The Ponderosa burger with fries and a chocolate milkshake is shown at Bend Burger Company's Third Street location. Bend Burger Company came in at No. 1 in the readers survey for Where to GO! for a burger. (Joe Kline/Bulletin file photo)

I was dubious when I learned that the Bend Burger Co. was opening a second outlet on Bend’s north side, opposite Wagner Mall.

The original downtown Bend shop, after all, had failed to impress me on two separate review visits five years apart. I didn’t dislike the burgers there, but the standard of service and cleanliness left a great deal to be desired. I couldn’t imagine that a renovation of the former El Pollo Gordo site would result in any quantum improvement.

I was wrong. In multiple visits to the new Bend Burger Co., I have found it to be everything the flagship location was not. Burgers are better than ever, but perhaps more importantly, the employees are professional in their attention to maintenance and customer service. The 60-seat restaurant could easily deteriorate into fast-food mode; instead, it retains an upscale, contemporary feel.

Indeed, a sign at the entrance to the restaurant emphasizes: “Caution! This is not fast food!” And it’s not.

On that first visit, it was relatively slow food. I learned that burger lovers in a hurry would be well advised to call ahead with their order and pick it up 15 to 20 minutes later from a drive-through window.

Photos to dine by

But even as I waited with a soft drink, I wasn’t bored. On a wall behind the front kitchen area, a video screen presented a slide show featuring photographs of Central Oregon recreation and events, interspersed with Bend Burger food photos. Similar shots were mounted as posters between windows that welcomed light from three directions.

On that first visit, I enjoyed a Mirror Pond burger — one of a dozen varieties offered on the blackboard menu, along with various chicken, steak and other sandwiches.

About one-third pound of lean ground beef, hand-shaped and char-grilled medium, was perfectly cooked to preserve its juiciness. Mushrooms and red onions were thinly sliced and grilled, then layered atop the meat with a slice of melted Swiss cheese. The excellent bun, made in Bend by Big Ed’s Artisan Bread, was dressed with mayonnaise and a spread of the restaurant’s own Bend Burger Sauce.

Instead of fries, I chose to accompany my burger with an order of sweet potato tots — soft and savory on the inside, crispy on the outside.

Sandwich fare

On a subsequent visit with my dining companion, I had hoped to try one of the restaurant’s tri-tip steak sandwiches. On that particular day, they apologized: They had no steak. But the attendant suggested that I try a “brat burger,” promising that I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Indeed, it was a unique flavor experience. Ground beef was blended with German sausage meat to make the patty; I didn’t find it as juicy as a straight burger, but the toppings were great — especially a layer of tangy sauerkraut and two crispy slices of bacon. It also had melted Swiss cheese and lots of grilled red onion, along with a spread of German mustard on the Big Ed’s bun.

On the side, I had a house salad of green and red leaf lettuce, red onion, chopped tomato and grated cheddar cheese. On my request, it was finished with honey mustard dressing.

My companion opted for the vegetarian Westside Garden Burger. The black-bean patty didn’t hold together well (a common problem, it seems, with veggie burgers), but she liked the flavor, especially topped as it was with roasted red peppers, mushrooms, grilled onions and tart pepperoncini.

Her favorite part of the meal, however, was a side dish of “Central Oregon green beans.” A Bend Burger Co. original, the beans were seasoned and pan-seared, then tossed with bacon bits and deep-fried onion straws. The bacon prevents this dish from qualifying as vegetarian, of course, but the flavor is delicious.

Driving through

I was looking for one more example of a Bend Burger Co. sandwich, so as I headed out of town a couple of weeks ago — and keeping in mind the extra time it takes to prepare an order from scratch — I called ahead and ordered a Phil’s Trail Philly.

The order was waiting for me at the drive-through window when I arrived about 15 minutes later. Served piping hot on a large and lightly grilled French roll was a sandwich of smoked tri-tip with grilled onions, mushrooms and red bell peppers, along with crumbles of blue cheese and the house burger sauce.

It was good, but I didn’t love it. The onions were scorched, and the taste of carbon overpowered the other flavors of the Philly sandwich.

I was glad to also have ordered a thick chocolate milk shake, which provided some coating for my tongue.

— Reporter: janderson@bendbulletin.com