O burger, where “art” thou?

The location of HERE, Rosslyn’s newest restaurant, feels as organic as its menu’s hand-cut fries. Nestled naturally into the main floor of urban art center Artisphere, its tables spread out from the bar opposite the venue’s ballroom.

The idea of integrating a restaurant into Artisphere was one that excited Mike Tuson, HERE’s head chef.

“[The surrounding galleries] really centered the space,” he said.

Yet for the art center, HERE’s opening has created quite the opposite effect—though  exhibitions may frame the restaurant, HERE has finally anchored Artisphere. Where the ballroom, theatre and galleries once orbited around an awkward space cluttered with empty couches, they now have a gravitational center.

Part of HERE’s appeal derives from the pairing of a casual set up and sophisticated menu. Though the bar has yet to open, once HERE gets its liquor license, diners will be encouraged to leave their seats, wander the galleries with a glass in hand, and return for dessert.

Though the restaurant’s burgers run from $9.50 to $12, the “comfort food with a Latin twist” merits the price even without the hand cut fries or salad that come on the side. The “HERE Burger” boasts local, dry-aged beef paired with Serrano ham and topped with manchego cheese. Between a fresh, sliced roll, avocado and chili aioli seal in the burger’s flavor. Looking to HERE’s sister restaurants Guadillo and Casa Oaxaca, it comes as no surprise that the fusion of Mexican and American cuisine work so well together.

But HERE’s greatest feat comes in the form of its signature burger’s vegetarian counterpart. Veggie burgers always prove hard to pin down, but Tuson rejected the idea that such sandwiches need be fake or flavorless and experimented with ingredients to find a combination that matched the richness of meat while owning its own flavor.

The chef found success through mushrooms and spice. To create the unappetizingly named but deliciously flavored “mushroom patties,” Tuson thinly slices mushrooms, mixing them together with a white bean and garlic puree. To even out the texture, he adds bread crumbs, but never with a heavy hand.

“I gauge it by eye and with feel,” Tuson said, explaining how the mushroom center never ends up tasting like the bun despite the bread that forms its texture. Topped with sautéed onions and mole verde, HERE’s mushroom burger ensures that vegetarian diners don’t miss out on its savory selection.

Next to such well-crafted burgers, however, the restaurant’s hand cut fries simply don’t hold up—especially at $4 for a side. Their color is a gorgeous brown, but they hang limp under their sea salt and chipotle ketchup. Tuson explained that the fryer had not been streamlined with the rest of the restaurant yet, as HERE just opened this Tuesday. The menu’s duck fat fries with roasted garlic aioli, despite the server’s rave reviews, were not yet available either. Hopefully HERE’s fries will get past kitchen troubles and ingredient shortages to complement the crafty burgers soon.

HERE’s strong menu and satisfying atmosphere will no doubt draw more locals to the Artisphere, and with good reason—its charcuterie plates, chorizo pizzas, and savory burgers deserve a larger and bigger mix of diners than just art patrons, theatre goers, and dance students.