Black Magic Burger
Located in Dragon's Gate near the wall between that neighborhood and New Haven, Black Magic Burger is sandwiched between a pair of boutiques that seem better suited for the latter neighborhood than the former. The restaurant's front is industrial glass and metal, and very little light seems to escape from within the building, or carry towards the interior. There is a small patio, almost makeshift, in front of a window that swings open in warmer weather, and shuts when it is cold or rainy or snowy outside. The bar and grill's logo -- the silhouette of a burger on an orange background, being struck by a lightning bolt -- is plastered on several of the windows, and on opposite ends of the lettered sign above. Inside, the walls and booths are a vivid red, and framed pictures hang on the wall opposite the bar. Vivid, colorful images of dragons, demons, skeletons, sorcerers, muscle-bound men and scantily clad women fill the frames. On the mantle above the bar are a pair of guitars, and even more wild artwork hangs wherever they space can be found around the liquor shelves. Most of the time, heavy music of one sort or another -- like orcish death metal, dwarvish drum metal, thrash metal, doom metal, and grindcore -- play at volumes that sometimes test the endurance of even the workers there, let alone the restaurant's patrons. They do turn it down if asked (with some glaring), but Black Magic Burger caters to a clientele that doesn't mind (and mostly actively seeks out) this sort of environment.Black Magic Burger was established in 2016 by Stefanie Riita, an up-and-coming young RhyDin restaurateur who worked her way up from various kitchens across the city to be named to RhyDin Restaurant Magazine's "Rising Restaurant Stars" list in 2017. Its initial claim to fame was crafting hamburgers named after (and inspired by) various RhyDin musical groups, like Fistmelda, TRASH, and Bitter Artery. In recent days, inspired by the dueling success of one of her part-time employees, Stefanie has expanded into naming burgers after prominent dueling stars across the sports. In addition to Bailey Raptis, an occasional waiter and bartender for the establishment, other important employees include head bartender Max Kaalinpää, primary hostess (and budding makeup artist) Grethe Trondhjemmer, waiter and bass player for metal band Syreengel Per Lunhelm, sous chef Indrian Bonneateau, and front-of-house manager Heszhan Imbic-Crerdor.
Black Magic Burger is open seven days a week, 11 a.m. until late, though the kitchen does close at midnight.
Black Magic Burger's RhyDin locations closed at the end of 2023.
((Inspired by Kuma's Corner. Many thanks to everyone who has allowed me to use their characters and NPCs for burger inspiration!))
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