The Early Word On TAG Burger Bar

Tag Burger Bar, a restaurant manned by chef Troy Guard and rebranded from what originally was Madison Street, opened in Congress Park a little over a month ago. Guard always wanted to open a burger joint, the sales at Madison Street came primarily from burgers, so the transformation was natural. The casual neighborhood joint was received with mostly positive feedback, although no formal reviews have been released yet. Here is the early word on Tag Burger Bar.

The Good News: Fox 31 KDVR raved about the tasty burgers featuring all sorts of wild recipes at TAG Burger Bar. More Good News: Thrillist was similarly excited with the selections of creative and interesting toppings that make-up the built-your-own-burger menu.

Lukewarm News: an Open Table reviewer enjoyed some parts and hated others: "Margs and duck fat fries were super. Regretfully, the burgers were okay but nothing that says wow. Shredded iceberg lettuce and flavorless tomatos did not seem like a match for unique burgers."

Mixed Feelings: On Yelp, the opinions vary a lot: one reviewer was bummed by the transformation of Madison Park: "I was so bummed to see that Madison Street had transformed into...this! The menu is slightly adjusted but for the worse (cheese on a fish taco? Um...). The one saving grace is that they have the same drink specials and incredible beers on tap." Another reviewer was so impressed by the quality of the burgers that he awarded the new joint with five stars and said, "I was really impressed. I've had TAG's burgers at the Denver Burger Battle and it has never stood out, but to me it says something when a burger delivers night in and night out in a restaurant. I had the turkey burger old school style, which the style's name is a misnomer, because between the TAG sauce and pickled/grilled onions, this burger was a messy, delicious, delightful, sloppy good plate."

Love/Hate News: The Denver Egotist liked the two graffiti-like murals executed by Like Minded Productions that were added to the burger joint during the remodel calling them "two tasty new murals" while a Cafe Society commenter felt like the colorful designs should prompt eye-shielding, "Aye Aye Aye! That wall... MY EYES!" he exclaimed.

Great News: Denveater's Ruth Tobias dug the burgers and picked the Godzilla as her favorite raving about it as "an umami-rich natural, the latter's fresh green notes brightening the smoked Japanese mayo, teriyaki sauce, meaty shiitakes & "tempura crispies" (basically fried-dough bits, so what's not to dig?)." 303 Magazine was similarly impressed with the food and highlighted the fries with pico de gallo and Cheez Whiz, "the fries were amazing, and refreshingly different from the usual truffle fries, sweet potato fries and so on. The cheese and the sweet little bits of tomato made for a perfect plate of fries with no ketchup at all."

· Makeover: Madison Street Reopens Today as TAG Burger Bar [EDen]
· All Troy Guard Coverage [EDen]