4.5 out of 5.0 stars
What if a brewery had a food hall as its in house kitchen? It’s a reality at The Collective in Lutz. Besides Escape Brewing Company quenching your beer thirst, they have a cocktail focused bar, 6 different restaurants to satisfy your hunger, and yes, there’s one to satisfy your burger needs.
Jimmy Renners – Lutz / Double Burger & Triple Burger
Chef James Renew already has a couple of restaurants in the Tampa Bay area, those being Little Lamb and Estuary, but he’s always loved Smashburgers and he jumped at the chance to bring his version of the Smashburger to us. His version is the traditional Oklahoma style onion burger. Thin sliced white onions smashed into a ball of beef. That ball of beef is 3.2 oz. of a 75/25 brisket, short rib & chuck blend. The beef is the star. It’s juicy, flavorful and seasoned very well. He’s an American cheese guy and a Duke’s mayo guy too. He also likes lettuce, red raw onions, pickles and tomatoes on his Smashburger. A soft, toasted brioche bun completes his version.
I usually opt for no LTO on my burgers, especially my smashburgers, although I mostly try burgers the way the Chefs want us to try them, after all, it’s their restaurant, not mine. Don’t make any modifications. How I described the burger is exactly how Chef Renew wants you to have it. It’s fantastic his way. It’s juicy, seasoned well, has a great char on it with crispy edges. The white onions are cooked beautifully after the patty is flipped, and it has a nice soft, lightly toasted bun.
My first visit I did get the Triple Burger without LTO. I’m going to recommend the Triple, you get more of the juicy beef. The second visit, I got the Double Burger just the way Chef Renew drew it up. It’s fantastic both ways.
Why did Chef James Renew call his new burger place Jimmy Renners? Chef lived in Australia for a few years and his friends (mates) would call him Jimmy Renners. Also, if you were wondering about the logo? The kid is listening to Chef’s fictional DJ, Finneus Newberry.
