Elated by Elevation Burger?

Eh...
BF and I made it to Elevation Burger in Harbor East on Monday for there Grand Opening. Dinner rush was not off putting at all, the line was short and the menu even shorter, making quick selections that much easier. The whole appeal is "healthy alternatives"... cooking fries in olive oil, grass-fed happy cows and fresh ingredients and toppings.

I tried the "Half the Guilt" burger, comprised of one beef patty and one veggie patty with cheeeeeese. There were two veggie options available to choose from. One that is vegan and one is more veggie-esque? I didn't quite get the difference but opted for the veggie-tasting one anyway. The selection of toppings were stellar; ranging from the norm lettuce, tomato, to the more obscure balsamic mustard and hot pepper relish. The caramalized onions were on point. It was nice to have ripe tomatoes too. Those pale, almost white variety at the other burger joints don't really add much...Overall I dug the burger. Nice to be able to have the best of both worlds- meat and veggie patties unite! Next time I might shoot for the "Vertigo Burger", a build your own burger with stacks ranging from 3-10 patties. Reminiscent of the stackable patties at In N Out Burger.

Fries were ok, not really worth the extra calories. Couldn't taste much of a difference with the use of olive oil. They were those skinny cut kinds, I feel like thicker cut potato wedges would be more in line with their health conscious schtick.

Side note: there are side salad options available on the menu. I was all about ordering one and then I looked to my left and saw them in plastic to-go bowls in the fridge. Yeah...fries instead please.

Will go back to try the shakes. Would have gotten back in line for dessert but only had plastic and there machines were down so I would have had to gone through another manual credit charge.

There are definitely some kinks to work out; slow service (attributed to grill breaking down earlier in the day and general learning curve), but most importantly NO VIBE. Other new sprouting burger joints have character and pizazz! Like The Counter. Don't get me started on the Counter, I so badly wanted Elevation Burger to be like this place. But I'm sure EB will develop its own unique charm over time...

PS-Big turn off- No Music! Get XM or something. It made the place seem very sterile.