Matt Pak, the naughty genius behind your favorite late-night “Korn dog,” has created another menu of guilty pleasures for the newly-opened Burger Joint food truck. Add that to his list of projects, and he’s now the chef and part-owner of four food trucks including Koagie Hots, The Golden Grill and Coreanos.
The Burger Joint food truck, a new venture from partners Pak (photo above) and Shawn Bermudez (who also owns Royal Oak, Stone’s Throw, Bookdocks and Pistoleros), has been wheelin’ and dealin’ burgers for just shy of a month now. Renovations are in progress over at 2703 Montrose, the space formally occupied by Little Bigs, with plans to open The Burger Joint brick and mortar restaurant mid-June.
To get a taste of the burgers now, you can find the truck across from Anvil and Stone’s Throw late night and, on other days, serving lunch at Hermann Park (check the website for a detailed schedule).
The Burger Joint features a menu of 10 to 12 burgers created by Pak, each made with 44 Farms beef patties. For Pak, the flavor and texture of the beef rank high on his “perfect burger” check list, but he’s also conscious of the proportions. “Often times there is too much bread,” says Pak.
And speaking of bread, Pak tested and compared six different buns, finally choosing a product from Mrs. Baird’s that offered him the consistency he was looking for, both in terms of firmness and uniformity.
Pak’s classic burger (photo above) is slathered with garlic aoili and topped with cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle. Other creations include the Opa (photo below) — a Greek-themed burger with house-made pickled cucumbers, tzatziki and feta cheese — and the Mexi topped with grilled ham, avocado, queso fresco, pickled jalapeño and chipotle aioli.
He has spent his days and nights getting to know the city of Houston and its cravings, so it was about time we spent some time getting to know Pak.
“Ten years ago, I was…
still living in New York, being a kid and working at a diner/cafe.”
At the end of a long day, what do you cook for yourself?
Usually nothing — pick-up or quick food is what usually happens. I don’t come home at a normal dinner time so usually it’s a sandwich or ramyun (Asian instant ramen)
What do you do in your free time, if you have any?
Nowadays I just want to spend time with my family. We have a 14-month-old boy!
What is your go-to drink?
When I was younger it was Captain and 7-Up. Now it’s Jameson on ice.
What would you want your last meal to be?
A garbage plate that I made. Google “Rochester garbage plate.”