Ozzi's Steakburgers - Warwick

You’ve gotta go to this place before it closes. If you do, maybe it won’t. It opened last June, and I’ve never seen it crowded – even at times when it should be crowded. This place is all about The Burger, starting with 6 Oz. of ground Hereford Take that, Angus! beef. The key word in that last sentence is “starting” . A $6.50 Ozzi Burger is a build your own project with high quality, some on-premise made, choices of Bun, Cheese, Toppings 2 , and Sauce. Additional add-ons are available for additional money. Ozzi’s does a great job of straddling the fence between the two traditional Burger worlds – the Meat Burger and the Augmented Burger. You know. The Meat Burger is all about the Beef. It’s big and juicy, and doesn’t need much in the way of additions to shine, while the meat on the Augmented Burger is more a place-keeper – something to surround with a combination of complementary tastes and textures. Ozzi’s is both. There’s just enough beefy tasting beef to qualify for Meat Burger status, and more than enough options to make it in the Augmented category. The abundance of choices puts the burden of better Burger building directly on the buyer, however. Having lots of choices is great, but it’s also a great responsibility. I wish there were four or five OzziBurger combinations on the menu for days when I’m feeling lazy, but my last choice; call it the Triple Onion Raw, Grilled Fried Strings , with Ozzi’s Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise was worth all the time and agonizing it took to dream up. How was it, you ask? It was almost perfect. The flavors and textures of the Triple O combo – even before adding the Mayo – were killer: Sharp tang of the raw slice, sweet smokiness of the grilled rings, and crunch of the strings. Wow! Just south of perfect, though the meat was cooked rare, as ordered, the grill man ? smushed it, maybe to make it cook more quickly, rather than leaving it nice and thick as I would have preferred. Okay, so you know what I think of the Burgers at Ozzi’s. There are actually things on the menu other than the usual complement of Burger accessories. The menu has a Salad selection including a Turkey Taco, and there are even Turkey and Veggie burgers small b intentional and Grilled Chicken . . . but I’ve never seen anyone eating them. I do have a small beef with the ubiquitous Burger Balancer and salt delivery system, the French Fry. Billed as “Ozzi’s World Famous French Fries” and described as “Double Cooked” as they should be , they somehow fall short of that soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside perfection that make the cholesterol worthwhile. It’s pretty obvious that the eclectic mix of Burger cognoscenti – suits, painter’s pants, spiked hair – etc, are returnees. There’s plenty of traffic and lots of retailing on Post Rd. in Warwick, less than a mile from TF Green. The food is great, and the whole act couldn’t be more earnest or honest about wanting to please. So, why isn’t the place busier? I don’t know, so I implore you to do your civic and culinary duty. Go to Ozzi’s before it closes, so it won’t.