I used to go to Quincy's a lot then stopped after they stopped making their great deep fried onion rings. They were the best in town. Thick cut (sometimes 3/8"). I stopped going to Quincy's before they got rid of them actually. For years you could substitute the onion rings for the French fries that came with the burgers for a slight increase in price. But later they wouldn't let you make that substitution. You had to order them extra so you'd have to deal with both the French fries AND the onion rings. That was enough for them to lose a customer in me. I had always been good for the burger with onion rings and a few beers. As a result of their lack of customer service I stopped going there. Dogfish Head Alehouse is right around the corner and their customer service has always been excellent.
Fast forward to the past couple of weeks. Over the big gap of time when I was not going to Quincy's I had started ordering groceries online and a lot of delivery food. I order a lot on Yelp and on Uber Eats. For years the only places near my apartment where you could get a burger cooked Pittsburgh Rare were Quincy's and Dogfish Head. More recently, a lot of places have started offering delivery using 3rd party services, and Quincy's has become one of them. I decided to give them a try again after at least 5 years of taking my business elsewhere.
Last week I ordered a Charbroiled Rare Burger from them with Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and mayo with the following cooking instructions: "PITTSBURGH RARE: Charred on the outside, super rare on the inside. Ordinary rare is overcooked." Although it was not as warm as it should have been (I can see the back of the restaurant from the front of my apartment building.) it did come rare enough. Definitely a good sign. Unfortunately, they completely missed the lettuce, tomato, and mayo, so it was a bit lackluster and not that pleasant to consume. Very disappointing from the aspect of being coldish and not including everything, but hopeful because of the acceptable rareness.
Last night I order another one identical to the one I had ordered a week ago except this time I called the restaurant as soon as I placed the order to remind them that I needed it super rare and this time with the lettuce, tomato, and mayo that they left off last time. I got a little attitude from the girl on the phone who asked me if I had made those indications in the order. I assured her that I had and that the reason for my call was because they had ignored those indications previously.
Well, this time I got the lettuce, tomato, and a container of mayo. I have better quality mayo at home made with olive oil. I had expected them to have applied it, but OK, I can use my own better mayo if I have to apply it myself. Had I had known it was going to be on the side I wouldn't have ordered mayo. But the real killer was that the burger is what I would call medium rare, which for me is intolerable. I had to give my burger to my roommate and instead I ate the French fries with a can of Progresso soup. For $17 it was a total waste for me. $17 French fries is a bit much. Not that I used them, but last time they sent a bunch of Ketchup packets. This time, none. The whole operation is way too inconsistent.
Dogfish Head is just across QO Blvd from Quincy's and still just 0.8 miles from my apartment. They seem to get the food to me warmer. I don't like the DFHA brioche bun and the flimsy piece of cheese they use, plus they are a couple of dollars more expensive, so I was hoping that Quincy's would be better. But it is not. At least DFHA makes it Pittsburgh Rare, they include everything, and it arrives fairly warm. The French fries are the same, skin on and limp, but taste good. A few minutes at 350° in the oven and they crisp up well for both DFHA and Quincy's. The DFHA burger gets to me faster for some reason even though they are farther away across QO Blvd.
Ultimately, do I spend a couple of dollars more for a burger from DFHA that I can eat? Or do I spend $17 for a burger from Quincy's that I cannot eat and have to give to my roommate? It is possible for Quincy's to accomplish. They have succeeded in the proper cook before. That's why I used to go to the restaurant to have them. But I can't be gambling that I am throwing my $17 away every time I order from Quincy's. I even called them before they prepared it to MAKE SURE they wouldn't screw it up, yet they screwed it up. I'm better off sticking with Dogfish Head Alehouse for now. read more