"You guys are going to a male revue?" The quip came after I told a droll neighbor that the dining pal and I are off to a place called Beef N' Buns.
"It's a burger joint there, Channing Tatum, not a strip joint," I said as we peeled out of the driveway in a flash with the top down, and that's the naked truth.
I'd been hearing about a "Karachi burger" being served there, and it was reason enough to make a trip down John Young Parkway just past Whisper Lakes Boulevard. It's not until we got there that we realized the space was recently home to Heart of Jerusalem and its Middle Eastern soul food. And it's not until we entered that we realized the heart of Jerusalem continues to beat on, thanks to a trio of Palestinians behind the operation — 19-year-old chef Fares Faila and a couple of 20-something brothers, Muhammad and Aziz Baker, who happen to be Faila's cousins.
Along with a little help from Beirut Grill & Deli/Beirut Bakery & Deli owner Riad Elkhatib, the trio have been sizzling some of the finest burgers money can buy in the south lands of Orlando. Their secret: halal, grass-fed, hand-slaughtered beef.
"Hand-slaughtered meat tastes better than machine-slaughtered," says the woman standing in line in front of us. It's a contentious claim, but to the throngs who gather here, including a sizable contingent of Orlando's Muslim community, eating is believing.
Faila, who went to culinary school in Sarasota and competed in the Jeunes Chefs Rôtisseurs Competition in 2023, took time perfecting his smashburger recipe with help from Aziz. "When I first made my smashburger, Aziz was like Yo! This burger needs work! So we tweaked it together until we were both happy with it."
I have to say, the pal and I were pretty happy with it too. It's clear Faila is deft with pressing meat on a flattop — every one of the burgers we sampled held patties that were crisped around the edges.
In the case of the Premium Prime ($11.95), the crisp rounds came slathered in American and mozzarella cheese as well as "prime sauce" — a garlic aioli infused with jalapeños, vinegar and brown sugar. Requisite additions of red onion, lettuce and tomato lent the burger a classic feel, particularly the brioche bun in all its squishy, glossy glory. In fact, this Magic Mike of hamburger buns is procured from the same company supplying McDonald's with their sesame seed buns — Turano Baking Co. just off South Orange Avenue near the 417 — and I'm lovin' it.
The Funguy Smash ($11.95) was funghi-fresh with portobellos and Swiss cheese, but, who am I kidding, we came to Beef N' Buns for the Karachi Fire ($11.95), and fire it was. Faila makes a cashew sauce then blends in chipotle peppers for his signature "cashew fire" sauce that goes into the burger joint's popular menu item. "We get people driving here from Sanford every day to eat it," says Elkhatib.
And it's true, the place is packed on this Ramadan evening with scores breaking fast with one of these most all-Americans of eats. Of course, I could always do with more heat, but the burger was a standout nevertheless. As good as the chapli kebab burger at Charcoal Zyka just up the road? Hmm, not quite, but this certainly won't be the last time I scarf BNB's edible ode to Pakistan. I should say that while you can eat these burgers with two hands, one hand is really all that's required. Big, overflowing messes these are not.
Burgers aside, there are also chicken sandwiches offered here, none better than the Mango Habañero ($11.99). Faila soaks the clucker in buttermilk for two days before hand-battering it and frying it in peanut oil. The pal couldn't get enough of it and declared it "cock-block-worthy."
Then there are sides like superb onion rings ($6.99) that are pre-made, but were crisp and had a clean flavor nonetheless. Even better were the fries. Of the three we sampled, including truffle aioli fries ($5.99) with fresh grated Parmesan, a tres piquant Cajun variant ($3.99) and sweet potato shoestrings ($5.99), we agreed we'd get all three again. Same goes for the jalapeño jam ($0.49) and its sweet slap of heat. More menu items are in the works, including milkshakes and more burgers, but Beef N' Buns is ready for its closeup now, and it sure as hell teases off this old strip.
BEEF N’ BUNS, 12200 Menta St., 407-601-0314, instagram.com/beef.n.buns
