ANNOUNCER: Call it a sign of the hard economic times. From New York to Los Angeles, celebrity chefs and their customers in some of America’s most renowned and pricey restaurants are embracing the humble hamburger as the new star of haute cuisine.

But don’t compare the new burger to the combinations of low-grade meat and synthetic buns that you might expect from one of America’s ubiquitous fast-food joints.

The trend can be traced back to Daniel Boulud, the prize-winning French-born chef whose introduction of the $29 db burger at db Bistro Moderne in Manhattan sent a shock wave through the world of cuisine.

Boulud’s creation was made up of a 5-centimeter-thick patty of ground sirloin filled with boned short ribs, foie gras and black truffle, and was immediately hailed a burger breakthrough by restaurant critics.

JASON: Yeah, but despite its hefty price tag, the snobby sandwich soon accounted for a quarter of the sales at the fashionable New York eatery, spurring a string of imitations from executive chefs around the country. These beautiful burgers all have three things in common: fine ingredients, high prices and customers who value the gourmet hamburger so highly that they almost never eat them with their bare hands.

JAKE: We are reviewing Mary’s Burger Bistro, right? The napkins are pulled from a dispenser. Sandwich board out front. I heard two different radio stations — rock and country — play at the same time. Mary’s Burger Bistro opened Aug. 20, 2007 in the former Art’s Hamburgers spot at 23rd and Pacific Avenue, and it’s a far cry from db Bistro Moderne or its neighbor El Gaucho.

JASON: It’s also death waiting to happen. I liked reviewing hamburger joints better when we were younger. Now, as I sink my teeth into the meal I see my life flash before my eyes. How can I enjoy fatty meat, golden fries and a milk shake when I have Jillian Michaels sitting on my shoulder calling me “disgusting?” I took three bites of the burger, downed eight fries, and took six sips of a chocolate milkshake, and felt heavy and bloated. Mary’s is not for the weak of heart.

JAKE: Maybe you should downsize to the regular, third-pound beef patty ($4.99). The half-pound Mighty ($5.88) and full-pound All Mighty ($7.28) are out of your league.

JASON: Even the regular American burger with a thick Kaiser bun arrives loaded with tomato, onion, dill pickle, lettuce, mustard and ketchup for a full meal. The fiesta burger features pepper jack cheese, jalapeños, and salsa between a grilled onion bun.

JAKE: The party on my green pepper and onion burger was good, it had a great shape and consistency, although it was just a degree or two overcooked. The horseradish added a surprisingly nice touch. The vegetables were rather innocuous, flavor-wise they couldn’t compete with the drama of meat and Swiss cheese; but as usual they added the crispy, juicy texture dimensions that were necessary to break up the monotony of the meat, cheese and bun.

JASON: The french fries were tasty, seasoned lightly and still warm when I had eaten most of the burger. They were a little limp, however, and their thin creamy texture really could have used a crisper outside coating. It was pleasant to eat them, though; their flavor was rich and indulgent.

JAKE: Owner Mary Meecham also serves breakfast inside their bright-white digs. I’m a sucker for a fried egg sandwich ($2.99), and Mary’s version certainly did not disappoint. It’s a towering sandwich made with ham, sausage or bacon and cheese, served on a toasted English muffin. You know how the best parts of a grilled egg sandwich are those burnt cheese bits that ooze out over the edge? Well, the entire face and base of Mary’s version is like that. There’s also a croissant version, as well as a breakfast burrito and French toast sandwich.

JASON: Mary’s Burger Bistro makes a mean, big burger, and the environment holds none of the usual trappings of a burger joint: no grease-caked walls, no wizzled excuses for meat patties, no clown icon annoying you with patronizing slogans, and no inexperienced staff botching orders. Uncomplicated, unembellished, and very straightforward, it is a worthy option.

[Mary’s Burger Bistro, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday, 2301 Pacific Ave., Tacoma, 253.779.0777]