THE HEALTHY BURGER

BUNS Burger Shop, across from Marriott Hotel
on Ashford Ave., San Juan, P.R.

What is it about the hamburger that makes it such a favorite everywhere?

Such a homely food and yet a whole array of condiments and toppings can turn this simple pairing of ground meat patty and bread buns into a gustatory delight. San Juan has no dearth of hamburger options, from big league franchisers Burger King and McDonald's to homegrown El Hamburger whose little grilled burgers and al fresco locale in Puerta de Tierra have earned it iconic status. And now comes along BUNS, the new burger shop in Condado that's ready to give the competition a run for its money with an affordable yet upscale hamburger featuring a top of the line ingredient: 100% certified all natural Black Angus feef that is free of hormones, antibiotics and fillers and is delivered fresh, never frozen, by a stateside distributor.

This newest entry in the local burger scene is the brainchild of two young entrepreneurs in their 20s, Fidel Alonso and Benjamin Aruca. The two are old friends who decided to team up and start a business where they could apply their individual skills. Aruca has experience in the food industry thanks to his family connection with Los Chavales, a well-known restaurant in Hato Rey, while Alonso studied finance in Rhode Island. "We were looking for something simple and that we obviously liked," said Alonso, who most days can be found at the restaurant making sure that everyone is running smoothly. Both liked hamburgers so "we jumped in."

By appealing to the health conscious, BUNS is decidedly breaking ground. After all, antibiotics and hormone-free meat, readily available in large metropolitan centers like New York and Los Angeles, is not commonly found in Puerto Rico supermarkets though specialty stores like Meats N' More on Loiza St. carry it. Still, Alonso makes no secret that the company's special take on the burger is aimed at the general public, not just consumers who are particular about the content of the meat they eat.  

During the eight months it took them to get the concept off the ground, the duo scouted locations and visited different franchises in Florida for inspiration.  Friends helped suggest names for the business with the cheeky "buns" winning out in the end. Most challenging, according to Alonso, was devising " an extraction system that would efficiently dispose of the smoke and grease that is produced (in making burgers)."

BUNS revolves around a basic concept: a simple menu built around burgers, hot dogs, and french fries that are hand-cut fresh every day from Idaho Russet potatoes and cooked in trans fats-free canola oil.  Beverages span a selection of 45 local and foreign beers in addition to red and white wine, soft-drinks, and four kinds of shakes. The food is served on trays, take out style. No dishes:  burgers and hotdogs are wrapped up in aluminum foil while fries are served in small paper plates.

The restaurant operates out of a ground floor space that is casual and airy with hip wall graphics and a bold, flashy color scheme of black, red, white and grey. Sit outside if you like to watch the world go by. Inside, there is seating along the windows or at mall square metal tables; a huge picnic-style wooden table with benches around it is ideal for large parties.  Diners can place orders by phone and have the food ready by the time they arrive or they can place an order right at the counter and wait for the little gadget that looks like a TV remote control to start ringing, which means the order is ready to pick up. No waiters hovering over clients; instead, the staff at the restaurant is busy in the kitchen, handling the register or keeping the place clean.

Running a lean operation enables management to keep costs down and concentrate resources on the biggest expenses, such as top quality meat. Since opening two months ago, the business partners have seen their volume grow, with week-end traffic particularly lively. And while BUNS has all the makings of a franchise, any such conjecture belongs to the future. For now, according to Alonso, "we have exceeded our expectations."

 BUNS Burgher Shop is located on the corner of Ashford Avenue and Caribe St., across from the Marriott Hotel.  Telephone: 787.725.7800
Prices range from $3.95 for a single plain burger to $7.25 for a double bacon & cheese burger. 

Open 7 days a week: Sun-Wed, 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Thursday, till 1 a.m.;  Friday and Sat, till 4 a.m.

Photo by Denise Blasor
"Almost everything we know we know incompletely at best.
And almost nothing we are told remains the same when retold."
Janet Malcolm

ECOCENTRIC
 "Because of crowding, stress-inducing conditions, and unnatural diets that often occur in the conventional meat and dairy industries, antibiotics are needed to fend off disease. In addition to antibiotics, animals are also given growth hormones— to stimulate year-round high production of milk, for instance. It is estimated that as much as 80-90% of all antibiotics given to humans and animals are not fully digested or broken down and eventually pass through the body and enter the environment intact through wastewater and runoff.  Although the USDA and FDA claim these hormones are safe, there is growing concern that hormone residues in meat and milk might be harmful to human health and the environment."

FROM sustainable table.org  Check it out at ecocentric.blog, a digital publication devoted to water, food and energy issues.

"Viajando," Wall art on Loiza Street
Photo by Denise Blasor

A SIMPLE TIP: Save the nutrients-rich water left over from steaming vegetables, or sauce remnants from chicken dishes, in a glass jar and use to flavor a homemade soup.


Copyright 2012© Lorraine Blasor All Rights Reserved