I’m playing a guessing game with myself. How many leather items are in this room? There are the leather menus, the leather booth I’m sitting in and the leather-upholstered chairs with spikes jutting from the top. By the time I get to the all-leather bar stools, I’ve lost count. From the graffiti-adorned walls to the studded menu to the laid-back waiter who overuses the word “dude,” this place is decidedly punk rock.

That fact is probably best conveyed through the name of the restaurant,Thunder Burger & Bar. The eatery, which replaced Georgetown’s News Café, is a one-of-a-kind dining experience. I mean, when was the last time you saw a soccer mom and a Marilyn Manson look-alike eating at the same place?

Then there’s the food. An appetizer of spinach and artichoke dip proved to be somewhat underwhelming. The crab cake entrée, while not the worst I’ve ever had – that prize goes to a restaurant in Texas – was topped with odd-tasting celery roots paired awkwardly with mashed potatoes and served sans tartar sauce.

But the burgers – oh, the burgers. The restaurant is appropriately named, to say the least. A selection of gourmet cheese toppings, ranging from Gruyere to Gouda, combined with rustic spreads like homemade chili makes it easy to customize your meat. The burgers themselves range from Kobe beef to venison to bison. There’s even a portobello mushroom for the meat-shy.

The “bar” part of its name isn’t wasted either. The restaurant has more than 20 beers on draft, 16 types of bottled beers and a large selection of red and white wines and cocktails. Don’t hesitate to ask the spiky-haired server for a recommendation.

Okay, so the décor might be a little much, sort of like an Ed Hardy shop with food. And it certainly isn’t a restaurant for calorie counters or anyone worried about portion control. But with its stark black exterior, gothic lettering and distinctly laid-back atmosphere, the restaurant very clearly shouts: I don’t give a damn. And that is so rock and roll.