The Old Bag of Nails Pub – Upper Arlington

Jerry and I were quite pleased when we walked into Old Bag of Nails. It was the first time either of us had been there. Think old-style pub with lots of character. Red leather bar stools and the rich wood bar brings one back to a simpler time. Although, it was odd walking into a pub like this and not seeing clouds of cigarette smoke (thank god for the smoking ban!). For a pub it’s surprisingly clean. We went to Old Bag of Nails when the sun was still up so we saw the place in full light and it was quite well-kept. Its unpretentious atmosphere immediately put us at ease, as did the ZZ Top playing overhead. Jerry said, “This is my kind of place.”

Old Bag of Nails has six burgers on their menu. I picked the Gaylord Burger since I am a fan of hickory barbeque sauce and bacon. Jerry ordered the Rustic Burger, which is topped with blue cheese and bacon, one of Jerry’s favorite flavor combos. He orders the Wendy’s Bacon and Blue at least once a week. Following is our assessment of the Old Bag of Nails burger. John was stuck at work so he couldn’t join us, but he’s had the Old Bag of Nails burger a lot (whereas Jerry and I were first-times) so John’s assessment is included in our “overall burger” score.

The Patty: The patties were cooked to order, always a good sign that the restaurant cares about its burgers. When served, it was the perfect temperature. Not too hot and not too cold – it was just right, providing for a pleasant, meaty texture. This patty did not have as strong of a grill flavor as the Brazenhead burger, but it had a subtle charred taste to it. Quite simply, this patty actually embraced the flavor of the quality meat. Jerry stated the obvious: “It tastes like a burger.” A lot of the other burger joints we had visited were adding so much flavoring and spice to the patty that you really couldn’t taste the flavor of the meat, so we appreciated actually getting to taste quality hamburger meat at Old Bag of Nails. Score: 4

The Toppings: The toppings were good. Jerry’s burger was topped with crispy onion straws, which he really enjoyed. I liked the apparent freshness of the basic toppings. Two big slices of deep red tomatoes were served on the side of the burger along with some red onions and a leaf of crisp, deep green lettuce. Jerry and I both had bacon on our burgers. The flavor of the bacon was phenomenal and it was nice and thick. However, we encountered some “stringiness” with the bacon fat, which at times made it difficult to eat the burger. Jerry downgraded his topping score as a result of the stringy bacon. On the other hand, I didn’t let the bacon decrease my topping score. After all, bacon is just a fatty piece of pork belly. Score: 3.75

The Bun: The bun on this baby was a regular, fresh brioche bun. It was simple and to the point. It did not have sesame seeds on it. The bun held up well throughout the course of the meal. It was buttery and delicious, but nothing memorable. Score: 3.5

Overall Burger Experience: Overall, we loved this burger. All of the flavors melded well together, and they kept it simple. The burger wasn’t too big – it was the perfect size meal. Jerry and I ate our burgers without ketchup. No mayo or mustard was needed. It was good and juicy as served. At $8.99 a piece these burgers were priced close to that of the Brazenhead burger and the quality and flavor was comparable. Overall Score: 3.75