★★★★☆ 4.3 (23)
"I was looking forward to being the first to review Henbit -- the new "popup" burger joint at The Pearl's food hall -- not because I craved a smattering of insincere "Congrats on your FTR!" "compliments" from strangers but because I was duly impressed and wanted my review to take the interwebs by storm. Unfortunately, I see that a fellow named John E. has beaten me to the punch. *Fortunately*, however, Mr. E.'s review focuses on Henbit's vegan "chicken" sandwich*, so I shall still be the first to regale Yelp with my fresh (and totally accurate) assessment of the main event, the outstanding Henbit burger!The skeletal menu describes the Henbit burger as follows: two patties of Peeler Farms beef, milk bun, American cheese, shitake aioli, sour pickles, tomato, onions, and red romaine. What the menu doesn't divulge is that the patties are smashed, which often translates to "hard and bereft of all juiciness." If you read my review of Tin Top Burger Co. in New Braunfels (the owner sure did...and he didn't like it one bit!), then you know how I feel about the trendy smash burger concept. In many cases, the patties are about as texturally appealing and juicy as a bulldozed hockey puck. In very rare instances, however, a burger joint works its alchemy to produce a smashed patty that's crisp and desiccated around the edges yet juicy in the middle. Such was the case at Henbit!Of course, a burger is more than just the meat. The other constituent parts -- nothing superfluous -- must coalesce, mingle, and meld into something special. I'm pleased to report, Dear Reader, that the Henbit burger -- in all its constituent parts -- was indeed nothing short of spectacular. At first, I was concerned that the bun might be too weak to withstand the juices from the meat and veggies, but it held up from beginning to end. The shitake aioli might sound like a gimmick, but it added a bold umami flavor reminiscent of *real* black truffles. The tomato and pickles cut through the richness with sweetness and acidity, respectively, while the onions and romaine added crunch. If you took a gander at my photo (which *should* be the featured one on Yelp), then you probably noticed that it includes not two but three patties. That's because I added a third for $3.50 extra. Each patty weighs only three ounces, so nine ounces of beef doesn't sound too extravagant...unless you're some kind of a wuss. I'm not sure how long Henbit will remain in The Pearl's food hall, but it strikes me as a semi-permanent fixture. Perhaps the owners are advertising it as a limited-time offering simply to drum up business. I can only speculate. What I *can* tell you is that my burger ranked among the top five in the city...and that's saying something coming from me. I go out a lot, I eat lots of burgers, and I'm super duper smart. I know of what I speak, folks, so trust me when I say that Henbit is an excellent addition to The Pearl and one of the best places for a burger in San Antonio. *Ordering a vegan "chicken" sandwich from a burger joint is like ordering water at a saloon in the Wild West...or using a slingshot in the showdown that ensues when the other patrons disapprove of your beverage of choice."
"What can one say about Papa John's Pizza? It's going to be all about who is hired at this particular location at the time and who is delivering it. I would use Uber Eats and not call it in because then you're using THEM and not a service meant for delivery and it comes faster, in my experience. We've had one bad problem with the pizza and we received a credit for our pizza and a credit for a future pizza and wings. So we were pleased. Again, this was based on employees there at the time. It is a franchise, after all. Probably rolling the dice there. Pizza is typical Papa John's quality. A 7/10. So good for a pizza night when you're tired of dealing with the wait times of other "local places"."
"This location was very clean with lots of indoor seating available. I ordered through the app so I had minimal interactions with the staff. I was waiting for my ranch on the side but it seems they don't read the special instructions for online orders since my ranch was on top and there was no extra pepperoni. Online ordering does not allow you to ask for extra toppings so my toppings were pretty slim. Overall, the food tasted great and the service was quick."
