the odd burgers of blt.

We've been to eat at BLT Burger in the Mirage a few times now, and it has been pleasant each visit. But what initially seemed to set the place apart from its upscale burger shop competition -- namely the interesting blend of beef in its signature burgers and off-the-wall options like a lamb tandoori burger -- provided nothing but disappointment during a Labor Day weekend trip to the Strip.

In a fine and festive mood after a few tropical cocktails on the Rhumbar patio, we took our normal seats at BLT's bar and perused the menu, destined to experiment. Would it be that weird lamb burger, with mint-cilantro yogurt sauce? Sounded a little scary. Maybe a salmon burger with avocado and watercress? Too soft. We decided on two crazies: the Asian "banh mi" pork and shrimp burger with pickled veggies, cucumber and sriracha mayo, and the Tex-Mex, beef with jalapenos, chili, avocado, salsa, cheese, and onion sour cream.

Wrong on both. Sounds like that Tex-Mex has way too much shit on it to actually taste the burger, huh? Yup. The chili was kinda bland, there was corn in it (which is fine but a little weird spilling out of your burger) and the only definitive taste was the heat from the jalapenos. That interesting blend of beef is a combination of sirloin, chuck, brisket and short rib, a tasty concoction with enough fatty flavor and beefy goodness. But it's so lost under this pile of mush. The Asian burger (pictured) was a different problem; the firm shrimp and pork patty held up but the toppings were useless. There was no sign of sriracha in this saucy mess, the radish and carrot were only slightly pickled and there was no spice, removing any similarity to our beloved banh mi sandwiches. The consistency of the burger was problematic as well. It reminded me of a kitchen accident from long ago, when my household was given the gift of elk. A friend had shot one and had it butchered into various forms: ground elk, steaks, jerky, elk sausage, etc. One day, craving burger, I grabbed one of the unmarked meat packages in my freezer, thawed and cooked one up, and when I chomped into it I realized it was sausage, not burger. It doesn't work, nor does this Asian burger. Odd flavor, odd texture, no good. On the plus side, BLT's sweet potato fries and onion rings are tasty.

Now, the fancy burger joint rankings look like this: 1-Burger Bar, 2-BLT, 3-LBS, 4-StripBurger.