Wendy Logan photo

The B.E.C. looks like this — enough said

Burger Bar and Bistro
58 N. Main St., Norwalk, (203) 853-2037

As the weather turns cool, my going-out-radar turns from outdoor venues with water views and seafood to funky, low-key pubs. I'm looking for casual but quality food, a few flat screens to watch baseball playoffs and early-season football, and a fun staff to help me forget that the summer was woefully short. I'm also looking for a place that doesn't make me feel like any given fellow bar customer's mom.

Burger Bar in South Norwalk has been mostly filling this bill for me for several years, with one tiny problem: The place was tiny. Not anymore. Just a couple of months ago, this haven for burger lovers of all ages took over the space next door, adding an expansive and entirely separate bar room with a fully stocked bar, a bunch of high-top tables, two added flat screens, a new staff and rotating art exhibits along the walls. Now, I can hunker down for my favorite "Boomer Burger" without sharing space with noisy toddlers and the families that now enjoy the run of the entire dining room (sports families take heart: they've got a TV in there, too, plus games and crayons for kids).

The aforementioned triple-ground, juicy-beyond-reason, well-seasoned beef burger is one of 11 inventive options that comes on a fluffy-puffy bun topped with sautéed mushrooms, creamy goat cheese and truffle essence. The hint of earthy truffle adds depth and just a touch of sophistication to the flavor combination.

The boys in my crew, one so-called grownup and one so-called teen, sneer at my haughty choice. Without fail, they go all California and wild west on me, preferring the classic Baja — a cheddar, bacon and hot sauce burger — and the Cowboy, with pepper jack cheese, a smoky-sweet barbecue sauce, bacon, and a mound of frizzled onions to top it all off.

To blow their manly minds, I recently went all-out and ordered the over-the-top B.E.C. This is a delicious heart attack on a plate, with double American cheese, crisp bacon, spicy ketchup, a pile of thin and well-salted french fries, and the kicker: a perfectly fried egg. You only live once, and if it's really the food that's going to get me, it might as well be the B.E.C. Bite in and, as the yolk melts over the lightly crisped fries, drips ever so slightly onto the bacon and finally mingles with the mild, velvety cheese, you're in burger heaven. R.I.P.

On the healthier end of the burger spectrum, some Burger Bar options allow me to go lighter without sacrificing an ounce of flavor or satisfaction. Both the turkey burger and the house-made veggie burger here are stellar. If you add a little Swiss or goat cheese and close your eyes, the former is so juicy and perfectly seasoned that you might mistake it for well-done beef. The latter, dotted with fresh veggies — peas, carrots, spinach, potato and herbs, manages to avoid the texturally odd, rice-laden heaviness, the tofu blandness and the over-salted frenzy so common to pre-packaged versions. Again, with a little cheese, this veggie burger manages to remain hearty and tasty at once.

There are five salads at Burger Bar, including a Cobb you can make a meal out of. We recently tried the appetizer-sized marinated beet salad, with small chunks of juicy red beets, crumbled goat cheese, mint and a basil- and truffle-infused vinaigrette. Here, the truffle is extraneous, as is the mint, both fighting for attention in a dish that's already made flavorful by the strength of the basil and the tangy beets and goat cheese.

For a terrific starter, go for the tender-crisp pork dumplings that pack a well-orchestrated blend of salty, spicy and sweet elements. Top your spicy pillow with some delicate shreds of the accompanying apple relish, smear it in a touch of the puckery aged apple balsamic drizzle, and dip it into the soy sauce for a beautifully balanced bite.

Or try the broiled shrimp skewer. The large prawns are cooked in the shell to preserve their juiciness and served with a smoky roasted corn salad with black beans, lemony cilantro and sweet red onions. While I'd prefer a lighter hand on the cilantro, the tender grilled shrimp marries so well with the salad that I'm sold.

There are hot dogs here (and turkey dogs), sandwiches like a grilled chicken Reuben, and Blue Plates like fish and chips, New York strip with fried yucca and avocado salad, and an open-face meatloaf melt. Thanks to the expansion, there's now also pizza at Burger Bar; damn good pizza, owing in part to the authentic New York–style oven and in part to the dough that bakes to that elusive, just-slightly crisped but still chewy and lightly floury crust. Leaning toward thin but still thick enough to support its toppings (culinary gods save me from pizza crust that crunches like a cracker), this is a great pizza. The sauce, aromatic with oregano, has enough salty tang to stand up to mild, oozing mozzarella or any topping you'd like on your red pie. The teen and his pal went bonkers over a recent Buffalo chicken pie, a white version that combines mozzarella and blue cheese, spicy cubes of Buffalo wing–sauced chicken and shards of crunchy celery.

At the end of the day, though, it's all about the burger. How about the Rob, dressed with chunky ripe guacamole, chili sour cream and pico de gallo sauce? Or the Anna, stacked with sweet onions, melty brie, a crispy fried tomato and a warm veggie crema? You can get fancy here, with Kobe beef burgers and a great bottle of wine, but for us, it's a great beer or two and one of the many "AAAmazing" or "Innovative" burgers that makes Burger Bar so special.