Medium-WTF?

The 12South Taproom is supposed to have one of Nashville's best burgers. But after trying it, I'm convinced that if this is the best Nashville has to offer, that's not saying much for the state of burgers here.

Things went south before I'd even gotten my burger. When I ordered, the waitress asked how I wanted it cooked but added, more brusquely than was necessary, that the kitchen "won't go below medium." Huh? Are you serious? I understand the need to be careful with meat, particularly ground beef, but to REFUSE to serve a burger cooked below medium? How can a restaurant that prides itself on its burgers not serve them below medium? That's crazy talk. I mean, just put some kind of disclaimer on the menu about eating undercooked beef like a normal restaurant, and give me my goddamn burger medium-rare.

As far as I'm concerned, 12South Taproom was pretty much out of the running for best burger as soon as I heard they wouldn't cook it below medium. But I ordered it anyway, thinking that perhaps this burger was so outstanding that its superiority would be evident despite the fact that it was overcooked.

But no, no such luck. First off, the burger arrived far closer to well-done than to the promised medium. Worse, the flavor of the burger was no better than that of a pile of ground beef slapped on the grill by some backyard pitmaster swilling an MGD. No particularly special flavor, no nice char on the outside, and it certainly wasn't juicy. I don't need to pay $10 for that kind of burger, thanks very much. And so the search for Nashville's best burger continues.