The hamburger stared back at me from the plate, beckoning me to taste. The handmade patty, smothered in gooey Swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms, sat inside a bun. The entire burger slumped over on the plate, looking a bit greasy. There was nothing fake or pretentious about the presentation. Certainly the burger didn’t look like the impossibly neat menu pictures at a fast food restaurant, nor did it have any of the upper-class airs that some restaurant’s burgers take on. Posers.

This slab of beef rested on the plate as if the very act of getting out there had deflated it just a bit. It wasn’t tired, but this was a working-class burger - one that required both hands to wrestle. It was also the best burger I’d had in a long, long time. It’s a burger to savor. It’s a burger to enjoy as a piece of fine food. It’s the kind of burger you get from a burger joint at the beach in the summer, when the heat of the sun and the salt air push your appetite toward the edge of insanity. Except that this burger came from Double Dogs, a local joint that styles itself a sports bar but that ought to be better known for its burgers. They are that good.

From the names of virtually every dish on the menu to the dog food bowls in which some of the entrees are served, the “dog” theme is everywhere. “Dog Treats” (appetizers) include macaroni and cheese, jalapeno cheese sticks, chili and chicken fingers. The nachos, which come in a dog bowl, are piled so high they are a meal in and of themselves, and the onion rings are fat, flavorful and among the best in town. From there the menu features hot dogs, the burgers, salads, sandwiches and pizza.

The salads are there, it seems, to give the menu a sense of “health.” Skip them and head for everything else on the menu. The two hot dog offerings are fairly basic. One is covered with chili cheese the other with sauerkraut. The ’kraut dog was full and juicy, and the ’kraut flavorful enough without overwhelming the hot dog.

There are 10 different burgers at Double Dogs. The most popular is the “Betty Burger,” a single patty with cheese, sauce, onions, lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. There are various kinds of cheeseburgers, and a breakfast burger topped with a fried egg, cheese, bacon and onions. Four of the burgers are “double patty” burgers.

Sandwiches range from basic grilled cheese to a BLT to tuna fish and mayonnaise to a grilled chicken. The cheesesteak is huge, and filling, and is as good as anything you’ll find in Philadelphia. The five 10-inch pizzas are ordinary and round out the “sports bar” menu. If there’s one complaint, it’s that fries are extra for any dish on the menu.

One word about chicken wings. Double Dogs sells wings in plates of six, 12, 18, 24, 50 and 100, with seven different sauces as cover. These wings are as good as you’ll get anywhere in town. On some nights, they’re probably the best in town. I might have to have a taste-off in order to be sure, but such is the difficult life of a food critic.

Whatever the case, the cooks at Dogs know how to make wings that are crispy on the outside yet retain their tenderness and have a lot of flavor. The chipotle barbecue sauce is deep, smoky and spicy, with just the right amount of tang. The Thai-garlic sauce is spicy and sweet, with a bit of citrus and a bold, zesty taste. I’ve had all the different varieties of heat, and must say that the “Double Dog Dare You Hot,” supposedly their hottest, isn’t all that fiery. But it’s darn good.

Double Dogs’ beer offering is probably the most wide-ranging of any restaurant or bar in town, with names that many people won’t recognize, but that will complement any dish. The servers tend not to know all that much about the non-standard beers, but diners should pair beer roughly like wine - lighter beers with lighter dishes, fuller beers with bigger dishes. One exception would be the Franziskaner Weissbier, a light wheat beer, which goes well with the full-flavored wings. Other beers, such as the Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, are post-meal sipping beers to be enjoyed in the same way as a brandy.

Despite the sports-bar orientation, the kids there seemed to love it. Whenever the staff delivered a meal in a dog dish, kids laughed and squealed, and there’s a kid’s menu. After about 8 p.m., Double Dogs turns to live music, sports, drink specials, bar games and a college-oriented crowd. Although the place never becomes unwelcoming, people with kids might want to get there early. Either way, get there and enjoy the food.

— Our anonymous food reviewer gives new restaurants a six-week grace period before reviewing. To comment, contact Managing Editor Mike Alexieff at 783-3235 or via e-mail to malexieff@bgdailynews.com.

DOUBLE DOGS

1780 Scottsville Road