Elevation Burger keeps it green with organic patties, vegan options

One thing I'm most proud of is that I'm not a food snob.

Burgers are one of my favorite foods, and I love to linger in little ethnic spots, soaking up other aspects of the culture in addition to the food. I even love well-prepared macaroni and cheese, although I've never found a version that my family will eat.

But it's time, finally, to admit it to myself. I am a french fry snob.

I'm always mystified when friends and associates rave about the fries at this place or that. In 'n Out's fries, as far as I'm concerned, are flavorless and wan. Five Guys' are only OK, distinguished, I think, by their quantity more than their quality. Don't even get me started on the fries from the Big Three burger makers. About the only fries I really like are Michael Mina's, which are cooked in duck fat.

And the streak continues, because Elevation Burger's fries are far from elevating.

Elevation Burger is a green kind of place. The beef is grass-fed and free-range, two varieties of veggie burgers are offered, the tabletops and floors are crafted of eminently renewable bamboo and recycling is a prominent theme. And the fries are fried in olive oil, which contains neither trans fats nor saturated fats and which is, therefore, more "heart healthy" than some alternatives, as the menu promises.

Although I've had numerous versions of fries prepared in olive oil, these were not appealing - sort of the diametric opposite of In 'n Out's, they were dark and heavy and had a flavor that bordered on burned.

The burger was much better. I had an Elevation Burger ($5.29), which is two organic beef patties, and I chose the Elevation Sauce, caramelized onions, mushrooms and cheese to top it, all of which are free except the cheese, which is 50 cents.

The burger was juicy and had a reasonable amount of big, beefy flavor. The toppings were in abundance except for the Elevation Sauce, which was barely detectable. But a flaw was that these burgers were very, very juicy (the menu promises only 510 calories, without toppings, of course, which seems low) and they soaked the bun pretty quickly. And it was soaked with not toppings but meat juices and fat.

We also had a Half the Guilt Burger ($5.39), which splits the difference with one beef patty and a choice of one of Elevation's veggie burgers, either regular with cheese or vegan (we took the former). To this one we added balsamic mustard and organic bacon. We really liked the combination of the two patties, as they seemed to balance each other nicely, and the bun didn't get as soggy.

We also indulged in one of Elevation's hand-scooped milkshakes ($4.19; they also have malts), choosing chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup and Oreo cookies. It was suitably rich and thick, so thick that it was almost like a concrete. Not that we're complaining.

Service throughout was pleasant and efficient; this is a counter-service place, and they deliver the food in a big metal cake pan, which is both novel and extremely practical. The decor is streamlined, almost sparse, but clean and bright.

And the burgers and shakes were pretty good. As for the fries - maybe I'm just a french fry snob.

Las Vegas Review-Journal restaurant reviews are done anonymously at Review-Journal expense. Contact Heidi Knapp Rinella at hrinella@reviewjournal.com or 383-0474.