Truffle Butter? In Fishtown? Oh how the neighborhood has changed.
Ok, the neighborhood hasn’t changed that much, but Sketch has raised the bar when it comes to decadent ingredients with their Truffle Butter Burger. Served on a Le Bus bun (spread with said butter), atop a bed of caramelized onions (with more truffle butter) and slathered with a dollop more truffle butter for good measure, this burger pretty much glistened with flavor. The patty itself is 8 oz. of 80/20 ground beef cooked ideally just shy of medium ensuring that it was super-moist even beyond the butter’s assistance. All told, this was a superb burger from a place we’ve been meaning to hit for some time since missing FWTS’s Burger Club meeting back in September.
Sketch calls itself a Vegan-Friendly Burger & Shake Shack and although we didn’t have anything Vegan, we did order up some of their homemade mac & cheese for our daughter. With 4 cheeses and a secret spice or two, the mac was a hit and would stand up well on any menu. We also ordered one of the daily specials, a dish called Hong Kong Style Pulled Pork, which was a mix of supremely tender pork and Hoisin sauce served in an Asian bun (yeast rolls). Served three to an order and looking like mini tacos, these were completely unexpected and would probably warrant a burger-less return trip. The Belgian-style frites are served with a choice of dipping sauces and we chose the traditional Aioli. Crispy on the outside and mashed potato smooth on the inside, they rank high among fries in the city.
Sketch itself is a pretty funky spot on Girard not too far from Johnny Brenda’s and Kung Fu Necktie, which will certainly come in handy the next time I can sneak out to a show. The place is beyond child friendly, with crayons and paper on the table and ample wall space to hang your burger-related artwork as you are waiting for your food to arrive. Boylan’s Cane Sugar Cola in the self-serve fridge was a pleasant surprise and next time we’ll be certain to check out the shakes, including a Vegan shake option, and there certainly will be a next time. The Burger Club knocked it for being pricey and it was ($8.50 for the truffle burger), but it is only fair to add that the value was pretty high, too. Each dish was clearly created from scratch with tons of creativity and attention to detail. Yes, $30 for a Sunday family lunch is above our norm, but we left feeling as if we had gotten our money’s worth.
For the DIY set, here is a recipe for truffle butter which shouldn’t be too difficult to make at home.
For more information on Fishtown visit fishtown.com.
burgatory.com 
I love the thought of adding butter to a burger. Also, great pics!
Thanks Joe.
What kind of new camera/lens did you get? The Freddie’s post you did was pretty amazing…the shot of the burger 3rd from the bottom is deadly.
I picked up a Canon 7d with the EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 lens. Just wish I knew how to us it – haha.
I had toyed with the idea of giving up burgers next year. It’s clear that to do so, I would also have to give up reading your blog. Just keep adding spots to my list of places to try, why don’t you!
Thanks Helen.
I’ve toyed with the idea of going veg, too – Michael Pollan needs to stop ruining every meal for me with his darn books.
That pork looks amazing! Will have to check it out. Great pictures.
Thanks Jess.
We spoke with Phyllis? (the owner) for a while after our meal and she talked about having the Burger Club in the restaurant a few months back. She is a real burger fan, too.
I was crushed by your recent tweet that Burgerville was a dud. I have built up that chain in my mind so much…ugh!
Last time I was at Sketch was awhile back, when they had only a handful of burger, topping, and salad options and the only side was Utz cheese balls. I cannot wait to get back!
Your pictures are enough to hold me over until then!
Thanks Casey. We’re thinking of heading back this weekend. Such a great place and truly great people.
Marc, truffle butter is a great alternative that I haven’t tried yet to truffle oil, which I just found out is actually artificial in most cases! Check Wikipedia for details.. it’s some chemical artificial flavor if you can believe that! Apparently many professional chefs actually use it anyway.