It can be difficult giving a fair review to an eatery so early in its life. Usually, recently-trained employees are scrambling to get things right, the kitchen staff can be in disarray, and, understandably, things are still... well, new. I don't think it helps that my past experience with in-casino dining has never been stellar - this is not a complaint limited to the Rivers Casino, but all gambling establishments I've had the misfortune of losing money at over the years.
With all that out of the way, I'm excited to give Flipt another try in the future. Their menu is limited with the focus being on the burgers. Fortunately, the burgers are pretty good! Unfortunately, it's the supporting culinary cast that really fails to impress here. Let's start with the positives - Flipt offers a fairly comparable "craft burger" experience to some of the other guys in town. You have the option of several different patties including beef, turkey, and the still-impressive "impossible burger." For a couple of bucks you can add accoutrements such as bacon, grilled onions, and other burger mainstays.
All of these options are JUST for their standard burger - they additionally feature "signature burgers" on the menu which range in everything from a patty melt to the Rivers' Pony (a burger served open-face on Texas toast). While they certainly don't offer quite as much variety as some of the other players in town, it's refreshing to see as many options as they do have. It's also worth noting that other sandwiches are present on the menu along with things such as chicken fingers and mozzarella sticks.
I can't speak for the slew of non-burger items and signature burgers as I decided to try the flagship offering on my first visit. For the standard beef patty, you have two size options: half-pound and quarter-pound. While I got the larger of the two, someone else in our party got the smaller "Son of a Flipt" quarter-pound burger; with all the fixens in tow, it still seems quite large. The standard flipt burgers all come with something called "Rivers sauce." I thought it worked with the overall flavor of the sandwich, but it wasn't particularly memorable. The patty itself was seasoned very well - make no mistake that this is a step above what you can get with the clown or the king.
For better or worse, the burger was the high point of our visit. The less that is said about their fries, the better. To sum them up in three words: wimpy, unseasoned, and greasy. I had a chocolate milkshake which was serviceable - again, better than what the fast food guys can offer, but still nothing amazing. I may be a bit spoiled, but it seems like a self-proclaimed "craft burger" joint in 2018 would offer more adventurous flavors or combinations - Flipt offers vanilla, strawberry, chocolate, and one seasonal option. The seasonal option was listed as-such with no further description listed - I asked the gentleman who took our order and it was salted caramel currently, but I have no way of knowing how often they cycle through flavors or what's coming up.
Finally, there is the wait. I'm trying to approach this with the fact in mind that Flipt only a few days before my visit, but wow, burgers and fries that take almost twenty minutes...?! My group actually arrived just before a large crowd when the restaurant was quite empty. I would hate to see how long the food took for those poor souls. I know each burger is cooked to order, but the wait seemed far to long given the final product we received.
It may sound as if I'm being harsh, but as mentioned, I will be back for another taste. I'm well-aware of the chaos that can be present this early in a restaurants life-cycle. All in all, Flipt may not give the other local craft burger joints a run for their money, but it's a nice addition to the Rivers' Casino's dining options. read more