by “The Food Guy” – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine and Vero Beach Foodie
When I first reviewed this restaurant 2 years ago, this place was known as Grumpy’s Burgers and Beer. It seems shortly after that the restaurant was sold to new owners and the name was changed to Off the Rail. Vero has its share of burger joints, so how do you stand out and be one of the top burger joints in town? New owners Jim and Lorissa, believe they has the winning formula to get and keep your business when it comes to the variety of burgers and sandwiches they have on the menu and have proven thus far by keeping the doors open for the past two years. Let’s see what changes have been made to the interior and if the food is just as good if not better than it was previously.
Even with its proximity to downtown Vero, they are still somewhat off the beaten path and if you don’t get beyond 14th Ave might miss them. Parking is available on the street since this place does not have a parking lot. Upon entry to the restaurant, you walk into the large lobby and it’s flanked with two windows (no glass) that look into the dining room and bar areas. There are stools positioned on either side of the window for larger parties to dine together. The wall color has changed from red to turquoise green, and faux brick lines the walls. A bench was added along the main dining room window and high-top tables added along the wall.
Now let’s jump right in and see what I had to eat!
Stinging Honey Garlic Wings – ($7.50) – If you are a regular reader of mine, then you know wings are one of my favorite foods, and these were really good! They were a little bit crispy on the outside, yet still moist and tender inside. The sauce had a little bit of heat, was sweet, and had a nice garlic flavor. Your choice of carrots, celery, and one dipping sauce, either ranch or bleu cheese on the side. The price above reflects what is shown in the picture.
Italian Foot Long Hot Dog – ($10.00) – Whoa, that thing is huge! A foot-long hot dog is grilled and served in a lightly toasted bun with sautéed peppers & onions, and fried potato chunks. Zucchini fries and a Wasabi mayo dipping sauce was served alongside. The hot dog was more like a smoked sausage than a hot dog, the peppers & onions were caramelized nicely, and the potato chunks was something that I had not seen before and give it a little bit of crunch when taking a bite. The zucchini fries were also a new item I’ve not seen anywhere else and they were really good!
Hungover Burger – ($14.00) – That is one impressive looking burger! Two all-beef patties are layered on a toasted bun with Swiss cheese, bacon, an over easy egg, and it’s topped off with a cheese sauce. I had to cut it in half to just be able to get a handle on it and take a bite it was so big! The burger patties were cooked to medium-well and were still very juicy. The cheese sauce was smooth and creamy and the egg yolk was a little bit runny which added some additional richness to this fantastic burger!
Chocolate Cake – ($4.00) – Dessert is always a must have, right? We finished the evening with a slice of their house-made chocolate cake. It was light, very moist and had a wonderful chocolate flavor!
In Conclusion:
Burgers are one of American’s favorite foods, and we sure do eat at LOT Of them. According to Google statistics, American’s eat an average of 3 burgers per week, which puts us at just about 50 billion burgers consumed per year! Off the Rail contribution to that number should be significant once you have a taste of how good their burgers are. Everything we tasted was fresh and delicious and I will definitely keep this place in mind for the next time I get a craving for wings or burgers!
Our Vero Beach Foodie Monthly MeetUp will be held at Off the Rail along with a Hot Wing eating contest. Do you have what it takes to beat the heat? Hit up the link below to our Facebook page event listing with more information about it. If you would like to be a contestant, please send an email to: thefoodguy@verovine.com. At the time this article was published, only 3 spots remain, so get your request in ASAP! Hope you can join us!
Facebook Paralysis Wing Eating Challenge Event Page
Date: Tuesday, August 28th
Time: 6:00 pm, Wing contest starts at 6:30 pm
Off the Rail Website | Off the Rail Facebook Page
Address: 1327 21st St, Vero Beach, FL 32960
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 11:00 am till 9:00 pm, Sunday, 8:00 am till 9:00 pm. Closed on Mondays
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