Wahlburgers

Wahlburgers in Carmel.
7/6/2021 dwm photo

  I heard of Wahlburgers thanks to a TV show of the same name that followed the Wahlburger family, in particular famous brothers Mark and Donnie.  

  The show was about a family-based casual dining burger restaurant that started in the Boston area.

  While the TV show ended in 2019, the restaurant continues to expand and one of its newest franchises is in Carmel Indiana.

  The chef in the family is Paul.  Mark and Donnie were major parts of the boy-band, New Kids on the Block.   Both brothers are actors as well.  

  Donnie is best known for his work TV show Blue Bloods and movies Bullet and Righteous Kill.  

  Mark has been in a number of films including The Italian Job, The Fighter, The Other Guys, and the Transformers franchise.

The brothers are three of eight siblings who are doing well for themselves after a challenging childhood.  

A note on the Wahlburgers' menu I appreciated was the "government cheese" on their burgers.  When the kids were growing up in the 1980s, the family qualified for free cheese given to families in need.  I remember that program because in my first-post college job the full-time disc jockeys and I all qualified for the free cheese while working full-time!

Tater Tots (left) and Fried Pickles.
7/6/2021 dwm photo

Back to the restaurant.  

The Carmel location has large windows on three sides to create an open, welcoming atmosphere with pictures of Paul, Mark, and Donnie scattered around the space.  On the ceiling above the bar are some of their credits from NKOTB to TED to TRANSFORMERS.

We started with Tater Tots and Fried Pickles.  The tots were good.  The pickles were excellent - among the best I've eaten.  Both were served in reasonable portions.

Three of us went with "Our Burger" which is listed as Chef Paul's choice with government cheese atop a hamburger patty.

The Our Burger with a side of fries.
7/6/2021 dwm photo

  The beef burger is served with government cheese (a premium American cheese named to recognize their humble beginnings), lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles, and Wahl sauce.  It was excellent.

  I asked for the onions on the side and enjoyed the collection of flavors served on the requested medium-well patty.  The bread, cheese, and thick pickles gave it a robustness which packing a punch.  

  Similar to the starters, the patty didn't overwhelm with bulk instead satisfying with flavor.

  As they may have said in Mark's movie, The Fighter, this was a winner by knock-out.