http://burgerdays.com

Anytime the word "fried" gets mentioned along with a  burger, our ears perk up. This week, Nevin Martell got our beefy attention when he alerted us to a new burger featuring a fat hunk of fried avocado at Heavy Seas Alehouse. Mimicking a turtle shell, the panko-encrusted fried fruit is the highlight of the aptly named Tortuga burger at the new Arlington brew pub. Along with the avocado, the burger comes topped with a smattering of shredded cheddar, a spicy papya slaw and a black bean spread. The fried avocado was a first for us and we found it pretty good. With an entire half  of the fruit in the mix, we were thankful it was a light fry and not weighed down by a heavy batter– the burger is substantial enough already, we didn't need further mass to this gut bomb. The beef was properly cooked to our requested order with a nice char but the meat was too tightly-packed for our liking (we opted not to pay the $7 surcharge for a Kobe-style patty). As for the spicy slaw, it provided some crunch but wasn't the slightest bit spicy. Coincidentally, our other order, the Teddy Burger, had jalapeno bacon which was also disappointingly lacking any heat. While we probably won't seek out the burgers at Heavy Seas again (Ray's is, after all, just a five minute walk down the street), the Tortuga is a solid creation worthy of checking out if fried avocado sounds like your thing. Heavy Seas Alehouse | 1501 Wilson Boulevard | Arlington | heavyseasalehouse.com