Posted by Adam Kuban, December 18, 2006 at 10:31 AM
Dear AHT,
I try to eat at least one burger a week. This past week, however, the burger got the best of me. I have long been a proponent of the P.J. Clarke's burger as the indisputable best burger in Manhattan. Well a few friends decided to challenge me on this, so we went to each person's top pick, ordering medium-rare bacon cheeseburgers at each, to see if we could reach a consensus.
BLUE SMOKE | 116 East 27th Street, New York NY 10016 [map]
Actually no one thought Blue Smoke was the best burger, but we saw your review and another writeup (New York magazine, I think) and decided it was worthy of inclusion. This was the most disappointing burger by far. Meduim-rare came out medium. Not very juicy. Still, good flavor.
J. G. MELON | 1291 Third Avenue, New York NY 10021 [map]
One of us was confident this was the best. Medium-rare was almost really medium-rare, but still not quite there.
CORNER BISTRO | 331 West 4th Street, New York NY 10014 [map]
This medium-rare was as close as the Melon burger, but with far more flavor. Combine this with the almost fairyland-like prices, and you have your hands-down No. 2.
P. J. CLARKE'S | 915 Third Avenue, New York NY 10022 [map]
I was able to convert the Melon guy with this burger. It is simply perfect. I would estimate that I have experienced it about 10 to 15 times, and each and every time, it is a perfect medium-rare. Eating this burger is like eating a steak. Sorry for my lack of descriptive details, but you need to eat this today.
The Corner B's burger is fabulous, particularly as its bacon cheeseburger has approximately a one to one ratio of tasty dead salty pig to tasty dead fatty cow. But what about the Jackson Hole up in the lower 90's on Madison Avenue? For my money, that's the most decadent, ass-expanding burger around.
PJ's is hands down the best burger in town, agreed. Buttery bun, meat always cooked to perfection, excellent patty size and mouthfeel (atmosphere is also grand). Melon is strong to quite strong, Corner Bistro not bad, but overrated. Burger Joint comes in 2nd on my NY list, a tasty, tasty burger.
Clarke's is indeed awesome, but not as good as it was when I was a kid. Mister Hamburger and I went there about two months ago with my Dad who used to think that "visitation rights" meant it was incumbant upon him to visit Clarke's for burgers and scotch every other Sunday. The old codger agreed: the Cadillac's used to be smaller, jucier... better.
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3 Comments:
The Corner B's burger is fabulous, particularly as its bacon cheeseburger has approximately a one to one ratio of tasty dead salty pig to tasty dead fatty cow. But what about the Jackson Hole up in the lower 90's on Madison Avenue? For my money, that's the most decadent, ass-expanding burger around.
Hamburger Carney Vore at 1:37AM on 12/21/06
PJ's is hands down the best burger in town, agreed. Buttery bun, meat always cooked to perfection, excellent patty size and mouthfeel (atmosphere is also grand). Melon is strong to quite strong, Corner Bistro not bad, but overrated. Burger Joint comes in 2nd on my NY list, a tasty, tasty burger.
Hamburger T$ at 5:49PM on 12/31/06
Clarke's is indeed awesome, but not as good as it was when I was a kid. Mister Hamburger and I went there about two months ago with my Dad who used to think that "visitation rights" meant it was incumbant upon him to visit Clarke's for burgers and scotch every other Sunday. The old codger agreed: the Cadillac's used to be smaller, jucier... better.
Hamburger missus hamburger at 7:30PM on 01/15/07