Mason's hits a home run worthy of the hype.

Mason's Grill
13556 Jefferson Highway
Baton Rouge, LA 70817
(225) 756-8815

 Greetings, EBR-ites. When it comes to burgers, yours truly is something of a purist. With rare exception, I prefer quality ingredients and simple, quality preparation over tons of gimmicky ingredients, or sheer excess for excess's sake. (The dearly departed Times Grille's Hawaiian Burger being a notable and delicious exception.)


So, it was with a jaundiced eye that I finally made my way over to Mason's Grill on Old Jefferson to take a crack at their much-ballyhooed 'Cajun Shrimp Burger," a star of their menu and of the Food Network as well. We rolled in on a Thursday for lunch, wading through a packed parking lot to be led to a table in Mason's spacious interior. Service proved to be a bit aloof- our server seemed a bit disinterested and then pushy by turns. It was a busy lunch service, and her impatience was palpable. We ordered the signature burger along with what seemed a natural complement of onion rings.

On this day, Mason's perhaps wasn't the best choice for a quick workday lunch. Our food took an inordinately long time to arrive, to the point where our mouths were watering as our neighboring tables got a wide selection of grilled fish, steaks, and of course, these signature burgers. It is said that good things come to those who wait,  and Mason's did not disappoint.

The Cajun Shrimp Burger arrived in all its splendor, redolent of shrimp and cheese, with crisp red onion slices, fresh tomatoes, and a small heap of fragrant onion rings. So fragrant, in fact, that they were chosen for our first bites. They were perfectly cooked, crispy yet light, not soggy in the least, and not mouth-searingly hot- just scrumptious. The burger, when assembled into all of its vertical glory, proved to be quite a handful- literally. Deciding that discretion would be the better part of valor today, we elected to break proper burger etiquette and cut this mammoth into more manageable pieces.

The explosion of flavor that followed was more than just the sum of its parts. The bun was soft, made of quality bread (an overlooked factor in lots of burgers) with almost a sweet finish. The burger was  cooked a perfect medium, keeping it juicy and flavorful inside, and it had a nice char on the outside which blended nicely with a topping made up of grilled shrimp, jack cheese, and jalapeno peppers.
I'll admit i thought shrimp and hamburger might be a dubious combination, but this surf-and-turf on a bun was a surefire winner. It ended in a juicy, satisfying mess requiring extra napkins to clean up, as any respectable burger should.

It's not cheap -a hair under $11- but the Mason's Grill Cajun Shrimp Burger lives up to the hype. It's worth checking out, and will be a strong contender for our year-end Best of Baton Rouge awards.