Not a 'Habit' for me

The inside of The Habit, located at 7400 Laguna Blvd. in Elk Grove, Calif., was as expected -- a clean, homey hamburger joint.

Music was playing lightly in the background, only interrupted by the sound of, "Order No. 69 is ready." It was fairly busy at 12:30 p.m. on a Monday afternoon.

If only the burger had been as nice as the scenery.

The aesthetics of the restaurant is the potentially the best part about having a meal at the establishment, unfortunately.

The service was good, even if it was just the taking of the order and picking it up at the front. No complaints there.

On the menu: The Teriyaki Char -- a teriyaki burger.

The burger consisted of things you would expect to find in a teriyaki burger: Beef, swiss cheese, pineapple, lettuce and sauce. The burger also consisted of things you wouldn't expect to find: Tomato, pickles, mayonnaise and caramelized onions.

The tomato and pickles were the first thing to go, as they not only don't belong in a teriyaki burger, but they're not appetizing. The onions should have been next to go, but they were left to give the burger a chance to succeed.

Sadly, it did not.

As I bit into the burger, my hands were covered with teriyaki sauce, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. A messy burger is a sign of a good burger. Too bad it didn't make me forget about the mediocre, at best, burger.

The caramelized onions seemed really out of place in this burger. The onions seem to be a staple for The Habit (they come standard on every burger). Yet, they could have, and should have, been left off this burger.

The burger itself was on the small side. However, for the price, which wasn't terrible, you'd expect a larger burger.

Also, the combination of flavors didn't meld well together. It was cooked nicely, but just lacked a certain quality you would expect to find in a place that prides itself on burgers. A certain, "umph," if you will.

Caramelized Onions?!

There were some good points about the meal, though.

The teriyaki sauce was not a sauce you would find in a Japanese restaurant, but it worked quite well on this burger. It was sweet and was just tangy enough to enjoy. The toasted bun somewhat made made me forget about the burger's overall deficiencies, for a minute. The french fries were golden-brown, crunchy, salted well and delicious -- definitely the best part of the meal.

And finally, the price.

A Teriyaki Char, fries and a large soft drink is going to set you back $7.56 (in Elk Grove, Calif., at least). Not wallet-draining, but not super cheap, either.

Looks good, but looks can be deceiving

For my money, I'd rather grab a burger at Red Robin or a Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carl's Jr.

However, it is awfully tough to beat restaurant-style french fries, especially when they're cooked as well as they are at The Habit.

I'd be willing to give The Habit another chance, but it would have to absolutely knock my socks off for me to give it a better review.

Mediocre seemed to be the word of the day when describing the eatery.

3 out of 5