Best Burger in Aiken Part 4 - Playoffs

Location - Playoffs Sports Bar and Grill, 205 Richland Ave W, Aiken, SC 29801
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We've all been there. You have a friend come up to you or message you and say, "You HAVE to try this place." They sometimes say things like, "It will change your life," or "It's so awesome that 'X', 'Y', and/or 'Z' wishes they could be like this."

Well, that is exactly what happened leading up to Monday night's trip. A friend of mine knew I was doing this challenge and blog and he suggested that I need to get to Playoffs A.S.A.P. He said, among other things, "It's what Burger King wishes it could be."

OK then, right then I made that my next stop. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying that I think Burger King has superior burgers. Quite the contrary. They are always advertising that they have the best flame brioled burgers you could ever taste. However, no matter how many times you go, or when you go, I know each and every one of you has looked at your burger and gone, "Really? That's what all the fuss is about?" You feel duped and like you spent way too much money on even that.

But that's a chain. They really don't make anything from scratch and the only reason they are still afloat is because they dump millions and billions of dollars into advertising each and every year. They have to so they can attract either the poor saps who think a chain like Burger King or McDonald's could ever make something "home-made-esque" or to at least make the weary travelers and the hard workers who want something quick and easy think it's any better than the competitor across the street.

But I have digressed. So, before we get into it, here it is. The best burger I have had SO FAR during this challenge, compliments of Playoffs Sports Bar and Grill:

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: "Did he REALLY just say that? Best burger, already?" I said so far. Of the three burgers I have eaten for this challenge, this one has distanced itself from the other two. But I am not ready to declare this the king of burgers in Aiken.

So, for this outing I decided to change things up a bit. 1) instead of going at lunch, I went at dinner time, 2) I went on a Monday instead of a Wednesday, 3) I had an adult beverage with my burger (FYI, Sam Adams Summer Ale is on point. I shall be enjoying that a few more times this summer), 4) I sat outside instead of inside because it was too gorgeous of an evening to be stuck inside.

So, now that you know the new variables, I also want to say that I went up there and was actually torn. I originally couldn't decide if I wanted to go to Playoffs or City B's, but I remembered what Poitier told me and because the first two were burgers were new to me, I figured I'd stick with that trend for at least one more posting.

So, I went in to Playoffs and ordered the "build your own burger." No fancy name, and I asked for it the way it comes. While I changed a few things up with this posting, I wanted to keep the burgers as close as possible. Like the other places, it comes with your usuals: lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, ketchup, and mustard and whatever cheese you decide on. I chose American because, 'Merica. No, not really. I actually hate that stupid saying.

Anyways, like all good things that are not made on an assembly line from old and frozen materials, this burger took a little time. I didn't put a timer on it because I was a bit distracted by talking to a couple friends who happened to walk by that I hadn't seen in a while. My internal clock told me it took a hot minute, but not so long that I was getting impatient. I felt it took the right amount of time to cook and make something the way it should be, just like the two places before it did as well.

When it was delivered, I was impressed. Again, not like the cook had drawn swirls on the plate or that it was the size of a small country, but that for bar food, it came out looking really good. Just look at that picture above and tell me you aren't thinking about trying Playoffs for lunch or dinner today even though it is Cinco de Mayo.

The first thing I noticed was that from what I could see, the patty looks like it was actually flame kissed. The other two, I don't think I could say that about them. And I also noticed that the bun was different. Sure, it was slightly smooshed but it seemed lightly toasted and it was a sesame seed bun - every little thing counts, people.

Quick side note before diving into that burger, I was asked earlier in the week if the fries could make or break a burger. I say no, not the burger, but they can make or break your dinner experience overall. Let's face it, we're a bunch of fried-food-lovers here in America and if you mess up the fries, that's just wrong. These fries were a tad on the over-done side, but they were huge. At first I thought they were sweet potato fries, but turns out they were just over cooked a bit. Again, this isn't about the fries, it's about the burger, and they were still pretty good,

So on to that first bite. It was really, really good (yes, I took the toothpick out before diving in). I was immediately struck by the taste and that there was something different about this burger. It turns out that it was spicy mustard instead of normal yellow from what I could tell. Well-done, Playoffs. Well-done. I like any burger that naturally sets itself apart from the others by having spicy mustard, or jalapeno mayonnaise or something to that effect.

The patty was done just right with a small touch of pink just in middle. It never fell apart, wasn't overly juicy but wasn't dry either and it wasn't perfectly round or uniform. It didn't overwhelm me, but as I took bite after bite, I continually had a very good mixture of cheese, spicy mustard, veggies, burger and bread throughout and I had a very hard time putting that burger down. Until I hit the middle.

Again, too much onion.

But that still didn't take away from how impressed I was with this burger. The produce was fresh and crisp, only the onion was in surplus. I've already raved about the patty and the cheese was melted just right. It was a thick slice, as well, and it nicely wrapped itself around that warm burger nicely. And, oh yeah, the burger was nice and warm when I got it.

Because of all of that, I say that this burger jumped to the head of the class for now.

Price - $8.49 (burger and fries) so it is right there with the others
Ambience - For those of you who know, frequent, or avoid Playoffs, it is a completely different experience around dinner time on a Monday night. I personally don't like going there on a Friday or Saturday night because it is entirely too loud, they don't have my favorite beer on tap or my favorite bartender slinging drinks, and I don't feel like running into certain people who would rather go there than somewhere a bit quieter. Oh, and my favorite place has bluegrass and similar music playing whereas Playoffs on a Friday or Saturday night tends to be a bit more "hoppin'." On Monday night, it was entirely different. There was 1 bartender, 3 or 4 locals having after work beers, and the music was whatever the patrons selected on the "juke box." I honestly don't know what the machine is called, but it's our modern day juke box I suppose.

Seriously, if you're like me and don't frequent Playoffs because of similar reasons, give it a try at a different time and try it for dinner. I think you will enjoy it.