So here are the scores.
Atmospheric Conditions: Sunny with a chance of rain. Heh, Seriously, it was pretty awesomely set up. The downstairs area is the main restaurant, meant for families and walk ins. The upstairs is a bar, and set up for large parties. Since I went with my ridiculously large fam (see: 17 people invading a restaurant in the Loop), we sat in the bar area. You had a decent view of the street, big, pretty windows. There was a pool table, and there were also several vintage arcade games.
(Pics are my *little* cousin Mark, teaching my cousin AJ how to shoot/helping him with the arcade games. What else is having a big cousin in the marines good for? [Answer: STORYTIME...])
The local fauna aren't bad. Family types. Everyone was pretty...upper west side. This place seems like a place where suburban folk travel to so that they can *experience* the city. At least they're trying. Like I have any room to talk. I spend 4 nights a week downtown but then drive my butt back to Jeffco because I'm too wimpy to live in the city. *FACEPALM* I'm a city rat that immigrates nightly to the suburbs. Or that's what I tell m'self.
At any rate, no one obnoxious, it was loud, but not so loud that you can't hear or have a conversation, and it was clean. It also had some awesome stuff to keep you occupied while you wait. If trouble were to happen, it would be based on a "tonight shit hit the fan," not "trouble starts here" or "the vibe sucks."
I give the atmosphere an 8/10, because while it was really cool, it wasn't knock-my-socks-off cool.
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The next 3 are going to have to be mish mashed, cuz I said so.
So, the server was kind of a genius. Good kid. Maybe 18 or 19. Upon seeing the psychotic loud bunch, he immediately gets a pad of paper. Now, he doesn't come over and take our drink order - cuz let me tell you what, if you take the drink order of 17 people and put the food in later, the kids will be screaming like you took their gifts from Santa before you get the appetizers out.
He was smart enough to recognize that, and took our drinks, appetizers and food all at once and got them going. I ordered:
Fitz's Root Beer (Bottomless)
Chocolate Shake
Texas Burger (A burger with chili, american cheese and fried onions)
Fries
Let me say this: No one. No. One. Has ever had a chocolate shake this awesome before. I was, undeniably, starving when they brought it to me. But they put a ton of chocolate in it, and I think they must have used ACTUAL milk and ice cream. Anyway, it was delicious, for a chocolate shake.
The rootbeer was...well, it was rootbeer. It was kind of...lacking carbonation, imho. I want my rootbeer to be fizzy. I felt like it was flat. I mean, it tasted pretty awesome, in the flatness, but flat, nonetheless.
Finally...my burger came. It was beautiful! Look at the glorious picture and TREMBLE.
I've been *digesting* this critique for a little more than a week now. And...the burger was...ok. I mean, it was infinitely better than McDonalds. I was so hungry at the time I said, "This is awesome." But the truth of it is, if someone had given me craft mac n cheese at the moment, I would have thought it was God's Food.
The chili was the best part of my burger. And...it wasn't great chili. It was the EXACT kind of chili that belongs on a burger though. It wasn't too spicy, it tasted the way that hot dog chili is supposed to taste. I would bet they get it out of a can, and that's that. The fried onions were...well, mushy. They put them on significantly before they got to me, and they were nothing but a luke-warm mess by the time they got to me. The burger was a little dry, although it was definitely the right thickness. The bun was pretty awesome...but I'm here for the burger, not the bun.
The french fries...were overdone. Fried until they were just fried potato, without any potato left. Really salty. They were good, but not, by any means, the best I've ever had.
Just as I was lamenting my food, I noticed my cousin Missy (who is gluten-intolerant) eyeing her plate woefully. She had specifically asked to have her food made around her allergy, and yet, her plate was staring at her filled with wheat products.
But...the waiter noticed! Score one for the smart boy! He said, "oh, I will have them remake that." Missy, having been screwed by restaurants before...was wary that they would scrape it. But low and behold, they actually cooked a new meal for her (trust me. I followed up to see how she fared).
So...
How the Burger Stands Alone: 5. Definitely on par with Frichilibees. It didn't really surpass it, but then, I'd rather go to Fitz's and support the locals than go to a FriChiliBees and support big business for more money and the same quality food...
How the Sides Add Up: 6 - The fries and the rootbeer were - again, no worse than chain food. But the shake pulls the score up a bit.
How the Service Stacks - The kid and the kitchen staff earn the place a 9. It's refreshing to see people in the restaurant biz care about how the restaurant is run. They did a great job.
OVERALL AWESOME METER: Fitz's Scores at a 7. The staff and the atmosphere make it a worthwhile trip...but there wasn't anything spectacular or stand out about the place. The burgers need to get some attention, and the menu could do with a little...livening.
But...a burger is a burger, and my tummy is still happy about the whole affair.
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